Teaching may also involve small group tutorials, laboratory work, fieldwork, audio-visual and computer assisted learning aids, and further reading and research. Lecture notes are almost always simply an outline of available material. Students need to carry out their own research and reading to develop an understanding of the subject. UR students may enroll in any courses at St. Andrews, as long as they meet the prerequisites. Students at St. Andrews generally take 3 courses per semester, earning 5 UR credits for each course.
Most tutorial groups are considerably smaller.
Students going for the fall term only will not have to stay for the January examinations. Students will have an alternative assessment that will be the equivalent weight to the January examination. The nature of the final assessment may vary between subjects and levels, but will generally take the form of either one or two extra essays or one or two exams. This assessment will be completed before Christmas. This alternative is not available for students who stay for the year at St. Andrews.