Academic Supervisor Applied Studies Guide
Applied Studies allows students to earn academic credit while engaging in meaningful, discipline-related work or volunteer experiences. As an Academic Supervisor, you play a critical role in helping students reflect, synthesize, and apply their academic knowledge in real-world settings.
This course is structured to be collaborative: students are guided by a Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Instructor for professional skills & reflective practice assignments, the employer for meaningful work opportunities, and by you, their Academic Supervisor, for the academic assignments.
What is Applied Studies
Disciplinary credit Applied Studies courses are offered as 3-credit courses numbered between 2980 and 4980. Each Faculty/School has specific course ranges available to students depending on their program. This allows students to take Applied Studies courses that best fit their discipline and progress.
Below is a summary of each faculty course codes offered for Applied Studies:
Faculty/School | Available Course Code Ranges | Example Course Codes |
Arts & Science | 2000 to 4000 level (all disciplines) | BIOL 2980, HIST 3980 |
Dhillon School of Business | 3000 and 4000 levels only | MGT 3980, MGT 4980 |
Education | 4000 level only | EDUC 4980 |
Fine Arts | 2000 to 4000 level (all disciplines) | ART 2980, DRAM 3980 |
Health Sciences | 2000 to 4000 level (all disciplines) | HLSC 2980, HLSC 4980 |
Students need to check with Academic Advising to align their proposed Applied Studies course with their Program Planning Guide.
Course Structure at a Glance
Applied Studies courses blend practical experience with academic learning. Students must secure a placement and complete a minimum of 120 hours in a role relevant to their discipline.
The course grade is evenly divided between two components:
Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Assignments (50%)
These assignments help students connect their academic background to their professional experience. Activities include goal setting, reflections, professional development exercises, a midpoint monitor visit, and an employer evaluation. All components are managed through the MyExperience platform.Academic Assignments (50%)
Faculty supervise this portion. Assignments vary by discipline and might include research papers, annotated bibliographies, reflections, or presentations. Faculty and the student co-create an academic plan at the start of the term to outline expectations, due dates, and grading.
Overview of Your Role
As the Academic Supervisor, you are responsible for supervising the academic portion of the Applied Studies course related to your discipline, which is worth 50% of the student’s final grade. You are not responsible for the work-integrated learning assignments or administration of the course; those are managed by the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Instructor and the MyExperience platform.
Your contributions include:
Discussing the proposed research and confirming your willingness to supervise the academic assignment(s) of the course.
Before registration, review and sign off on the Course Proposal form. This includes confirming the course subject area (e.g., MGT, ART, KNES), level (2980–4980). Final signatures are required from both you and your Department Chair.
Meet with the student in the first 4 weeks of the semester to collaboratively develop an Academic Plan. This outlines expectations for the academic assignments the student will complete (1–4 assignments) and their due dates.
Oversee the completion of the student’s academic assignments throughout the semester. These may include research papers, reflective writing, presentations, or other scholarly outputs. You determine the type and scope of these assignments (accounts for 50% of the student’s final grade)
At the end of the semester, submit the student’s final academic grade as a percentage to the WIL Instructor. This will be combined with the WIL assignment grade to form the student’s final course mark, which the WIL Instructor submits to Student Records.
If you are also the student’s workplace supervisor, please visit the Employer Supervisor Page for guidance on your dual role.
Why Support an Applied Studies Course? Applied Studies courses provide students with a unique opportunity to integrate their academic knowledge with real-world, discipline-relevant experience. For faculty, supporting an Applied Studies course offers meaningful engagement with student learning while requiring a reduced time commitment compared to Independent Studies.
Additional Program Information
Students must submit their Course Proposal Application by the 15th of the first month of the semester, and it must be approved by the Academic Supervisor and Department Chair before registration can proceed.
You will be asked to:
- Identify the course prefix (e.g., KNES, ART, MGMT), level (2980–4980), and course name (max 100 characters including spaces)
- Discuss and approve proposed research idea(s) and academic assignments
- Indicate how your academic expertise aligns with the student's placement
- Sign the form, along with the student and the Department Chair
Once approved, the WIL Instructor will register the student in the course with the Registrar’s Office
Once the course begins, students must meet with you to complete an Academic Plan (due 4 weeks after the start of the semester). This document functions as the syllabus for your portion of the course.
You will collaborate with the student to:
Confirm the focus of the academic inquiry
Choose 1–4 academic assignments (e.g., research paper, annotated bibliography, reflection, presentation)
Define due dates and deliverables
Establish grading criteria totalling 50% of the final course grade
You and the student can collaborate on a practice Academic Plan form, and then the student will submit the online form for your approval.
Assignments should encourage students to reflect critically, apply course concepts, and connect their experiences to academic theory. Some examples include:
Research papers
Annotated bibliographies or literature reviews
Case studies or comparative analyses
Presentations or portfolios
Projects
You are responsible for:
Providing support, clarification, and feedback
Grading all academic assignments
Submitting the academic grade (out of 50%) to the Applied Studies Instructor at the end of the term
There is no Moodle shell for this course. The student and Academic Supervisor must agree on how assignments will be submitted and returned (e.g., via email, shared folder, in person, etc.).
As part of their Applied Studies experience, students complete a series of WIL assignments that encourage them to make meaningful connections between their academic learning and professional development. These assignments support students in articulating how their disciplinary knowledge and skills apply to real-world contexts. Structured components such as reflections, goal setting, and skill-building activities are submitted through MyExperience and comprise 50% of the final course grade.
Assignment 1: Learning Reflection and Objectives (10%)
Students reflect on past experiences and set SMART learning goals relevant to their placement and academic program.
Assignment 2: Professional Development (10%)
Students choose one of the following options:
Learning Objectives Reflection
Job Portfolio or Application Documents
Attend a Professional Development Workshop
Informational Interview
Professional Mentorship Engagement
Attend a Networking Event
Case Study Analysis
Assignment 3: Final Reflection (10%)
Students reflect on their growth, insights, and impact throughout the term.
Monitor Visit and Employer Evaluation (20%)
WIL Instructor meets midway through the semester with the student and employer to discuss goals and progress. At the end of the semester, the employer provides feedback on student performance and professional conduct.
All WIL assignments are submitted through MyExperience.
Some faculty members act as both the Academic Supervisor and the Employer Supervisor — for instance, supervising a student doing research in your lab, class, gallery, or community-engaged project.
If you are in this situation:
You will be approving both the Work Placement Application, the Course Proposal Application, and the Academic Plan
You will guide both the workplace tasks and academic assignments
You will need to participate in the Monitor Visit and submit grades
Please review the Employer Supervisor page for detailed roles and responsibilities
Timeline and Key Responsibilities
Timeline | Academic Supervisor Tasks |
Pre-Semester | Review and sign Course Proposal Application |
Weeks 1–4 | Meet student to co-create Academic Plan |
Week 5–12 | Provide assignment guidance and feedback |
End of Term | Submit academic grade (50%) to the Work Integrated Learning Instructor |