Why use the course planner?
As a Waterloo student myself using the official undergrad course calendar, I found it hard to visualize the list of prerequisites that were required for a course, especially upper year courses. To plan out which courses to take next semester, I had to think a couple of semesters ahead, keep track of which classes I would have taken by then, and make sure they were offered during the term. Not only did I have a lot to keep track of, but I also had no way of knowing of checking if I was right.
The navigation of the official course calendar is hardly user friendly. Degree requirements are hard to find. No navigational links are provided on the pages that list courses for each department. It might as well be a printed booklet. I could imagine many students wasted time trying to find information.
As the alternative, the Waterloo Course Planner takes advantage of digital media and makes information available at your fingertips. It takes no more than two clicks to look up information on a course.
What is the course planner about?
In one word, “possibilities”. It’s about exploring the new opportunities at the frontier of technology. But the world is limitless in possibilities. What is it really about? The course planner is the product of the current technology and limited human imagination. The vision, from the start, is to maximize the value for a university student, while minimizing development costs. Flying on the wings of the latest technology, the vision is almost complete.
The course planner is intended to be a complete replacement for the academic calendar and department course lists. The calendar is intended to offer a summary, as well as the conditions, for each course. Course lists let each student track their progress in earning their degree. If you found the course planner to be useful, or find an area where you’d like to improve, just get involved with the project! The course planner, being a project for students, belongs to the students. Everyone is invited to get involved.