Decoding Your College Schedule: What Does "R" Mean?
Navigating the world of college can feel like learning a new language. From academic jargon to campus-specific terminology, there's a lot to take in. One common question students have when looking at their course schedule is, "What does 'R' mean?" This article will demystify this abbreviation and provide a broader overview of understanding your college schedule.
Understanding Day Codes on Your Schedule
When you register for classes, you'll notice that each course listing includes a time and day or days of the week the class meets. These days are typically abbreviated using single letters. The letter "R" in a college schedule represents Thursday.
Here's a breakdown of the common day codes:
- M: Monday
- T: Tuesday
- W: Wednesday
- R: Thursday
- F: Friday
- S: Saturday
- U: Sunday
So, if you see a class listed as "R 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM," that means the class meets every Thursday from 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM.
Other Important Terms to Know
Understanding the day codes is just one piece of the puzzle. Here are some other essential terms and concepts to help you navigate your college experience:
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- Academic Calendar: Managed by the Registrar’s Office, the Academic Calendar is your best resource for important academic dates and deadlines, such as the first day of classes, holiday breaks, withdrawal deadlines, and registration and advising periods, etc.
- ACTT Centers: Both ACTT Centers, one in Gainesville and the other in Oconee, provide you with a place where you can study and check out study materials.
- Accreditation: Official recognition that a college, university, or trade school has met the standards of a regional or national association.
- Advisement: Advisement helps you determine which courses you should take during the next term and is intended to keep you on track towards graduation. (Why waste time or pay for classes you don’t actually need?) UNG devotes 2-3 weeks to Advising Weeks every fall and spring semester, just before registration opens. If you need help determining which classes to take, you need an Advisor.
- Associate’s Degree: Awarded by a college or university after satisfactory completion of a two-year program of study. An associate’s degree is comprised of the core curriculum and at least 18 credit hours in your major area of concentration.
- Certification of Enrollment: A letter from the Registrar’s Office that includes the number of hours in which you are currently enrolled and your academic standing. You may need a certification of enrollment for auto or health insurance purposes.
- Class Standing: (e.g. freshman, sophomore, junior, senior).
- Co-requisite: Courses that must be taken during the same semester.
- Co-Curricular Transcript: This is a history of your involvement and participation in clubs, organizations, and intramural sports on campus, as well as your attendance at guest speaker events and presentations. Co-Curricular transcripts are important for scholarship applications, internships, or when you apply for transfer admission to another college or university.
- College Counseling: The person on campus who assists you with personal matters such as anxiety, emotional stress, relationship problems, etc. College counseling is not like the “counseling” you received in high school-it’s the real deal by qualified and licensed mental health professionals. You can make counseling appointments online, and it’s free for currently enrolled students.
- Course Reference Number (CRN): Each class has a unique Course Reference Number assigned to it.
- Credit Hour: A credit hour basically represents one hour of class time per week, averaged across the entire term.
- D2L: D2L is our online learning management system powered by GeorgiaView Blackboard Vista 8. D2L enables instructors to create and manage web-based learning activities and course materials. Online students must log in to D2L to “attend” class and complete the course requirements, including, but not limited to, written assignments, discussions, quizzes, tests, activities, etc.
- Drop/Add Period: A period of time at the beginning of each semester (usually one week) in which students can add, delete, and swap the classes on their schedules any number of times without penalty.
- Final Exams: Final exams are given during the last week of classes. Generally, individual instructors determine the type of final administered, though some classes follow department-wide guidelines.
- Full-time/Part-time Enrollment: You are enrolled “full-time” if you are taking 12 or more credit hours within a semester. If you’re taking 11 or fewer credit hours, you are enrolled only “part-time.” Although your personal, family, or work responsibilities might merit part-time enrollment, it’s important to recognize that part-time status can affect your eligibility for financial aid and might delay your progress towards graduation.
- Grade Point Average (GPA): A numerical representation of your overall academic performance.
