1. Overview

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1.1 Glossary of terms

Georgian College acknowledges that all campuses are situated on the traditional land of the Anishinaabeg people. The Anishinaabeg include the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Pottawatomi nations, collectively known as the Three Fires Confederacy. Georgian College is dedicated to honouring Indigenous history and culture and committed to moving forward in the spirit of reconciliation and respect with all First Nation, Métis, and Inuit people. 

Your academic experience at Georgian College is focused on student-centered learning, support for your success, academic integrity, and academic excellence. Georgian College is committed to providing a learning experience that is equitable, diverse and inclusive, fostering a sense of belonging for all.  Georgian’s academic regulations are based on accountability for academic standards and the integrity of course credits and program credentials are upheld. Your success at Georgian will be enhanced and guided by these regulations. They enable a smooth path through the academic process and your ability to navigate through exceptions and unusual situations.  

A number of non-academic regulations govern your student life and conduct at Georgian College. All regulations apply the principles of the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) regulations and the directives of the Board of Governors of Georgian College. In addition to Georgian’s regulations, you are subject to both criminal and civil law, as enacted by local, provincial, and federal governments. The college co-operates fully in situations that fall under these areas, but also reserves the right to apply its own regulations, policies, and procedures independent of the processes or outcome of processes required by these jurisdictions. 

You can obtain guidance about the situations in which these regulations apply and the regulations themselves through program co-ordinators, student success advisors, academic officers, the Georgian College Students’ Association (GCSA), student success counsellors, staff in the Office of the Registrar or other employees. 
Our regulations apply to all part-time and full-time credit applicants and students, and all academic and related experiences offered by Georgian College, unless otherwise stated. For more details on part-time non-credit policies and procedures, please visit the Continuing Education and Corporate Training webpage. 
You are required to familiarize yourself with these regulations and reference them on occasions when you have questions about your progress or when circumstances may arise. Lack of knowledge of these regulations does not constitute a valid defence against action by the college.

1.1 Glossary of terms  

Below are terms, words and abbreviations that are used throughout the regulations. Definitions are provided to give you a clear understanding of their meaning and to ensure a consistent interpretation by all (applicants, students, and employees).   

