1. Compulsory Ancillary Fees
  2. Copyright
  3. Minimal Template For Course Outline
  4. PLAGIARISM

The course outline is a contract between you and your students. Changes should not normally be made after the course outline has been reviewed in class (usually the first class), and no later than the last day of registration. If any due dates must be changed after that date, students should be given at least two weeks’ notice before the new deadline

Please use the Minimal Template for Course Outlines provided below to ensure that the content requirements are met. You are not required to set your outline up exactly as shown, but you should cover all the suggested headings.

  • The course outline must include: the calendar description; topics to be covered; mandatory required materials; all the elements that will contribute to the cumulative grade earned and the overall breakdown for the course; any grading scheme that deviates from standard practice; due dates for major course elements; any required time commitments occurring outside of the formally scheduled class meetings; and all University policies governing academic accommodation.
  • Course outlines must be made available to students at least one week prior to the first day of classes, and no later than the first teaching day of the course that term. Refer to the calendar for the required posting dates. It is preferred that you post your outline on Brightspace.
  • You should deposit an electronic copy of each course outline with the chair or director of your academic unit seven days before the first day of classes, or as directed by your unit.

Compulsory Ancillary Fees

Course instructors can only require students to pay ancillary fees for the following:

  • Field trips (direct costs of travel and accommodation);
  • Learning materials and clothing retained by the student (e.g. textbooks, lab kits);
  • Materials used in the production of items that become the property of a student (e.g. film); and
  • Fees for materials/services where the institution acts as a broker with a vendor for the student (e.g. collective purchasing of laptops).

Other than for the items or activities specified above course instructors may not require students to pay any additional compulsory ancillary fees in order to enroll in or successfully complete any credit course. If your course includes such fees, you are required to provide an alternative that will not require the student to pay additional fees.

In addition, the use of fee-based third-party technology-enhanced learning resources and online assessment tools is governed by Carleton’s Policy on Adoption of Technology-Enhanced Learning Resources. If you plan on using such resources, please be sure to consult the policy. In particular, the following should be noted:

  • Instructors may not require students to pay more than $75 per 0.5 credit course for technology-enhanced learning resources, except in exceptional circumstances approved by the Dean.
  • Any such resources that are bundled with a textbook must be available to students to purchase separately.
  • Any required purchases must be approved by the Chair/Director and communicated to students in the course outline.
  • No more than 35% of a student’s overall course grade may be based on assessments utilizing fee-based third-party assessment tools, except in exceptional circumstances approved of by the Dean.
  • Any use of fee-based third-party enhanced learning resources must be reported to their Chair/Director.
  • Instructors are encouraged to provide alternative methods of assessment to students in lieu of using fee-based technology-enhanced learning resources.

Copyright

Any photocopying and scanning from copyrighted works that are used for teaching must be limited to what is allowed under the Copyright Act.  When preparing course materials, course instructors should consult the Carleton Fair Dealing Guidelines. The Library’s Ares electronic reserves service offers a simple way to make course readings available to students electronically, and library staff will ensure that the materials posted are copyright compliant, including paying for permissions if required.

Any questions about copyright can be sent to Copyright@Carleton.ca. This includes questions about using films or internet-based materials in class, as well as questions about author’s rights, and open access.

Minimal Template For Course Outline

[Academic year & term/session]
[Course title:]
[Department/Unit:]
[Course number (including section letter)]
[Instructor’s name; office location & phone; email address; office hours]
[TA name(s); office location(s) & phone; email addresses; office hours]
[Link to course Brightspace page]

I. Course description: at a minimum, the calendar description is required, though you may also include a more detailed overview.

II. Preclusions: if credit for another course is precluded for students taking this course, this should be clearly stated.

III. Learning Outcomes: A statement of the learning outcomes to be achieved in the course.

IV. Texts: (required, supplementary, on Reserve, other; available from…): [give complete citation for required texts.] Please note that course readings must follow guidelines set out in the Copyright Act. (See the Course Outline section of the Faculty Teaching Regulations for further information.)

V. Course calendar: list the topics covered in the course; dates of all scheduled quizzes, tests or examinations; and deadlines for submission of all pieces of term work. Note that any required time commitments occurring outside of the formally scheduled lectures, tutorials, labs and discussion groups must be noted. If these dates subsequently change, students should be given at least two weeks’ notice.

