Changes to the 3-11 Calendar and Project-Based Core starting Fall 2026
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Background
In Fall 2017, Augustana Faculty introduced a 3-11 calendar for its programs. The 3-11 calendar had students start each semester by taking one course in a three-week block, followed by four courses in a more traditional eleven-week session. This change was made with the hope that it would result in more flexible and diverse learning opportunities, improved workload for students and faculty, and an increase in revenue and enrollment.
At the same time, new courses that would be part of Augustana’s Project-Based Core were introduced to support student success during and after university.
In May 2024, Augustana’s Faculty Council directed that an ad-hoc committee (composed of students, staff and faculty) be created to assess how the 3-11 calendar was performing, and if it was meeting its goals. After reviewing data from various university departments and consulting with students, staff and faculty across the U of A, this committee released a report on the impacts and effectiveness of the 3-11 calendar. In this report, the committee found that the 3-11 calendar was unable to meaningfully achieve its goals.
As a result of this report and following discussions, Augustana’s Faculty Council voted in December 2024 to return to a 13-week semester structure starting in Fall 2026. At the same time, an Ad hoc Committee on Implementing the New Academic Schedule was created to support this transition.
In addition to planning how to best transition to a 13-week semester structure, this ad hoc committee also considered the impact of two 13-week semesters on the delivery of the Project-Based Core. Working with members of the Core Coordinating Committee, the ad hoc committee suggested that the current four-step structure of the Project-Based Core be reimagined as a bookend model that places core courses at the beginning and end of a student’s degree.
Overview of upcoming changes
In Fall 2026, Augustana Faculty programs will move from the 3-11 calendar back to a 13-week semester structure. This means courses will now, in most cases, run for the full length of a 13-week semester.
Additional to the upcoming change with the semester structure at Augustana are changes to Augustana’s Project-Based Core – moving from four required courses to two.
Frequently Asked Questions
Transitioning from the 3-11 Calendar back to a 13-week Semester
Currently, students can take one course during a three-week block and up to four courses in the 11-week session that follows. This three-week block and 11-week session currently make up each fall and winter term.
Starting in Fall 2026, Augustana will be returning to a 13-week calendar for the fall and winter term. This means each course a student takes will run the full length of the 13-week semester (except for PAC courses, which will now run for six weeks instead of five).
The 2026/27 academic year will begin for all students (regardless of year standing) on September 1, 2026. Fall Term 2026 will run from September 1 - December 8, 2026 (not including the exam period). Winter Term 2027 will run from January 4, 2027 to April 9, 2027 (not including the exam period). This aligns Augustana Faculty programs with the majority of undergraduate programs at the University of Alberta.
To accommodate a break between the three-week block and 11-week session, Augustana Faculty courses began earlier in the academic year than other U of A programs that run on a 13-week semester structure. By moving to a 13-week semester, Augustana Faculty courses will start around a week later than in previous years, which is how the semester will last only 13 weeks.
There will be no change to the total amount of time you spend in class. The U of A has a specific number of contact hours that are required for each course per semester. The contact hours for Augustana Faculty courses will remain the same.
Courses that were held two times a week during the 11-week semester for 90 minutes will now be 80 minutes twice a week. Courses that were held three times a week for 60 minutes will now be 50 minutes three times a week.
The semester will be expanded, so the number of assignments and exams that you would take in one three-week course and four 11-week courses are anticipated to even out. The semester will begin more slowly, giving time for student groups and other activities to get started. Busy periods will still tend to be clustered around midterms and finals.
A typical term is 15 units of coursework (five three-unit courses). However, students can register in up to 17 units per term without any special permission. Students need to be registered in at least nine units each term to be considered a full-time student (exceptions apply for students with accessibility accommodations).
No, this change will not impact the rotation of Augustana Faculty courses. Instructors will teach all the required courses in a regular rotation to ensure that students can proceed through their degree without delays. The new timetable will also provide a greater breadth of teaching slots so that students will have more options for electives. In other words, there will be more courses offered before 9 a.m. and after 4 p.m.. Additionally, we anticipate moving to a 13-week semester will result in more opportunities for students to take courses offered in other faculties now that our semester aligns with the rest of the U of A.
International and exchange programs, field studies and outdoor education courses will continue to be available. As with any course, the format and frequency it is delivered may change over time, but please know that we will continue to support opportunities to learn outside the traditional classroom. Notably, most of these courses available now were also offered before Augustana introduced the 3-11 calendar (when Augustana previously used a 13-week semester structure). Going forward, these courses may be offered over reading week breaks or during spring or summer terms.
Community Service-Learning (CSL) courses will continue to be available for students to participate in. These courses will run the full length of the semester (13 weeks) and the required 20 hours working with a partner will remain the same. This means that students will have two extra weeks to complete their hours than they would have in a CSL course that took place in the 11-week. As a result, we anticipate there will be more CSL course options in the future.
