Course clustering, the grouping together of related courses, might be the solution students crave.
Yasmine Modaresi (she/her) // Crew Writer
Angelica Blanch (she/her) // Illustrator
Veterans of Capilano University (CapU)’s registration system are all too familiar with the school’s anxiety-inducing registration period. Students will find themselves stuck on waitlists, spamming professors’ emails, pleading desperately for a spot in a class or, they’ll be impeded at every step by a faulty registration system. Even when students do manage to enroll in the courses they need, the situation is often less than ideal: such as the dreaded 12-hour school day – students resigned to stay on campus 8:30 A.M. – 8:30 P.M. Satisfying program requirements with limited course availability and endless time conflicts is an impossible feat. Students across programs are forced to push graduation dates further into the future. Professors concerned for their students are looking into alternative registration initiatives to alleviate the complex inconveniences that students often face during the registration process.
This month, the Courier had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Graham Cook, CapU’s Interim Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, who is investigating the demand and efficiency of a new registration initiative called “Course Clustering.” Course clustering is a registration process that would allow students to be automatically enrolled in multiple related courses all at once. The courses grouped together would be immediately relevant to graduation and program requirements and be strategically organized to minimize time conflicts between prerequisites. It’d strive to reduce both student travel time and the total hours that students are required to spend on campus by distributing classes on as few days of the week as possible, and with the least possible distance in between.
Course Clustering might ring a bell for Bachelor of Motion Picture Arts (MOPA) students, whose classes are organized in a cohort program. While course clustering and cohort registration may sound similar, there are some significant differences. One of the major drawbacks of cohort registration systems is the lack of flexibility. Students don’t have the freedom to enroll in a wide range of electives or take on a minor or additional diplomas alongside their BA. Accommodating one’s personal life to fit into this rigid schedule is not always easy. Dr. Cook reflects that in cohort programs “students have very little choice in the courses they take, whereas course clusters might give students more options.” Faculty advocating for course clustering recognize that it would not suffice to repair all of the bureaucratic issues that stand in the way of students graduating in time, but it’s an initiative meant to provide students a structure to build their schedule.
Dr. Cook stated that while there currently is no implementation plan, a trial run would be at the earliest in September 2025. If implemented, it would be program-specific and students would likely have agency over whether or not they want to participate.