Course Format at UC San Diego

Syllabus

For every course at UC San Diego, you will be provided with a syllabus by the course instructor. The syllabus is a document that outlines the expectations, goals, assignments, and exams for the course. It is important to review the entire document to ensure that you do not miss deadlines and requirements.

Instructors

Instructors can be professors, lecturers, or in some cases graduate students. Instructors prepare all course materials, lead the course, and are responsible for grades. If you have questions related to the class, syllabus, exams, etc. you can contact the instructor directly via email or through Canvas for the specific class.

Teaching Assistants (TAs)

Larger courses or courses with discussion sections often employ graduate students as Teaching Assistants (TAs). TAs provide additional support for the class through office hours, review sessions, grading course assignments, etc.

Discussion Sections

Some courses have required discussion sections (shown in the Schedule of Classes as DI), in addition to the lecture (shown as LE). A discussion section is an additional hour of instruction or review led by a Teaching Assistant. A class may have multiple discussion section options but students only enroll in one and must attend that section only.

Pedagogical Learning Assistant / Undergraduate Tutors

Occasionally, a course may have undergraduate students who are providing support for the course as well.

Office Hours

Instructors, TAs, and some tutors will offer office hours every week to support students in their classes. Office hours are time set aside to ask questions you may have about the homework, reading, exams, or your grades. Your instructors are there to answer your questions and this can be a great time to review your understanding of the course material.

Midterm and Final Exams

Most courses at UC San Diego also have a scheduled final exam time during finals week (week 11). Final exams (shown as FI on the Schedule of Classes) are often at a different time than the course meets during the quarter. Some courses also have midterm exams (shown as MI), and these may be outside of regular meeting times. The midterm (if applicable) and final exam time can be found in the Schedule of Classes below the lecture and discussion times. You are responsible for ensuring you have no midterm exam or final exam time conflicts.