Interdisciplinary Studies (Open)

This course emphasizes the development of practical skills and knowledge to solve problems, make decisions, create personal meaning, and present findings beyond the scope of a single subject or discipline. Through individual and collaborative inquiry and research into contemporary issues, real-life situations, and careers, students will apply the principles and skills derived from the complementary subjects and disciplines studied, evaluate the reliability of information, and examine how information technology can be used safely, effectively, and legally. They will also learn how to select strategies to define problems, research alternative solutions, assess their thinking in reaching decisions, and adapt to change as they acquire new knowledge.

1. I.

   Apply skills and principles from complementary subjects to solve real problems and make sound decisions.

2. II.

   Learn to evaluate the reliability of information and to use technology safely, effectively, and within the law.

3. III.

   Choose research strategies to define a problem, weigh alternative solutions, and assess your own thinking.

4. IV.

   Study contemporary issues and careers through individual and collaborative inquiry, and adapt as you learn.

DeliveryOnline

Delivered fully online through Vaughan College's learning platform, with live teacher support. Online students can also call into the live in-person classroom through Google Classroom anytime they want extra guidance.

Fast-trackAvailable

Complete the credit in a condensed schedule. Useful for upgrading, course recovery, or summer acceleration.

Credit value1.0 OSSD credit

Counts toward the 30 credits required for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

Every Vaughan College course follows Ontario’s Growing Success policy. Assessment is continuous: teachers gather evidence of learning through observation, conversation, and student work, and give feedback that helps a student improve before the work is graded.

Evaluation — the judgement that produces a mark — measures achievement of the Ontario curriculum expectations across four categories: Knowledge and Understanding, Thinking, Communication, and Application. A student’s grade reflects how well they have met the expectations, with greatest weight given to their most consistent and most recent work.

The final percentage grade is based on two parts. Seventy percent comes from work completed throughout the course, weighted toward more recent and more consistent achievement. The remaining thirty percent comes from a final evaluation near the end of the course — an examination, performance, essay, or other culminating task suited to the subject.

Grades are reported against the provincial standard, where Level 3 (70 to 79 percent) represents the standard expected of students at that grade. A grade of 50 percent or higher earns the credit.

Achievement is reported on the Ontario Provincial Report Card, which records the percentage grade and the credit earned for each course. Grades for completed credits carry forward onto the Ontario Student Transcript, the official record used for graduation and post-secondary admission.

The report card also reports six learning skills and work habits, separately from the academic grade: responsibility, organisation, independent work, collaboration, initiative, and self-regulation. These describe how a student approaches their learning, and universities and colleges do read them.

The Ontario curriculum asks every course to account for a set of cross-curricular considerations — the ways a subject connects to students’ broader development and to the world beyond the classroom. They shape how each course is planned and taught.

Courses are taught in small classes, which lets teachers adapt to how each student learns. A single lesson might combine direct instruction, discussion, independent practice, collaborative work, and hands-on or inquiry-based tasks, chosen to suit the material and the students in the room.

Students receive regular, specific feedback and can move at a pace that fits their goals, whether they are working ahead, recovering a credit, or balancing school with other commitments. The aim is that every student understands not just what they are learning, but why it matters and where it leads.