University of Guelph 1998-1999 Undergraduate Calendar

VIII--Undergraduate Degree Regulations and Procedures


Limited Enrolment Courses

Note: These procedures may change with the new student information system.

During the annual scheduling process, departments can request enrolment limits based on pedagogical considerations or reasons other than classroom space restrictions (e.g. laboratory capacity, field placements in practicum courses, the need for section monitoring in multi-section courses). The proposed limits must be approved by the Associate Vice-President (Academic) and Registrar.

After course selection and up until the end of the add period, the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, may identify additional limited enrolment courses based on lack of suitable classroom space.

In establishing and implementing procedures for limited enrolment courses, the Board of Undergraduate Studies recognizes two principles:

  1. a student taking the necessary prerequisites of a limited enrolment course shall be afforded the same opportunity to select that course as a student who has successfully completed the prerequisites, and
  2. selection criteria and procedures for removing students from over enrolled courses shall be followed by all departments and schools.

Same Subject and Prerequisite List

The Same Subject and Prerequisite list is provided to assist faculty in the deletion of students from the tentative class list of an over-enrolled LEC course. When applying the selection criteria faculty must attempt to maintain the approximate limit by giving enrolment preference according to the criteria as presented. When limits result in restricted access to the course, the prescribed preference should be maintained. If necessary, the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, can provide a listing of students deleted in the previous semester the course was offered as an LEC. Also provided through the degree audit system is a listing that indicates how the course is used in various programs.

The list of students to be deleted from the tentative class list should be forwarded by the department chair to the college dean, who will then forward the approved list to the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, for action. To facilitate the approval of the deletion list, the reasons for the deletion must be provided on the list.

Selection Criteria

Upon receipt of the Same Subject and Prerequisite Lists, the chair (or director) selects students for admission to limited enrolment courses. The selection process must be in accordance with the regulations stated below. The list of students to be deleted from a limited enrolment course must be submitted to Undergraduate Program Services, Office of Registrarial Services, by the deadline date.

In selecting students for a limited enrolment course that has been over-enrolled, preference will be given according to the following sequence of categories:

  1. students for whom the course is a required course in their program (e.g. required course for the degree program or required course in an area of concentration, area of emphasis, major, minor, combined honours, or specialized honours program);
  2. students for whom the course is a restricted elective;
  3. visiting exchange students;
  4. students for whom it is an elective;
  5. students who have not selected the course but express a wish to enrol during the add period.

For 100 level courses where the enrolment is expected to consist mainly of students without an extensive previous academic record, preference will be given within the categories 1-3 by giving first priority to students in semesters 1 and 2 prior to applying the deletion criteria.

Although the University will attempt to ensure that whenever possible the limits placed on 100 level courses will accommodate at least all students within categories 1 and 2, nonetheless it may be necessary to restrict enrolment in some cases. In the case of 100 level courses where none of the above strategies works in enforcing the limits, students may be selected for the course on the basis of a random assignment of those remaining on the list after the initial screening has been done. (A semester level of 1-2 may also be used as the priority for adds to a 100 level course, and a random assignment may also be used to accommodate students wishing to add from a waiting list.)

Reducing the List Further

If the maximum enrolment is exceeded before all of the students in any one of the first three categories are admitted, the decision will normally be based on the academic record of each student in the category, and/or on any enrolment records kept for the course.

When academic records or enrolment records must be used in the decision process the deletion of students will normally proceed as follows:

  1. the deletion of all students without the prerequisites;
  2. if departmental records are available, the deletion of students who have dropped the course in the previous semester it was offered as an LEC;
  3. the deletion of students having previously failed the course;
  4. the deletion of students having less than 60% in any of the prerequisites;
  5. the deletion of students having less than a 60% average across courses in the same subject ;
  6. the deletion of those students having less than a 65% average across courses in the same subject and/or prerequisite courses (while retaining those students within 5 or fewer courses to graduation, those in the semester for which the course was designed in order to accommodate normal progress toward the degree, and those students who were otherwise qualified at this point but nonetheless were deleted from the class list during the previous LEC offering);
  7. as in (6) above, but with the criterion set at 70%;
  8. while retaining those within 5 or fewer courses to graduation, the deletion of all students below a specified average, the average set according to whatever value will bring the class list down to the required limit.

When a waiting list is used to accommodate students during the add period, preference will be given to those attending the first class meeting, Special Schedule. If necessary, preference can also be determined according to the selection criteria specified above.

In all cases noted above, students with the stated prerequisite(s) will have priority over those who have a signed Waiver of Prerequisite.

Because all deletions other than those from a waiting list are performed prior to the start of classes, a student registered in an LEC who attends the first class meeting cannot be removed from the course to allow for the entry of another student.

Procedures

The procedures for establishing limited enrolment courses are:

