Learn the Curriculum Lingo: Preparing you for Change

Posted on Tuesday, July 21st, 2026

It’s easy to forget that with change comes new terminology. Our new Student Information System (SIS), Thesis SM, comes with a plethora of new terms that are unique to the system, so it’s imperative to become familiar with those terms to fully understand all the features of the new system.

Our focus today is on Curriculum. There are a handful of new and important terms related to this topic, so we will provide a helpful list and break down what each one means. By the end of this post, you should be better equipped to understand Curriculum terminology!

How many new terms are there?

There are four terms that you need to remember when it comes to Curriculum:

• Module Block
• Program Curriculum
• Program Curriculum Requirements
• Program Information
• Course Master

Even though the terminology is new, the concepts are not completely unfamiliar to Algonquin College. For example, a Thesis term may be a replacement of an existing GeneSIS term, but the process might be a little different.

Now, let’s define what each term is to help you gain a deeper understanding.

Module Block

A grouping of recommended Courses within a Program Curriculum designed to help learners register in their required courses for a specific term.

Program Curriculum

Contains all requirements needed to complete a particular Certificate, Diploma, Advanced Diploma or Degree.

This term replaces Program of Study in GeneSIS.

Program Curriculum Requirements

Groups of core courses and electives with names referring to a program and level.

The requirements are organized in a suggested sequence towards the completion of an Academic Program. Within the requirements, rules can be defined to indicate how many courses from a core course group or elective group must be taken.

This term replaces Program of Study Level in GeneSIS.

Program Information

The description that goes along with a program.

Some of this information includes:

• Program description
• Vocational learning outcomes
• Employment opportunities

This is currently known as Program Narrative.

Course Master

The information record for courses delivered at Algonquin College.

Examples of information in a Course Master include:

• Course ID
• Description
• Credit hours
• Requisites
There are many new terms coming with thew new SIS, but we hope that by breaking them down by module, you can slowly but surely get used to the new lingo!

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Want to learn more about the new SIS? Check out the Glossary and FAQ page on our website for more information or contact us if you have any questions. While you’re here, feel free to sign up for our next R3 Showcase event.

 


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