Academic appeal – a formal request made by a student/applicant to review an academic decision related to your current or potential future studies at the college (Section 9. Academic appeals).
Academic planning timelines – the ofﬁcial timelines and deadlines that organize the academic year. These are listed as Important dates.
Academic promotion – the process to determine if you have met the required academic performance to advance to the succeeding term.
Academic regulations– the rules, processes and policies that guide college and student activities as they pertain to the academic year.
Academic standing – your academic status is a mathematical calculation based on your performance in courses for the term just completed. This calculation determines academic promotion. Academic standing categories include good standing, academic probation, academic warning, academic suspension, and academic dismissal (Section 5.2.2 Deﬁnitions and actions of academic standing).
Academic year – the academic year runs from the beginning of September to the end of August. This differs from a calendar year which runs from January to December. All ofﬁcial dates are outlined in the Important dates.
Accreditation – ofﬁcial recognition that a school, course, or program has met standards set by external regulatory and/or accreditation bodies.
Advanced standing – status given to you that allows entry to a program at a level higher than semester one, based on previous documented academic work at another institution and/or work/life experience.
Ancillary fees – fees charged to support services and activities distinct from academic programming or general overhead for the institution. Examples of ancillary fees include student activity fees, athletic fees, health care and insurance fees.
Applicant – a person formally applying for admission to a Georgian program.
Apprenticeship program – a pathway to a career in skilled trades. You take classes and learn your trade by working under the direction of experienced workers – and get paid while you do it.
Banner – the student information system used by the college for admission decisions, registration, records management, academic standing, fees, awards, and graduation.
Blackboard Learn Ultra – the system the college uses for online teaching, learning, community building, and knowledge sharing.
Block registration – a block of courses that has been pre-set for you. The block of courses is set based on the semester you're in within your program.
Block transfer – advanced standing for a group of credits or courses at one institution based on their equivalence to a deﬁned set of course or program learning outcomes at another institution. Block credit enables you to enter a program at a receiving institution at an advanced level.
Clinical placement – typically unpaid placements in health, wellness, and sciences programs, which help you develop skills in the clinical setting relevant to your program of study. Placements can vary from one-day to a full semester.
Co-op (co-operative education) – learning through work terms, which provide experience in a workplace setting related to your ﬁeld of study and can be paid or unpaid.
Core courses – courses in a degree that are within the main discipline of the degree; these may be mandatory or elective for the program.
Course – a subject offered either as part of a program or on a standalone basis, can be made up of modules. Courses represent the organization of learning outcomes into the smallest package of related activities for tracking and delivery purposes.
Course code – unique identiﬁer for courses consisting of four alpha characters followed by four numbers. The four-place alpha preﬁx identiﬁes the subject area; the ﬁrst place of the numeric identiﬁer denotes level of study (e.g., semester 1, semester 2, etc.).
Course content – a list of topics within the course that relate to the course learning outcomes. Course content appears in the course outline.
Course description – a concise, general description of the course which can broadly include content and goals. It should be general enough to allow for changes in trends and technology over time, but speciﬁc enough to reflect content and learning outcomes. Component of both course and program outlines.
Course outline – a contract between the college and you describing what learning you can reliably and/or consistently demonstrate by the end of a course, as well as topics covered throughout the course, and how you'll be evaluated.
Credential – earning a Georgian credential from the Ofﬁce of the Registrar conﬁrms that you have achieved a speciﬁc educational standard and have certain knowledge and skills. Georgian follows the Ontario Qualiﬁcations Framework under the auspices of the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES).
Credit for prior learning (CPL) – a process that allows you to identify, document, have assessed, and gain credit for prior post-secondary and non-formal/experiential learning.
Credit program – a program composed of credit courses which leads to a formal credential such as a diploma, graduate certiﬁcate, or degree.
Credit transfer – credit granted by one program or institution for courses taken at another program or institution. May apply to core courses deemed equivalent in content or may be used to fulﬁll optional elective course requirements.
Cumulative GPA (grade point average) – an overall grade calculation that includes all credit courses taken, even if you changed programs. This GPA includes all repeated courses.
Delivery methods - the method in which programs are offered via a blend of GC Flex, hybrid, in-person, and online learning (Program delivery methods).
Designated Learning Institute (DLI) – a Canadian school approved by a province or territorial government to host international students. Georgian College is an approved institution with the DLI O19395677361.
Domestic student – a citizen of Canada within the meaning of the Citizenship Act or a person registered as Indigenous within the meaning of the Indian Act.
Equivalent course – a course completed previously that's equivalent in content to the credit work covered in the course in question; must satisfy 80 per cent of the course learning outcomes; course hours can vary. Equivalent courses can be as follows: one-way (e.g., an upper-level course equivalent to a lower-level course but not the other way around), two-way (both courses are equivalent to each other), multiple courses to one (two or more courses satisfy the outcomes of one course), one course to multiple courses (one course satisﬁes the outcomes of two or more courses). Differs from exemptions as it applies to internal Georgian courses only.
Exemption – a form of transfer credit awarded following an approved petition. It's applied toward course credit within a program of study and appears as “EX” on transcripts.
Extenuating circumstances – unforeseen situations involving you and/or your immediate family member. These situations include death of an immediate family member (parent, spouse, or child), serious medical trauma to you, or an immediate family member where you're deemed the primary caregiver by your regulated health professional.
Faculty – for the purposes of this document, this term refers to the academic member who is accountable for an approved college course; this may include professors, instructors, technicians, or technologists.
Field placement – one of the several types of practical experience components in Georgian College programs. Speciﬁcally, unpaid work exposure to a full range of tasks or skills expected of a competent graduate.
General education courses (GNED) – courses designed to complement the vocational studies of students by addressing important issues to our lives as individuals and members of society. GNEDs ﬁt into one of these ﬁve themes: Arts in society, Civic life, Social and cultural understanding, Personal understanding, and Science and technology.