While PAC courses will now take place over six weeks rather than five weeks, each course will still have the same amount of teaching hours. Within the 13-week semester, there will be a first half 6-week and a second half 6-week. The dates for these are:
Fall 2026:
- First half 6-week: September 1 - October 9, 2026
- Second half 6-week: October 19 - December 8, 2026
Winter 2027:
- First half 6-week: January 4 - February 12, 2027
- Second half 6-week: February 22 - April 9, 2027
The Augustana Course List Tool was created by Augustana to reflect unique course formats within the 3-11 calendar (e.g. three-week courses, 11-week courses, etc.). Now that we are moving back to a 13-week semester like the rest of the university, Augustana will transition to using the U of A’s Catalogue Search (used by all other faculties).
The transition to a 13-week semester will not affect RA or other opportunities for student positions related to courses, so we anticipate the level of opportunities to remain the same, including recruitment of students as First-Year Seminar tutors.
Tuition fees are based on course weight, so tuition will only change if the number of courses taken each term changes.
No, tuition deadlines will remain the same.
Fall 2026 deadlines:
- Add/Drop: September 15, 2026
- Withdrawal with 50% refund: October 1, 2026
- Withdrawal with no refund: December 1, 2026
Winter 2027 deadlines:
- Add/Drop: January 15, 2027
- Withdrawal with 50% refund: February 3, 2027
- Withdrawal with no refund: April 2, 2027
There will no longer be three-week course options in fall or winter terms. However, three-week courses could still be possible in spring or summer terms (e.g. study tour courses).
Yes. There will be a common meal break from 12:15 - 1 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and flex time on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:15 - 2 p.m.. On Fridays, there will be a break in all class schedules from 11 a.m. - 12:50 p.m..
As the start of term will no longer condense one course into a three-week block, students will have more time outside of class at the beginning of term to dedicate to other activities (e.g. clubs, campus recreation, exploring Camrose, etc.). Since events are planned around times when students are available, we anticipate there could be an increase in events happening at the start of each term on campus. Key annual events that occur at the start of the academic year — like the Augustana Students’ Association’s Beers and Bands and the Club Fair — will continue to happen.
Additionally, now that Augustana Faculty programs will run on a similar schedule as other undergraduate programs at the U of A, students could find more opportunities to participate in events on other U of A campuses.
Residence Move-in Day for Fall 2026 will be on August 27, 2026.
Yes. Information sessions about these upcoming changes will be held during Winter Term 2026, as well as during the Course Registration Fair. Additionally, our student advisors will be dedicating multiple pop-up advising times to this topic so students can ask about their potential course load during this transition.
Students with academic accommodations are encouraged to connect with advisors in Proctoring, Accessibility and Student Success to discuss their accommodations and any concerns they may have.
Changes to the Project-Based Core
Instead of four courses making up the Project-Based Core (AUIDS 101, AUIDS 201, AUIDS 301, AUIDS 401), it will instead be made up of one junior level (AUIDS 101) and one senior level course (AUIDS 401). AUIDS 401 will now be a 6 unit course and will run over the course of fall and winter term.
As such, you will now only be required to take AUIDS 101 and AUIDS 401.
No — your degree requirements will continue to follow what is listed in the University Calendar for the year you started your program. However, the requirement to complete AUIDS 201 and AUIDS 301 will be waived if you’ve yet to complete these courses.
Technically, AUIDS 201 and AUIDS 301 will remain as requirements for your degree if you began your Augustana Faculty studies before Fall 2026. As such, if you have already taken AUIDS 201, you would have fulfilled this requirement and no further action is needed.
If you’ve taken AUIDS 301 prior to Fall 2026, you won’t be required to complete AUIDS 401. As AUIDS 301 is being replaced with AUIDS 401 in the updated Project-Based Core format, your degree requirement to complete AUIDS 401 will be waived. You can instead fill your requirement to complete AUIDS 401 with any other Augustana Faculty course (whether a 100-, 200-, 300- or 400-level course).
In many ways, the new format for the First-Year Seminar may better support students transitioning to university study. By taking place over 13 weeks instead of three, students will have more time to get to know others in their cohort, develop critical skills to succeed at university and get to know faculty and staff on campus when it is most relevant during the semester.
New major maps that note the new Project-Based Core structure will be created for students starting their Augustana Faculty program in Fall 2026 or later.
For students who began before Fall 2026, their maps will not be updated. This is because completion for all four Project-Based Core courses (AUIDS 101, AUIDS 201, AUIDS 301, AUIDS 401) are still noted as requirements in the University Calendar for Augustana Faculty programs before Fall 2026 (even though the requirement for AUIDS 201 and AUIDS 301 will be waived).
As noted on each major map, your Academic Requirement Report in Bear Tracks provides complete details on your program and is the best tool to view accurate information about your progress.
Contact us
Have a question that wasn’t answered on this page? Reach out to one of our advisors in the Student Academic Services office.