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Course Catalogue

Visit RDP's Course Catalogue

The Course Catalogue displays descriptions of all courses offered at Red Deer Polytechnic. Some courses are not offered every year. Check the timetable to see if specific courses will be offered. Each course description includes:

  • Course Acronym, Number, Name and Description including equivalents and pre/corequisites.
  • Numbers of credit hours followed by lecture, lab and other (seminar, practicum, clinical or fieldwork) hours.
  • Level of type of course including credit, upgrading etc.
  • Schedule type – if this is highlighted, the course was offered in that term
  • Department offering the course
  • Course Attributes including other information about the course
  • You may click on title for more details

Note on transition to new Catalogue:

Course credits are displayed differently in the new Course Catalogue as illustrated below:

Until June 30, 2023 From July 1, 2023 forward:

ACCT 206-3            (BC=4)

(3-1) 15 weeks

Auditing

  • ACCT - name of the subject, often an abbreviation
  • 206 - the course number which gives the course a unique identity
  • -3 - the number which follows the dash is the course credit weight
  • (BC=4) - the number of billing credits
  • (3-1) - the instructor/student contact hours per week; 3 hours of class and 1 hour of lab
  • 15 - the number of weeks the class runs
  • Auditing the name of the class

CHEM 1211-3     (BC=4)

(45-15S-45)

General Chemistry I

  • CHEM - course acronym
  • 1211 - course number
  • 3 - course credit weight
  • (BC=4) - the number of billing credits
  • (45-15S-45) - the instructor/student total contact hours of 45 hours lecture, 15 hours seminar, and 45 hours lab
  • General Chemistry I - the title of the course

NEW | Instructor / Student Contact Hours

The numbers in brackets, following the course title and course number, show the total number of contact hours for the instructor and student.

  • (45-0) - 45 hours of lecture contact in the academic term
  • (45-0-45) - 45 hours of lecture and 45 hours of lab contact in the academic term (0-45) 45 hours of lab contact in the academic term
  • (45-15S-45) - 45 hours of lecture, 15 hours of seminar, and 45 hours of lab contact in the academic term
  • (45/2) - 45 hours of lecture delivered on alternate weeks in the academic term scheduled. Refer to the Timetable for details.

 

 

 

Assignment of Academic Credits, or Credit Weight, to Courses

Course credits are a measure of learning opportunities based on the number and type of instructional hours or equivalent learning experiences. For Red Deer Polytechnic Diploma and Certificate courses, academic credits are normally equal to billing credits. For courses in University Transfer Programs, academic credits are normally equal to the credit given at university. This is usually equal to the number of lecture hours.

Definitions

Credit: The equivalent of 15 hours of class instruction. (Example: 1 hour per week for 15 weeks including the final exam period.

Course: A series of learning opportunities within a specific subject area to which a final grade is assigned.

Courses have a variety of learning opportunities, among which are the following:
 
  • Class: a series of learning activities aimed at acquiring theory
    • Activities in the class are directed by the instructor OR
    • Context based Learning
       
  • Lab: a series of structured learning activities to facilitate the application of concepts, theories and principles
     
  • Seminar/Tutorial: a series of structured learning activities aimed at further exploration and application of concepts, theories and principles
     
  • Clinical: a series of learning activities aimed at applying theory in prescribed clinical experiences
     
  • Practicum: a learning activity aimed at combining theory with practical experience
     
  • Field Work: an educational experience involving work of a practical nature acquired by students in a work situation

Course Length

  • Length of courses may vary, see timetable for length of courses
  • A term usually lasts 15 weeks, including the exam period. Courses lasting 15 weeks are called term courses
  • Some courses last two terms, or 30 weeks. This includes two exam periods, one at the end of each term. These courses usually run from September to April. They are called full courses

Prerequisites and Co-requisites: Courses listed as prerequisites must be completed before you start the course in question. For example, BIOL 297 lists Biology 30 or equivalent as prerequisite. This means that you must complete Biology 30 or equivalent before you can take BIOL 297. Courses listed as co-requisites must be taken at the same time as the course in question.

  • Note: You usually have to complete a junior course in the same subject before you can take a senior course. This is true even if it is not listed as a prerequisite. If you wish to register in a 300-level course without having taken at least one 200-level course in the same subject, check with an advisor.
Restricted Courses: Some courses are available only if you are admitted to a certain program.
 
Reserved Courses: Some courses are available first to students in a certain program. Once most students have registered, these courses are opened to all students. You can find information on restricted and reserved courses in the Polytechnic Timetable.
We understand that you still have questions about the programs.
You can talk to us and we can help.