- Holds: A hold is placed on a student's academic record when an obligation to the university, whether monetary or material, has not been met. Common holds include: immunization records, final transcripts, outstanding balances, overdue books, parking tickets, etc. Holds are removed by the issuing department when the obligation has been satisfactorily met.
- Incomplete Grade: In some situations, an instructor may designate a final course grade as Incomplete (or "I"), rather than assign a failing grade. Incomplete grades are rare and can be assigned only when a student has not completed a major assignment or examination due to extenuating circumstances.
- Learning Support Program: The Learning Support Program is a University System of Georgia initiative that enables entering students who are ineligible for admission to the regular college curriculum to develop the basic skills required to enroll in these classes.
- Liberal Education/Core Curriculum: The core curriculum at UNG was developed from a liberal education perspective, meaning it includes courses from the liberal arts: humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, foreign languages, and fine arts.
- Major: Area of concentration in a particular field of study. Students usually take the majority of their major-area classes during their junior and senior years at college.
- Online Classes: All instruction for online classes takes place via the internet using the online learning management system, D2L.
- Prerequisite: A course that a student must take and complete prior to registering for another course.
- Professors/Instructors: You’re in college now, and here your instructors are highly trained professionals who have spent years devoted to studying their specific area of academic specialization. Most instructors are professors who have a Ph.D. in their areas of discipline, so it’s appropriate to address them as Dr. So’n So. If you aren’t sure whether your instructor has a Ph.D.
- Registration: The period of time in which currently enrolled students schedule/register for the next semester’s courses.
- Semester: A semester is a period of time constituting half of the regular academic year, typically lasting from 15 to 18 weeks in the fall and spring.
- Student Identification Number: Aka, your Student Identification Number.
- Transcript (Unofficial): Your tranguid is your unofficial transcript at UNG.
- Work Study: A federally funded program in which students take campus jobs as part of their financial aid package.
- Academic Probation/Suspension: If your cumulative grade point average falls below 2.0 (below C average), you will be placed on academic probation. Students on academic probation who do not earn a 2.0 during their probation period will be placed on academic suspension for two consecutive semesters.
Course Delivery Methods
Understanding how your courses are delivered is also crucial. Here are common course delivery methods:
- In Person: In-person instruction with scheduled class sessions.
- Hybrid: Reduced number of in-person class sessions with additional online, remote, or other self-directed activities.
- Online - Scheduled Meetings: Online courses that include required meeting times. *An additional online course fee of $22 per credit is assessed for online courses.
- Online - No Scheduled Meetings: Online courses that do not have required meeting times. *An additional online course fee of $22 per credit is assessed for online courses.
- Synchronous Online: Classes that meet online at a specific time.
- Asynchronous Online: Classes with no specific meeting time; work is completed on your own schedule.
- HyFlex: A course that offers students the flexibility to attend in person, online synchronously, or online asynchronously.
Additional Considerations
- Grading Options: Be aware of the grading options for your courses: A-F only, P/NP only, or optional allows either A-F or P/NP grading.
- Class Restrictions: Class restrictions are listed in Class Details and can include restrictions by class, student level, major, or special program membership.
- Credits: The number indicates quarter credits.
- Common Course Numbering (CCN) System: The California Community Colleges have implemented a Common Course Numbering (CCN) system to make transferring easier! Under Assembly Bill 1111 (Berman), courses with the same content will have the same number across all community colleges in the state. This means less confusion, better planning, and a smoother transfer process!
- Course Repeatability: Listing of courses with repeatability limitations. Students are limited to a maximum of four enrollments within each of the course groupings, also known as course families, included in the Family Courses List, regardless of the number of courses included in each family.
- Out-of-State Online Enrollment: The United States Department of Education requires that West Valley College obtain approval from each out-of-state student’s state of residency before he/she may enroll in an online course. Therefore, out-of-state students not residing in California will not be allowed to enroll in online courses.
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