Graduation audit – process to review and assess student records against program requirements to determine eligibility to graduate.
Institutional/semester GPA (grade point average) – determines your promotional status each term. This GPA calculation takes all credit courses you have taken in the term, including failed courses and repeated courses.
International student – a person holding citizenship in another country and doesn't have status in Canada as a citizen, permanent resident or convention refugee.
Internship – is an extended period of work experience that's an integral part of a program of postsecondary study. Students are employed in settings which provide work experience directly related to their academic programs and career objectives.
IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) – a government agency that develops and implements policies, programs and services that facilitates the arrival of people and their integration into Canada. This includes an application to study in Canada as an international student, maintaining your status, extending your study permit, and working during and after graduation. Information can be found on the IRCC website.
Letter of permission - a document issued to a student to demonstrate enrolment at another postsecondary institution; its purpose is to verify that one or more specific courses, taken at another institution, will be recognized for credit equivalency in their Georgian program.
MyCreds – a national credential wallet for postsecondary learners. It provides you with fast and easy access to request and send your transcripts to other institutions, employers, government ofﬁces and others.
MyPath – a comprehensive academic advising, student planning, transfer articulation, and credential audit system that helps you take the right courses at the right time and navigate program requirements and prerequisites.
Non-core courses – also referred to as breadth courses, these courses are outside of the main discipline of a degree. They are designed to give you the tools to develop interdisciplinary perspectives that inform your approach to your own discipline, your continued education, and your life outside work. May be mandatory or elective for your degree program.
Non-credit program – a program composed of non-credit courses which typically leads to a credential such as a Recognition of Achievement. Non-credit courses cannot be directly used to meet the requirements of a credit program.
Ofﬁcial – this refers to something that has approval or authority. It refers to documents, transcripts, dates, procedures, and communications that have come directly from sources like the college, partner institutions, employer, or the ministry.
Official transcript – an official document, produced by and sent directly from a college or university to Georgian, that includes key information about a student's academic record at that institution, such as: courses attempted, withdrawn, repeated, grades, GPA, and transfer credit awarded. It typically bears the registrar's signature and an institutional seal.
Petition – an application where you can apply using your previous learning, work, or life experience to be used towards eligible credit exemption towards your program.
Practicum – an unpaid supervised practical experience in the workplace relevant to academic studies.
Prerequisites – courses in a program you must complete before you can take subsequent courses.
Prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) – the process which uses a variety of tools to help you reflect on, identify, articulate, and demonstrate past learning which has been acquired through study, work, and other life experiences and which is not recognized through formal transfer of credit. PLAR allows the evaluation of past learning against established academic standards so that credit can be awarded. The PLAR system evaluates prior learning and relates it to existing courses, through portfolio assessment and challenge evaluation, to grant college credit.
Program change – the process of moving from one program to another or a change of semesters/progression within the same program.
Program coordinator – faculty, who in addition to their teaching responsibilities, provide academic leadership in the co-ordination of courses and/or programs.
Program outline – an official college document containing detailed information about a program, including requirements you must meet for admission, transfer credit, graduation eligibility, and program-specific information relevant to the time you start your program. It’s useful to prospective students and can be found online on the program website.
Program/graduation GPA (grade point average) – includes all course grades in your program including exemptions for transfer credit and PLAR. If there are repeated courses only the highest grade is used. Failed courses and courses not applicable to your program are excluded from the calculation. Courses that don't meet the minimum required grade for the program are also excluded. This GPA is used for determining eligibility for graduation.
Progression – how a program is sequenced at a course and semester level. Progression is stated in the program outline.
Re-sequencing – programs are organized by semesters (i.e., one to eight). If you need to take semesters out of order, you should contact your program coordinator to discuss re-sequencing options. Often courses in higher semesters have prerequisites that need to be completed in a lower semester. Courses may not be available in future terms. If you complete semesters out of order, this results in a change in program progression and may alter your graduation completion timelines.
Semester – the speciﬁc grouping of courses that you're recommended to take in a particular term. For example, semester one of the programs contains six speciﬁc courses, semester two contains six different speciﬁc courses. Typically, a two-year program has four semesters, and a three-year program has six semesters. The typical semester is 15 weeks including one study week.
Student – an individual (you) who is currently registered at the college.
Term – a portion of an academic year, the time during which Georgian holds classes. This refers to the four-month periods in fall (September to December), winter (January to April) or summer (May to August).
Timetable – the listing of the courses you have registered for during the current / upcoming semester.
Transcript – ofﬁcial academic record; normally includes all academic work completed at an institution.
Transfer credit – credit granted by one program or institution for courses taken at another program or institution. May apply to core courses deemed equivalent in content or may be used to fulﬁll optional elective course requirements.
Transfer pathway – a deﬁned route from one program or institution to another program or institution that speciﬁes eligibility requirements. It also speciﬁes how transfer credits will be accepted and applied at the receiving institution. Transfer pathways usually apply to multiple sending institutions and one or more receiving institutions. They don't require formal signed agreements between institutions.
WIL (work–integrated learning) – an engaged partnership between an academic institution, a host organization/employer, and you. Examples include coop, ﬁeld placements, and clinical placements.
Withdrawal – you have chosen to either withdraw from some courses, or your entire program. Ofﬁcial deadlines for withdrawal are in the Important dates. Depending on the time of the withdrawal, it can also include a ﬁnancial adjustment.
For additional deﬁnitions, please refer to the Ofﬁce of Academic Quality’s Glossary.