Definitions of Instruction Modes
Every scheduling component (lec, lab, tut, sem) is required to be assigned a mode of instruction. Instruction modes are used for several things including:
- ensuring that GFC hours are scheduled
- there is clarity for students on expected course delivery in Visual Schedule Builder
- for charging specific fees for certain courses
- reporting and identification of courses that may need to be flagged for work-integrated learning (WIL) and experiential learning attributes
Instruction Modes are categorized as follows:
Primary Instruction Modalities
The three primary modalities for scheduling are in-person, blended and web-based (online). Most courses will fall into one of these three categories.
All instructional content for a course will be delivered in an in-person format. These courses are expected to have all GFC hours scheduled and assigned to space. This includes all assessments and supervised academic activity.Instructional methods may include traditional, problem-based learning, active learning, collaborative learning and flipped classroom approaches.
Blended learning methods include both in-class and web-based components of instruction. GFC hours should be met by using a combination of in person and online instruction. A component of a course may be taught a scheduled number of hours per week in-person and then the remaining hours online using instructor lead discussion, online work and/or other methods of online facilitated instruction. Independent readings and projects, or courses taught partially in-person with a final project, are not considered a “Blended” modality for our purposes.
To be used for courses taught entirely online with no in-person component including assessments. Web-Based Courses may be taught synchronously, asynchronously or hybrid as indicated in the class notes and scheduling details.
Research Based Modalities
Research based modalities are used to differentiate between different types of research experiences at the Undergraduate and Graduate level. GFC hours are guidelines for expected instructional hours and/or supervision but are not used for scheduling. Any mandatory in-person or web-based dates must be scheduled in PeopleSoft, otherwise these courses are expected to be left as TBA in the system and the specific schedule to be determined between the instructor and students.
This type of course may include independent study in a singular topic or multiple topics with emphasis on content specialization and development of subject expertise. The student and instructor will devise the approach and outcomes for this type of course. Independent reading courses may be indicated as IS.
Students choose their topic of interest and pursue research of that topic independently with weekly guidance from an instructor. These are courses that typically have a cap of 1 and involve a literary review or development of a research proposal. These courses focus more on independent development of research experience, subject expertise, and knowledge of research methodologies.
Students are conducting research and/or actively participating in funded research under the direction of an instructor. This applies to courses that may have one or more student in the course conducting similar guided research.
Senior Project instruction mode may be used to denote courses that are group project-based courses as indicated by the calendar. This includes capstone projects, honour’s group projects, etc. This is mainly to be used for group-based project courses where meetings are ad hoc and usually not supervised by an instructor. There may be one or two mandatory meetings at the beginning of term, but the rest of the work is expected to be done independently with the occasional check-in with the instructor. Where students work independently on a project, not in a group, the course should be labelled as “Independent study”.
Modalities for Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Courses
These modalities are intended to be used for courses that meet government requirements for WIL with no fee differentials (excludes COOP and INTE courses). Courses may or may not have main campus learning components associated with the course. Any mandatory meetings for the students should be included in the GFC hours and in the schedule of classes.
GFC hours should either reflect expected instructional hours for courses that have regular meetings with an instructor; or should indicate the range of expected practicum hours as required for licensure or expected of an employer/community organization to ensure consistency from student to student.
Provides students with an intensive part-time/short-term hands-on practical experience in a setting relevant to their subject of study. This may apply to any portion of a course where the majority of coursework is done off-site and in the field.
This is to be used for all Practicum type courses or faculty provided internships not labeled INTE. This mode indicates that students are off-site and participating in experiential learning activities in a regular work environment. These courses are typically required for licensure in a profession and may also be called preceptorships, internships, practicum, or field experience.
These courses do not meet the definition of field school or practicum and may be opportunities to provide students with hands-on work-related experience while on main campus or in a community setting. Courses that are practicum in nature but not required for licensure may be considered FPL.
Courses that integrate meaningful community service with classroom instruction and critical reflection to enrich the learning experience and strengthen communities. In practice, students work in partnership with a community-based organization to apply their disciplinary knowledge to a challenge identified by the community.
Modalities for Courses with a Unique Fee Structure
Courses that are categorized in the Academic Calendar as COOP, INTE or graduate Distance Education, must use these modalities to ensure that the appropriate tuition fees are charged for the students. Courses that do not meet these categories in the Calendar may not use these instruction modes.
Applies to courses labelled INTE in the Academic Calendar with approved fee structure. Courses considered internships within the Faculty but not labelled INTE are not approved to be given the instruction mode of IT and should be labelled PR, FPL, or SEL.
This applies to courses labelled “COOP” in the Academic Calendar only.
Courses that are part of the graduate distance education programs offered by Cumming School of Medicine and Werklund School of Education only. This modality ensures that students are charged approved distance education fees, otherwise the course should be labelled “WW” (web-based).