Quick Reference Guide - Course Combinations
We are no longer using student demand to create the schedule. We are using course
combinations more extensively to represent student course requests. We are striving to ensure
no groups of students get missed, but we must have reasonable expectations. We may not be
able to meet all student requests, but we need to be sure to include the important ones.
Remember … communication is very important!
 Let other departments know your expectations if your students are expected to take
their courses.
 Request reserves if needed.
 Negotiate any time issues especially if the course/lab must have a forced time for any
number of reasons, or if patterns do not work.
Basic process
Cohort course combinations
 Identify your students - What students do you “own”? You need to communicate with
other departments if you “co-own” students to decide who will submit combinations for
them.
 Name your cohorts (For example, indicate plan and level: 3A CIVE.)
 Determine the number of students in each cohort.
 Add core courses.
 Add elective courses.
 Determine the number of students in each elective set.
 Enter this information into the Data Collection Utility (DCU).
Non-cohort course combinations
 Any courses, in your department, that you need to spread out so that students can enrol
in any one of several courses.
 Grad-with-undergrad courses you want conflict free for Teaching Assistant (TA)
availability.
 Enter all courses into the DCU. The number of students should be set to 1 so one section
of each course will be conflict free.
What not to Include in a course combination
 Courses that are heldwith each other.
 Two courses, both of which no one student would enrol; for example, anti-requisites,
prerequisites, and equivalencies, etc.
 Courses offered in online only format for the term being scheduled.
Notes
 If all courses in a particular grouping that must remain conflict free are being scheduled
with forced times, a course combination is not required.
 We will always carry forward your last like term's course combinations. You are
responsible for editing them and adding any new combinations that might be required.
 If a course offered last year is not offered this year, it will not appear in your current
term's course combination list.
April 12, 2016