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Course Delivery Formats

Courses Delivered by TRU-OL
Web-based Courses Delivered by TRU-OL


Self-Paced Courses

Most distance courses delivered by TRU-OL are offered on a continuous basis, so that students may register throughout the year.

Courses with continuous registration delivered by TRU-OL are designed for students to complete within a specified time at a place and pace that suit their needs.

Paced Courses

Some TRU-OL courses are offered as paced, meaning a group of students work through the course together.

Paced courses have specific start and end dates, therefore all enrolled students must begin the course, submit assignments and complete final exams on/ by a pre-determined date. Labs, clinicals and specific classroom offerings also have fixed start and end dates.

Extensions to paced courses are limited and granted only in exceptional circumstances. Labs are not eligible for extensions.

Note: Courses delivered by consortium partners through TRU-OL are paced courses.

Independent Study with Tutor Support

TRU-OL distance courses are offered as independent study courses. Students complete courses by studying on their own and receive instructional support from highly qualified Open Learning Faculty members.

Students can communicate with their faculty member by email, phone or regular mail for print courses and also by electronic conference for most web courses.

Contact Student Services for more information.


Course Delivery Formats

Courses delivered by TRU-OL are offered in the following formats:

  • Print-based: Course is print-based. Some print-based courses may have optional web content and/or web interaction. Internet access is not required to complete the course.
  • Web-based: Course is web-based. Most web-based courses have some printed materials such as texts. All web-based courses have mandatory web content, and most have web student-to-student interaction. Internet access with email is required to complete the course.
  • In Person: Course is delivered face-to-face in a classroom setting or as a lab, clinical, workshop or fieldwork.

Not all delivery formats are offered for each course. Course materials may include CDs, DVDs or similar/other media.

Web-based Courses Delivered by TRU-OL

A computer with hardware and software as described below is required for web-based courses delivered by TRU-OL. Computer skill requirements are also specified. Some courses may have other hardware or software requirements as detailed in the course descriptions .

When students register for a web-based course delivered by TRU-OL, they are provided with an Blackboard Account or a WebCT Account to access their course.

Details about computer requirements for TRU-OL courses delivered by SFU or UVic are specified on the institution’s website as indicated in the course descriptions.

Contact the IT Service Desk for more information.

Hardware Requirements (subject to change)

Window users must have:

  • Pentium IV or higher microprocessor, or equivalent
  • Minimum 512 MB of RAM (memory)
  • Windows 2000 or XP
  • Dial-up 56 K, cable modem, or ADSL connection to the Internet

Macintosh users must have:

  • G4 or higher
  • Minimum 512 MB of RAM (memory)
  • Mac OS X or higher
  • Dial-up 56K, cable modem, or ADSL connection to the Internet
  • Note: Some courses are not Macintosh compatible.

Software Requirements

  • Word-processing program - compatibility with Office 2000 or XP, or RTF-compatible word processor is recommended unless otherwise specified in the course description.
  • Email account that supports file attachments.
  • Any current Java-enabled Web browser, e.g., Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, Firefox 2.0 or higher or Safari 2.0 or higher. 
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader (current version).

Computer Skill Requirements

Students should be able to:

  • Navigate the directory/folder structure of their computer's hard drive and search for files on their hard drive.
  • Create directories, folders, and files and organize files on their computer's hard drive.
  • Use a word-processing program and save word-processing documents in different file formats.
  • Use an email program, including sending and saving attachments, and upload and download files as email message attachments.
  • Use a graphical web browser and Adobe Acrobat Reader (current version).

Use the course search function to access the list of available web-based courses delivered by TRU-OL.