Classes and Seminars/Labs at Brock U — How Does It Work?!

Hey!

Coming from high school into a university is a change in the academic setting. You will be introduced to lectures, seminars, tutorials, and labs.

Lectures are similar to a high school classroom. The professor will talk through his/her lesson. Some professors may use lecture notes or slide shows, which will be posted on Isaak. Isaak is an online site that allows professors, teaching assistants and your peers to have multi-dynamic communication for each course. The link for Issak can be found under ‘Applicant and Student Serve’ on the my.brocku.ca website.  It is important to attend lecture because most professors have midterm/exam questions from their lectures, real-life examples are used to fully comprehend the course material, and exam hints are given at this time.

At Brock, our largest lecture hall seats 450 seats. In your upper years of your program, the lecture spots will decrease because students become concentrated and specialized within their specific program. In my first year I had classes as large as 150-450. Now, in my third year I have class sizes with 30-150 people! Lectures range from one to three hours. If you have a long lecture, I recommend to bring a snack 🙂

Depending on your program and course, a seminar, tutorial and/or lab will follow a lecture – this is a unique feature of Brock. Seminars are hosted by a teaching assistant (TA) or by the professor. You and twenty four of your peers will meet for an hour. The purpose of seminar is to review course readings and to discuss main concepts along with the connections of the course. A tutorial is similar to a seminar; however tutorials are utilized to correct weekly assignments. Labs are generalized with conducting experiments in a scientific laboratory; although labs can also provide an opportunity for field trips.

Don’t let this scare you. Professors and TAs have office hours, which you can use to visit him/her. One of my professors encourages us to set up a Skype date instead of dropping into her office due to her busy schedule! I have already made appointments with two of my six professors at Brock to discuss particular assignments. If you make the effort, professors will know your name and your work (essays etc.) by October. This is why you are an INDIVIDUAL at Brock – not just a number.

See later blogs on what services at Brock (ie: student Development Centre) assist students academically!