VI. Evaluation:

  • Article 5.2 of the undergraduate regulations and 7.5 of the graduate regulations state that the course outline must include all elements that will contribute to the cumulative grade earned and the approximate grade breakdown for the course. The elements and grade breakdown may initially be approximate, but are normally confirmed no later than the last day of registration for the term.
  • If you plan to calculate grades in a way that deviates from the University grading system, such as by curving the grades (a practice that is discouraged), the course outline must include an explicit statement to this effect and clearly explain the alternative grading scheme. (Instructors are also advised to confirm in advance with their Faculty’s Associate Dean that any proposed alternative grading scheme is appropriate and consistent with University regulations.)
  • If additional requirements beyond the cumulative grade earned in the course (for example, a requirement that students complete/pass certain assignments and examinations, or attend a minimal number of class meetings in order to pass the course), this should be clearly identified in the course outline.
  • Include general criteria that influence grading: spelling, grammar, citation format, presentation, preferred style guide, etc. A statement regarding plagiarism as set out in the University’s Academic Integrity Policy, including use of generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT), should be included (see section VII below).
  • Examinations – including in-class tests, take-home and formally scheduled examinations: Include information about format (essay, multiple-choice, short-answer, other; cumulative vs. non-cumulative; etc.); how students can review their work; and percentage contribution towards the final grade.
    • Deferred finals, which must be applied for at the RO, are available ONLY if the student is in good standing in the course. If there are minimum standards that a student must meet to be in good standing, and entitled to write a deferred final exam, these must be stipulated in the course outline.
    • If you intend to request e-proctoring for any online examination, this must be stipulated in the course outline.
    • If you plan to schedule an in-person exam for an online or hyflex course, this must be clearly stated in the course outline. Students who are living/studying outside of the Ottawa area may apply to Scheduling and Exam Services to write the exam at a distance.
  • Term work – essays, term papers and other written work: Indicate how topics will be assigned, deadlines and submission procedures, how papers will be returned to students, percentage contribution towards the final grade, and any policies regarding extensions, late penalties, your expectations regarding collaboration and group work, re-use of the same piece of work previously submitted for credit in another course, and use of generative AI tools. (See the Academic Integrity and Academic Offences section of the Faculty teaching regulations for further information.)

Note that tests, assignments and examinations cannot be due during the Fall and Winter Breaks (see the Assignments and Exams section of the Faculty Teaching Regulations).

  • Other forms of evaluation – attendance, participation, consistent progress: Indicate how this will be evaluated and percentage contribution towards the final grade. These subjective components need to be very clearly specified in order to avoid needless challenges and appeals.
  • The following statement must be included:
    “Standing in a course is determined by the course instructor subject to the approval of the Faculty Dean. This means that grades submitted by the instructor may be subject to revision. No grades are final until they have been approved by the Dean.”

VII. Statement on Plagiarism

Some departments have a standard statement and some instructors have their own. Either of these options is fine, but please ensure that these statements are consistent with the university’s Academic Integrity Policy when it comes to definitions, potential penalties and the like. The policy can be found here.

Note that submitting without permission substantially the same piece of work more than once for academic credit is not considered a form of plagiarism. If you wish to prohibit students from re-using their own work from a different course (or from the same course if they are repeating), or to require students to cite such work, or to seek your permission before doing so, this must be clearly stated in the course outline or assignment instructions. In addition, instructors wishing to prohibit multiple submissions of substantially the same work should be as clear as possible about what they consider to be “substantially the same.”

You should also clearly convey your expectations regarding collaboration and group work: If you do ask students to work together on reports, seminar presentations, research projects or other assignments, you should include in your course outline a clear and specific description of how and to what extent you consider collaboration to be acceptable or appropriate, especially in the completion of written assignments.

In addition, you should clearly indicate your expectations regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence tools (e.g. ChatGPT). Unless you give explicit permission, either generally or for a specific assignment, any use of generative AI tools to produce assessed content is considered a violation of academic integrity standards. If you explicitly permit the use of generative AI, you must provide clear and detailed instructions on which generative AI program students may use and with what limits.

If you have neither a departmental nor an individual statement, something along the following lines would be acceptable:

PLAGIARISM

The University Academic Integrity Policy defines plagiarism as “presenting, whether intentionally or not, the ideas, expression of ideas or work of others as one’s own.”  This includes reproducing or paraphrasing portions of someone else’s published or unpublished material, regardless of the source, and presenting these as one’s own without proper citation or reference to the original source. Examples of sources from which the ideas, expressions of ideas or works of others may be drawn from include but are not limited to: books, articles, papers, literary compositions and phrases, performance compositions, chemical compounds, artworks, laboratory reports, research results, calculations and the results of calculations, diagrams, constructions, computer reports, computer code/software, material on the internet and/or conversations.

Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:

  • any submission prepared in whole or in part, by someone else, including the unauthorized use of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT);
  • using ideas or direct, verbatim quotations, paraphrased material, algorithms, formulae, scientific or mathematical concepts, or ideas without appropriate acknowledgment in any academic assignment;
  • using another’s data or research findings without appropriate acknowledgement;
  • submitting a computer program developed in whole or in part by someone else, with or without modifications, as one’s own; and
  • failing to acknowledge sources through the use of proper citations when using another’s work and/or failing to use quotations marks.

Plagiarism is a serious offence that cannot be resolved directly by the course’s instructor. The Associate Dean of the Faculty conducts a rigorous investigation, including an interview with the student, when an instructor suspects a piece of work has been plagiarized. Penalties are not trivial. They can include a final grade of “F” for the course.

VIII. Statement on Student Mental Health

As a University student you may experience a range of mental health challenges that significantly impact your academic success and overall well-being. If you need help, please speak to someone. There are numerous resources available both on- and off-campus to support you.

[You may include the following list or reference this link (https://carleton.ca/wellness/)] :

Emergency Resources (on and off campus): https://carleton.ca/health/emergencies-and-crisis/emergency-numbers/

Carleton Resources:
• Mental Health and Wellbeing: https://carleton.ca/wellness/
• Health & Counselling Services: https://carleton.ca/health/
• Paul Menton Centre: https://carleton.ca/pmc/
• Academic Advising Centre (AAC): https://carleton.ca/academicadvising/
• Centre for Student Academic Support (CSAS): https://carleton.ca/csas/
• Equity & Inclusivity Communities: https://carleton.ca/equity/

Off Campus Resources:
• Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region: (613) 238-3311 or TEXT: 343-306-5550, https://www.dcottawa.on.ca/
• Mental Health Crisis Service: (613) 722-6914, 1-866-996-0991, http://www.crisisline.ca/
• Empower Me: 1-844-741-6389, https://students.carleton.ca/services/empower-me-counselling-services/
• Good2Talk: 1-866-925-5454, https://good2talk.ca/
• The Walk-In Counselling Clinic: https://walkincounselling.com

IX. Requests for Academic Accommodations

[Please include the following text or reference this link (https://students.carleton.ca/course-outline/) on all course outlines, and read it at the beginning of your first few classes to remind students. For details, see the accommodations section and the Course Outline Information on Academic Accommodations.]

ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATION

You may need special arrangements to meet your academic obligations during the term. For an accommodation request the processes are as follows:

Academic consideration for medical or other extenuating circumstances: Students must contact the instructor(s) as soon as possible, and normally no later than 24 hours after the submission deadline for course deliverables. [Provide any additional information on your requirements for short-term informal accommodations. If you require supporting documentation for short-term considerations, you may only request the Academic Consideration for Coursework form. You may not request medical notes or documentation.]

Students should also consult the Course Outline Information on Academic Accommodations for more information. Detailed information about the procedure for requesting academic consideration can be found here.

Pregnancy and Family-Status Related Accommodation: Please write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first few weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details about the accommodation policy, visit the Equity and Inclusive Communities (EIC) website.

Religious obligation: write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details click here.

Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: The Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) provides services to students with Learning Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/mental health disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), chronic medical conditions, and impairments in mobility, hearing, and vision. If you have a disability requiring academic accommodations in this course, please contact PMC at 613-520-6608 or pmc@carleton.ca for a formal evaluation. If you are already registered with the PMC, please request your accommodations for this course through the Ventus Student Portal at the beginning of the term, and no later than two weeks before the first in-class scheduled test or exam requiring accommodation (if applicable). Requests made within two weeks will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. For final exams, the deadlines to request accommodations are published in the University Academic Calendars. After requesting accommodation from PMC, meet with me to ensure accommodation arrangements are made. Please consult the PMC website for the deadline to request accommodations for the formally-scheduled exam (if applicable).

Survivors of Sexual Violence
As a community, Carleton University is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working and living environment where sexual violence will not be tolerated, and where survivors are supported through academic accommodations as per Carleton’s Sexual Violence Policy. For more information about the services available at the university and to obtain information about sexual violence and/or support, visit: https://carleton.ca/equity/sexual-assault-support-services

Accommodation for Student Activities
Carleton University recognizes the substantial benefits, both to the individual student and for the university, that result from a student participating in activities beyond the classroom experience. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to students who compete or perform at the national or international level. Write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. https://carleton.ca/senate/wp-content/uploads/Accommodation-for-Student-Activities-1.pdf

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