PROF 210- Format/ Time- Change Summary
This page provides a brief overview of the upcoming vote on a proposed schedule change for your PROF 210 section.
In short:
This condensed delivery has been successfully offered in two previous years. A vote is now required by a Faculty of Education committee, and for the change to be approved, the vote must be unanimous.
In short:
- A vote against the change will keep the current format of 1.5-hour classes over 24 weeks (12 in the fall, 12 in the winter).
- A vote in favour will shift to 2-hour classes (during the existing scheduled time block) over 18 weeks, with 12 sessions in the fall and 6 in the winter. This format would run from the first week of September and finish by February 13—the week before winter reading break.
This condensed delivery has been successfully offered in two previous years. A vote is now required by a Faculty of Education committee, and for the change to be approved, the vote must be unanimous.
Why this change?
Moving from 1.5-hour to 2-hour course sessions offers three main benefits:
- More time for in-class activities: Believe it or not, 90 minutes can go by quickly. Activities such as games day, poster creation, lesson plan sharing, and other hands-on tasks really benefit from the extra 30 minutes. It also means we can finish each topic in one class without needing to carry it over to the next week.
- Fewer trips to West Campus: Many students have shared that traveling to West Campus 24 times in a year—especially during the winter—can be frustrating. This change would reduce the number of trips from 24 to 18, with the final trip taking place the week before winter reading break.
- Reduced winter course load: This is often the most popular benefit. While exams and projects can still happen at the end of both terms, students in past years have preferred finishing this course earlier in the winter rather than extending it through the entire year.
What about extended travel time?
This change would use the full two-hour scheduled block instead of 90 minutes plus the usual 15 minutes for travel to and from campus.
If you have a course scheduled immediately before or after PROF 210, don’t worry. Similar to previous years, students with conflicts will be identified through a short survey at the beginning of the year and will be individually accommodated.
If you have a course scheduled immediately before or after PROF 210, don’t worry. Similar to previous years, students with conflicts will be identified through a short survey at the beginning of the year and will be individually accommodated.
What did past students say about this format?
The majority of students shared very positive feedback about this change. If you’d like, feel free to chat with a third-year student who took PROF 210 in 2025/2026 for their perspective. You can also view direct student feedback on the offering here
Why is this format not supported by the Faculty of Education Professional Studies Committee?
That’s a good question. I’ve been in regular contact with the committee over the past two years about this alternate format for PROF 210. I’ve been available to answer questions and have listened to and addressed their concerns.
The committee’s primary concern seems to be maintaining a balanced schedule in such a change. Specifically, this would mean having 9 class sessions in each term instead of 12 in the fall and 6 in the winter. While this might seem appealing in theory, there are two main challenges:
The committee’s primary concern seems to be maintaining a balanced schedule in such a change. Specifically, this would mean having 9 class sessions in each term instead of 12 in the fall and 6 in the winter. While this might seem appealing in theory, there are two main challenges:
- Ending early in the fall conflicts with a pre-planned collaborative project involving over 1,000 teacher education students from other universities across the globe.
- Students in previous years have consistently preferred the typical fall schedule with a shortened winter term (see feedback in the link above).