  1. The Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, requests the chair of each department to submit, together with the scheduling information, a list of proposed limited enrolment courses for upcoming semesters for review and approval by a specified deadline.
  2. Department chairs prepare a list of proposed limited enrolment courses, specifying the requested limit to be imposed on each course and providing a justification in each case. The lists are forwarded, with scheduling information, to the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services. A copy is sent to the dean for review and to the Associate Vice-President (Academic) and Registrar for approval.
  3. The Associate Vice-President (Academic) and Registrar, reviews and approves the proposals and confirms the approved lists with the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services.
  4. The Schedules Section, Office of Registrarial Services, includes the list of limited enrolment courses in the preliminary edition and/or the course selection edition of the Undergraduate Course Timetable.
  5. The Schedules Section forwards to each department a report called the Same Subject and Prerequisite List for each limited enrolment course where the number of students selecting the course exceeds the specified limit. This list includes the academic record of each student who has selected the course as it relates to specified prerequisite courses and courses taken in the same discipline. This information is used in the selection process.
  6. Using the approved selection criteria outlined above, departments identify the students to be removed from each over-enrolled course. The deletions must then be approved by the department chair and forwarded to the Schedules Section by the specified deadline.
  7. The Schedules Section removes those students from the limited enrolment courses. Students are advised of their status in limited enrolment courses on their individual timetables.
  8. Upon the completion of course selection, those courses where the appropriate classroom space is not available are added to the list of limited enrolment courses by the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services. The Schedules Section publishes the updated list of limited enrolment courses in the final edition of the Undergraduate Course Timetable.
  9. During the add period, courses that become over subscribed may be declared to be limited enrolment by the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, in consultation with the department chair. An up to date list of limited enrolment courses is announced on phone mail (x8731) and is posted in the Records Section throughout the add period.
  10. At the end of the add period the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, sends a copy of the final list of limited enrolment courses to the Associate Vice-President (Academic) and Registrar for use in future planning.

First Class Meetings

To accommodate students waiting to add LECs, departments are permitted to remove from LEC class lists the entire group of students who have not appeared at the first class meeting unless these students contact the department prior to that class meeting to confirm that they intend to remain in the course. Removal of those students will permit adds up to the LEC limit.

The deletion of these names from the class lists and the notification of the students are the responsibility of the department during the add period. Students deleted in this way still have recourse to normal add procedures. Students with a full course load who wish to add a replacement course will have to obtain a drop signature for the course from which they have been deleted.

If students receive permission to add or re-add a limited enrolment course after the deletion list has been submitted, they must submit an "Undergraduate Course Request" form to Undergraduate Program Services with instructor approval.

If the student arrives at the Academic Records Section before the department list, which indicates that he/she was to be dropped, the Academic Records Section will hold the "Undergraduate Course Request" form and match it up to the list when received. In this way the course will be left on the student's computer file (SIS).

At the end of the add period, the department chair must advise the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, in writing of the students to be dropped and these students are removed from the course lists upon this notification. The list must arrive in Undergraduate Program Services, hand delivered if necessary, by 4:30 p.m. on the Thursday immediately following the end of the add period. The timely submission of this information is necessary so that the drops can be completed on the Friday, thereby making it possible to run an updated set of class lists over the weekend. This will also ensure that the computer file is accurate for the "Student Verification" form which is now used for MET reporting purposes.

Chair's Responsibilities

At the request of the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, during the annual scheduling process, the chair compiles a recommended list of courses to be declared as limited enrolment by the department. A limit must be specified and a justification must be provided. The chair submits the recommendations to the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, with a copy to the dean and the Associate Vice-President (Academic) and Registrar for review and approval.

After approval of the limits and receipt of the same subject and prerequisite list, the department is responsible for identifying students to be removed from over-enrolled LECs using the established selection criteria. The chair approves the list then forwards it for review by the dean who will send it to the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, for action.

After the first class meetings, the chair may submit a list of students to be removed from over-enrolled LECs based on non-attendance at first class meetings. See procedures under First Class Meetings.

Dean's Responsibilities

The dean reviews the departmental requests for enrolment limits, considers the justification provided, confirms the limits and advises the Associate Vice-President (Academic) and Registrar of any necessary adjustments.

Associate Vice-President (Academic) and Registrar Responsibilities

The Associate Vice-President (Academic) and Registrar reviews proposed limited enrolment courses for upcoming semesters, consults with departments and colleges if necessary, approves the limits and notifies the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services.

Registrar's Responsibilities

During the annual scheduling process the Schedules Section sends reports containing enrolment history, specialization enrolments and LEC history to the department chair and the dean to assist them in the development of the list of limited enrolment courses for the upcoming semesters.

The Schedules Section publishes an up-to-date list of limited enrolment courses in each edition of the Undergraduate Course Timetable.

The Schedules Section, Office of Registrarial Services sends the Same Subject and Prerequisite List to departments after course selection is completed. This is a report of limited enrolment courses where the number of students selecting the course exceeds the specified limit. A deadline is specified for submission of final LEC course lists by departments.

The Schedules Section removes students from limited enrolment courses where indicated by the departments.

Upon the completion of course selection, those courses where the appropriate classroom space is not available are added to the list of limited enrolment courses by the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services.

During the add period, courses that become over subscribed may be declared to be limited enrolment by the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, in consultation with the department chair. An up-to-date list of limited enrolment courses is announced on phone mail (x8731) and posted in the Academic Records Section throughout the add period.

At the end of the add period the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, sends a copy of the final list of limited enrolment courses to the Associate Vice President (Academic) and Registrar, for use in future planning.

Based on procedures outlined under First Class Meetings the Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program Services, drops students from LECs as requested by the chair at the end of the add period.

Student's Responsibilities

Students who have not been admitted to limited enrolment courses may need to add an additional course and should follow the drop/add regulations.

LECs are identified on individual timetables as well as in the newspaper addendum provided at the beginning of each semester. Additional LECs may be designated during the add period and will be posted in the Registrar's area.

Students wishing to add or drop a limited enrolment course during the add period will be required to obtain approval (a signature) from the department offering the course.

Students who cannot attend the first class meeting for a limited enrolment course must contact the department prior to that class meeting to confirm that they intend to remain in the course.


1998-99 Undergraduate Calendar
VIII--Undergraduate Degree Regulations and Procedures

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Last revised: May 31, 1998.