COURSE REGISTRY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • Why was the Course Registry created?
The Course Registry was created to improve the accuracy, transparency and currency of information that is used by schools and the Ministry. Prior to the creation of the Registry, information was updated in different Ministry systems at various points, leading to differences in the information we used. The new Registry provides a single course list for all of K-12, provides consistent data quality and is a model for future registry developments.
  • Who can use the Course Registry?
The Course Registry will be available for anyone to access via the Ministry public website. The public will be able to view course information using the 'find course' function on the Course Registry home page: users can search by keyword (with or without wildcards) in a simple search, or conduct an advanced search with as many or as few parameters as desired. Check out the Search Tips link on your sidebar for further instructions.
  • How is course information put into the Course Registry?
When a new K-12 course is approved (whether Ministry developed or externally developed), the information required by the Registry is gathered using the Course Open/Change form. Once completed and verified, the information is forwarded to the Course Registry Coordinator for entry into the system. As soon as the new record is created and the course codes generated, an electronic message is sent to a number of consumer systems, which then update their systems. The process is similar for course changes, closures, or if a course is re-opened. The Course Open/Change Form is available by contacting the Course Registry Coordinator at EDUC.CourseRegCoord@gov.bc.ca.
  • Why has a new course code system been created?
Currently, there are at least two alpha-numeric coding systems used to identify courses. BCeSIS has a seven character code, and TRAX has an eight character code. Locally, some non-BCeSIS schools have also created their own codes for courses in the K to grade 9 range. A single, unique, and robust coding system is important both from the systems and the school business perspectives. The current process of selecting a unique combination of letters that approximate the course title is difficult and prone to mistakes. Common letter combinations are often "used up", so as more and more new courses are created, the letters available for the course codes no longer make sense.

The new course code is based on the course subject, instead of the letters in the course title. The first four digits of the code are based on the National Center for Education Statistics' High School Transcript (HST) system of coding, providing the ability to more easily integrate with post secondary and other jurisdictions. The last three digits reflect the unique combination of learning outcomes associated with the course, and will link the Course Registry with the Learning Outcomes Registry.