LORIS Glossary

• F: Fall term, September – December (12 weeks).
• W: Winter term, January – April (12 weeks).
• F-W: Fall and winter terms, September – April (24 weeks).
• S: Spring term, May – August (12 weeks).
• IS: Intersession, May – June (6 weeks).
• SS: Summer Session, July – August (6 weeks).

Note: The number of weeks listed above are teaching weeks. Final examinations follow.

Labs and tutorials for some science courses meet only every other week. Sections are scheduled to meet in either odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11) or even weeks (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) where the first week of term is the odd week and second week of term is the even week.

Identified by section "BR" on the class schedule, these courses are taught at the Brantford campus and Waterloo-campus students are not eligible to take them.

This is the master listing of all courses offered in a specific term. LORIS Browse Classes contains all information about sections, lectures, labs, tutorials, day and time, room location and instructor names. Modifications to the class schedule are made on an ongoing basis before the start of term.

A closed course, denoted by the letter "C" in LORIS, means the course has reached its limit for space. If you encounter a closed course when registering, let your interest in the course be known to the department. Sufficient interest may result in scheduling changes. If a department has authorized wait listing, you will be prompted to add yourself to the wait list. See "wait list" below.

A measure indicating the relative weight assigned a particular course. A credit can be obtained in a number of ways: for example, by successfully completing a full-credit (1.0-credit) course, two half-credit (0.5-credit) courses, or four quarter-credit (0.25-credit) courses.

A one-term (four-month) course normally carries a weight of 0.5 credit. A two-term course typically carries a 1.0 credit weight and is commonly taken Sept. to April.

On LORIS, you'll see the following symbols used to denote credit weight:

A course taught by one department with material overlapping another discipline significantly enough for the course to be labelled as both subjects (e.g. CP120 is cross-listed with PC120). The full description and prerequisites are given in the home department of the course. Cross-listed courses may be taken in either subject area but credit will be earned only once.

An arrangement between Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo enables degree/diploma students of either university to take courses for credit at the other institution, paying tuition to the student’s home institution. This provides access to courses which are not offered at a student’s home institution.

Note: Cross-registration is not recommended for first-year students. Dean’s Office approval is required.

An elective is a course you choose that is outside of your degree major. The choice of elective may be subject to departmental approval or may have to be chosen from a stated group of courses in a program.

An exclusion is a statement within a course description indicating a course or other level of attainment which, if already successfully completed, does not permit credit in another course, and which cannot be taken for credit concurrently with the other course. If an excluded course is completed, the first course is counted as a "repeat" and credit in the first attempt is lost. It may also state that the course cannot be counted for credit in a program or toward a particular degree.

Junior courses are 100-level courses. A course at the 200 – 499 level (e.g. FR438 or HI247*) is a senior course that is normally restricted to upper year students unless otherwise specified in the course description.

A class in which students engage in learning activities by practice.

Laurier uses MyLearningSpace (MyLS), powered by Desire2Learn (D2L), as its Learning Management System (LMS) for delivery of online learning courses as well as for support in classroom courses. The LMS allows instructors and administrators to organize and manage course content and students in an online environment.

A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach about a particular subject. The lecture is normally the main component of a course.

Online Learning courses are delivered online through MyLearningSpace (MyLS), Laurier’s learning management system (LMS), using additional technologies to engage learners. There is no in-class component to OC courses, so the time and location display as TBA. However, no day and time will ever be added on the class schedule. Online Learning website.

A prerequisite states a condition that must be satisfied prior to registration in a course. This condition may consist of:

• Obtaining credit from another course or other courses.
• Having a particular registration status, such as registration in a program and/or in a specified year, or as a senior student (i.e. a student who has obtained 5.0 or more credits).
• Having a minimum GPA (e.g. thesis courses).

Some courses have multiple offerings at different days/times. A section is a particular day and time. Most sections are indicated by a letter or a combination of a letter and number (e.g. CS101 A, CS101 B, etc.).

An academic enhancement program where students work in groups to develop their learning, research and problem-solving skills while reviewing course materials and preparing assignments. They are voluntary and informal.

A period of instruction given by a teaching assistant to a small group of students.

A two-term course is a course that is taught across the duration of two consecutive terms, most often the Fall and Winter terms. Two-term courses normally carry a credit weight of 1.0 credits, with credit value equally distributed (0.5 credits) in each term. In order to receive any credit for a two-term course, the entirety of the course must be completed.

You must be registered in both halves (same lecture/lab/tutorial section) of a two-term course before the first term's add deadline in order to continue with the course. You may drop the course until the final drop date for the second term.

With respect to fees, each half of a two-term course is billed and assessed separately as if it were a one-term course in its respective term. For example, a two-term course taken over the Fall and Winter terms is billed identically to taking a one-term course in the Fall and a one-term course in the Winter.

If a course is full, you will be prompted to add yourself to the wait list. Please note, not all closed courses have the option to wait list and is authorized by the department offering the course. Once on the wait list and you receive an email notifying you that space is available, you will have 24 hours from the time that email is sent to register yourself in the course using LORIS.

• Note: Not all closed courses have the option to wait list.

How to Check Your Waitlist Position