Subject activity allocations for your 2025 timetable open from Tuesday 3 December 2024, so we thought it would be a great time to breakdown common timetable terms.
Classes might look different depending on your faculty, but the structure of class types remain pretty much the same across the uni.
We've put together a list of what different class types look like and what you can expect going into them.
LEC: Interactive lecture
A lecture is typically a 1-hour activity in a lecture theatre or large collaborative classroom. Your lecturer will explain topics or concepts, usually through a structured presentation, with some opportunities to interact.
TUT: Tutorial
A tutorial is typically 1-2 hours and is commonly set in a standard classroom. Similar to a high school class experience, this may include discussions and activities that support learning about topics that have already been introduced (such as in your lecture or pre-class work).
You can expect to do 1 hour of preparation beforehand.
WRK: Workshop
A workshop is typically 2-6 hours and set up in a collaborative classroom or standard classroom. It usually involves activities that help you put ideas, theories, skills or knowledge into practice. You may also be collaborating and interacting with your peers.
You can expect to do 1-2 hours of preparation beforehand.
SEM: Seminar
A seminar is typically 1-3 hours and is typically conducted in a standard classroom. You can expect both lecture and tutorial-type activities, where you engage in discussions and interact with your peers. You may find it is more interactive than a lecture, more formal than a tutorial and less collaborative than a workshop.
You can expect to do 1-2 hours of preparation beforehand.
PRC/LAB/CMP: Practical/Laboratory/Computer Lab
A practical varies in length depending on the subject and location. You'll carry out interactive, practice-based activities and may use specialist equipment or software. You might be in an external learning environment or in a space specific to your studies, like a moot court if you study law.
You can expect to do 1-2 hours of preparation beforehand.
STU: Studio
A studio varies in length depending on the subject and location, but is typically held in a large collaborative space. Studios also vary according to your discipline. While some studios might see you working solo to produce creative work, in others you might work in teams to produce a response to real-life situations. All studios have opportunities for feedback and self-reflection.
You can expect to do 1-2 hours of preparation beforehand.
You may encounter other timetable terms for your subject activities, but these are the main ones you will find. We hope this makes decoding your timetable easier. Happy timetabling!