Course Component Type

Art Studio	Courses involve demonstration and application of design and theory in a defined physical setting (e.g., studio). Students explore and experiment under the guidance of an instructor, and the class size is usually limited by setting parameters (# of computers, drafting tables, etc.). Courses typically focus on the development or creation of artistically static work, such as pottery, sculpture, or paintings/drawings/graphics, or the mastery of an art form itself, such as dance or theatre.
Clinical	Students participate in client and/or client-related services as part of the learning process. Instruction usually occurs outside the institutional setting (or in an actual clinical laboratory setting) and may involve work with clients who receive professional services from students supervised by faculty members. Examples include medically-based clerkships or working in a clinical lab setting.
Directed Study	Students complete individualized or group-based plans of study directed by a faculty member.
Discussion	A regularly scheduled course, or section of a larger course, designed solely for group discussion. Discussions are typically non-credit bearing, linked to a credit bearing course, and not stand alone courses (see seminar). As such discussion sections generally contain fewer students than the course to which they are linked. Students spend largest part of class meeting in structured interchanges with other students.
Dissertation Research	The development of a formal treatise presenting the results of study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of an advanced degree. The process requires intensive interaction between the student candidate, thesis advisor, and supplemental committee members.
Freshman Seminars	Seminars which are available to only undergraduate freshmen.
Independent Study	Students complete individualized and self-paced plans of study. The instructor and students negotiate the details of the plan of study and generally have no defined meeting days and times. Students meet with an instructor to establish requirements for receiving course credit, then work independently to complete the requirements, meeting periodically with the instructor for feedback and guidance.
Internship	Students receive course credit for the academic assessment of work under the direct supervision of an employer in a workplace setting; the academic component is overseen by a Vanderbilt instructor.
Laboratory	Courses meet in a defined physical setting (e.g., laboratory) for the purpose of the application of methods and principles of a discipline. Labs may be stand-alone or a supplement to instruction in a traditional classroom section (similar to discussions). Students spend largest part of class meetings participating in hands-on exploratory activities in real-world or simulated settings.
Lecture	Standard course where instruction typically occurs in a traditional classroom setting. Lectures almost always have larger class sizes than seminars. Lecture courses may certainly include a variety of pedagogies (discussion, class presentation) but are predominantly lecture-oriented.
Master's Thesis Research	The development of a formal treatise presenting the results of study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of an advanced degree. The process requires intensive interaction between the student candidate, thesis advisor, and supplemental committee members.
Performance	Students receive individual instruction that can include one-to-one or group demonstration and performance critique. This would likely be used primarily for music or dance course.
Practicum	Students receive course credit for working under the supervision of an instructor on a project that provides practical experience related to their academic studies.
Project	Students collaboratively or individually undertake development, implementation, and/or evaluation, of a project that synthesizes coursework and produces a deliverable product that is reviewed and evaluated by a faculty member or committee. Projects are often completed away from campus and may be in partnership with an outside entity.
Publications	Students receive course credit for serving on the editorial staff of an academic or professional publication. Enrollment is typically limited, the selection process varies by publication.
Research	Courses focus on research related to a specific interest or academic discipline, but do not entail an actual dissertation or thesis. The faculty member and student(s) mutually negotiate the nature of the study/research. Students receive course credit for engaging in intensive, focused research on a concentrated topic related to their academic studies under the guidance of an instructor, typically culminating in an intellectual product.
Seminar	A more interactive and typically smaller course forum than a lecture, content may include student presentations and discussions based on literature, theory, problems, or research. Enrollment is generally limited to allow for greater focus on students’ critical reflection and exchange of ideas. Lecture is not the dominant pedagogical activity of the course, like in a Lecture component course. During class meetings, students and the instructor work together in focused exploration typically involving some combination of reading, research, discussion, and production of an intellectual product related to their academic studies.
Undergraduate Thesis	A formal treatise presenting the results of study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of a baccalaureate degree. The process requires intensive interaction between the student candidate, thesis advisor, and supplemental committee members.