Step 3: Build Your Timetable
Once you have a list of all of the required courses and electives you want to take, you will need to create a personal timetable with them. Remember to create a schedule for both the fall and the winter terms and ensure all your courses fit conflict-free.
Before you can build your timetable:
- Use Browse Classes to confirm the terms each course is offered (fall/winter/both), as well as registration restrictions and prerequisites for each course.
- You can then use the Visual Schedule Builder to create a personal schedule that works best for you.
Browse Classes
Browse Classes is a tool that provides course description, exclusions, restrictions and pre-requisites that you need to be aware of prior to registering. It also outlines class location, delivery method and waitlists. Wondering what some of these terms mean? Check out the LORIS Glossary.
- Log in to LORIS.
- Select Registration under the Student Services tab.
- Click Browse Classes.
- Select a term and select Continue.
- Enter the course discipline code in the Subject field and the course number (i.e. 100) in the Course Number field.
- Select Search.
- Select the course title to see details, including the course description, prerequisites needed to enrol, and any restrictions that might prevent you from registering in this course.
- Review the course delivery method. Online courses are marked with a section of “OC.”
Search Tips
- To see all available courses in that particular term, leave the subject and course number boxes blank.
- To search for all courses in a particular subject area, enter the subject (i.e. Psychology) and leave the course number box blank.
- To search for all courses with the same course level use the percent in the course number box. For example: if you are looking for a second year course, enter 2% to display all 200-level courses.
- Always select Advanced Search to choose your campus so that you only see courses offered on your campus.
- You can select online learning to view online courses.
How to Browse Classes
Brantford Campus Courses
Lectures are denoted by sections BR1, BR2, BR3, etc. These courses are open to students studying on the Brantford campus and are taught in-person.
Online Courses
Denoted by section OC. These courses are open to students on both campuses and are typically taugh asynchronously (without specified meeting times).
Waterloo Campus Courses
Lectures are denoted by sections A, B, C, etc. These courses are open to students studying on the Waterloo campus and are taught in-person.
Meet times let you know what day(s) of the week a course, lab, tutorial, etc. occurs.
- Monday is M.
- Tuesday is T.
- Wednesday is W.
- Thursday is R.
- Friday is F.
If multiple letters are present, this indicates that you will meet on multiple days of the week. For example, "TR" would indicate a meet time of both Tuesday and Thursday or "MWF" would indicate a meet time of Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Visual Schedule Builder
The Visual Schedule Builder is a tool to help you plan your schedule by showing you all possible conflict-free timetables with the combination of courses you selected.
The Visual Schedule Builder does not outline restrictions for each section; therefore, you must use the Browse Classes feature in conjunction with the Visual Schedule builder to create your schedule.
To use the Visual Schedule Builder:
- Access the Visual Schedule Builder.
- Choose your term.
- Select your campus.
- Type in the course code you would like to add and then click the ‘add’ button.
- Continue to add courses until you have entered all of the classes you would like to consider for your semester. A typical full-time course load is five courses per term.
- Once you have all courses listed, select generate schedule to see all proposed timetables, You can scroll through each possible schedule by using the arrows under the ‘generated results’ title at the top of the screen.
- Once you have chosen a timetable that works for you, save the URL or record the Course Reference Number (CRN) of each lecture and lab/tutorial (if applicable). You will use the CRN of each lecture and lab/tutorial to register for your courses on LORIS.
Tip: It's OK to schedule two classes back-to-back – 10 minutes between classes is enough time to get across our campuses
Next Step: Register for Your Courses
With all the groundwork done, it's time for you to move to Step 4: Register for Courses. Make sure you check your registration date and set yourself a reminder.