Learn about standard times, section numbers, course titles, and variable credit courses
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Standard Dates and Times
The start date is not the first day the class meets, but the first day of the term.
If you do not follow the Senate-approved dates, this will affect the drop dates of the course, which will affect the students. Please see Dates and Deadlines for the specific dates of your term.
Sections should follow the university’s scheduling pattern and start at the standard times as indicated in the Academic Course Scheduling Operational Procedures.
If you need to schedule a course outside the standard times, please consult with Scheduling Services before the scheduling cycle begins, as off-pattern sections may create challenges for the overall course schedule. Please email Scheduling Services and indicate the course, the proposed times/days, and why standard times will not work for the course.
Section Numbers
Section numbers are determined by the department and are limited to three characters (alpha-capitalized and/or numeric). Some examples of section numbers are: 001, 002, 003 (to represent Term 1, 2, and the whole session). Wait lists: WL1 or WL2; Tutorials: T01, T02, T03; Labs: L01.
If your department is offering online courses that are not associated with the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT), please refrain from using section numbers that start with 98* and 99*, as these series of section numbering are used to differentiate CTLT course sections. Please note: GIS Meeting Type and Section Type are used specifically by them.
Course Titles
The short title is limited to 16 characters. Short titles change for directed studies and special topics courses when the department wants to indicate the subject of the directed studies or special topic. To change the short title, send a request to Scheduling Services. The request may require follow-up from Senate & Curriculum Services.
Changes to a long title require a curriculum change. To do this, you will need to contact Senate & Curriculum Services.
Variable Credit Courses
Variable credit courses have credit values that vary within a range (1 to 6 credits) or between two set values (3 to 6 credits).
For variable credit courses, a version of the course for each credit value is created. To do this, a letter is added to the end of the course number. For example, if the course number is 101, we would create 101A to represent 3 credits and 101B to represent 6 credits. We are only able to add one letter after the course number, so if we run out of letters we close versions that are not being used and re-open them to represent a new version.
Versions can also be used for directed studies or special topic courses where the title for each version is different. Although the versions may have the same credit value, the subject may differ, in which case each version represents a different topic. To add or update a version contact Scheduling Services. Please indicate the credit value of the course in your correspondence.
Need Help?
If your course has been approved by Senate, it will appear in the Curriculum Management section of the SCMC. You may need to open a new version of the course if it has undergone credit or title changes or if it has been recently approved by Senate. To open a new version of the course so that you may schedule it, contact Scheduling Services.
Senate & Curriculum Services is responsible for approving new course codes and closing course codes. You will need to contact Senate and Curriculum Services in the following situations:
- You need to increase or create a C-list maximum (the number of credits the student can register in or receive for a course)
- You need to re-open a course that is closed in Curriculum Management
- Curriculum Management has the wrong closing date for a course
- A course needs to undergo a curriculum change (e.g., changes to credit, long title, pre-requisites/co-requisites, and grading type)