FASS-FPGA Minimal Course Outline Template

(updated November 20, 2024)

Course number (including section letter) and Course title
Academic year & term/session
Department/Unit
Instructor’s name, email address, phone contact and/office location, office hours
TA name(s), email address, phone contact and/office location, office hours
Brightspace course page link

1.      Course Description

Include calendar description and provide a more detailed overview.

2.      Preclusions

Preclusions for other courses should be clearly stated.

3.      Learning Outcomes

A statement of the learning outcomes to be achieved in the course.

4.      Texts & Course Materials

List required, supplementary, reserve, other readings/sources, and availability (e.g., ARES, bookstore, etc.)

  • Provide complete citations
  • Note that course readings must follow guidelines set out in the Copyright Act. See the Course Outline section of the FASS-FGPA Teaching Regulations for further information.

Costs of Educational Material NEW for Winter 2025

The Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) requires that all course syllabi specify the costs of textbooks and other learning materials, specifically the following:

  • Estimated cost of each mandatory and/or optional textbook(s) and/or learning materials. Each item should be individually costed using the most recent available information, including a note indicating that it may change.
    • Costs must be as accurate as possible, derived from publisher, commercial, third-party vendor websites or from the university bookstore.
  • Whether there are restrictions that would prevent students from using a second-hand copy of the textbook and/or learning material.
  • If students are not required to purchase textbook(s) and/or learning materials, the following statement should be included:
    • “Students are not required to purchase textbooks or other learning materials for this course.”

5.      Course Calendar

The following must be included (as per UAR Section 5.2: The Course Outline):

  • List of topics covered, ideally by week/date
  • Date of each scheduled quiz, test, or examination
  • Deadline for each piece of term work
  • Date and time of any mandatory commitments/time outside of formally scheduled lectures, tutorials, labs and discussion groups

Note the following scheduling rules and guidelines:

  • Tests, exams, and assignments cannot be due during the Fall and Winter Breaks.
  • No summative tests or exams can be held during the last two weeks of the term (or last week of a summer term).
  • Include early an feedback component (by 25th teaching day for first- and second-year courses, 40th day for others), as per UAR Section 5.3: Early Feedback Guidelines.
  • Consult the Assignment and Exams section of the FASS-FPGA Teaching Regulations pages for more information.

6.      Evaluation

a.  List of Evaluation Elements

Academic regulations require that the course outline list all elements that will contribute to the cumulative grade earned, including the weight of each element. This information may initially be approximate but must be confirmed no later than the last day of registration for the term.

Note the following:

  • Carleton uses an alphabetical grading system (Undergraduate Academic Regulations Section 5.4)
  • Clearly state any additional requirements beyond the cumulative grade earned in the course. Requirements that are not included in the outline are not enforceable.
    • g., That students must complete and/or earn a certain grade on assignments and examinations to pass the course
    • g., That students must attend a minimum number of classes/tutorials to pass the course.

For each element, the following information must be included:

  • Type of evaluation – essay, test, projects, attendance, participation, consistent progress
  • Assessment – for each assessment indicate how students will be evaluated (specific criteria, rubric etc.). Evaluation for subjective components (such as participation or presentations) should be clear to avoid confusion and grade appeals.
  • Additional information – clearly state your own policies for assessments, such as:
  • Deadlines and submission procedures (e.g., through Brightspace; policy on emailed assignments)
  • Policy regarding extensions, requests for academic consideration
  • Penalties for late submissions
  • Expectations and rules for collaboration and group work
  • Grade appeals. Please ensure that your policy complies with the University’s steps on grade appeals.  See https://carleton.ca/registrar/appeal-of-grade/.
  • Re-use of the same piece of work previously submitted for credit in another course
  • Use of generative AI tools (e.g., Chat GPT). See the Academic Integrity and Academic Offences section of the Faculty teaching regulations for further information.
  • General criteria that influence grading: spelling, grammar, citation format, presentation, preferred style guide, etc.

b.  Tests and Examinations

All tests and examinations, including how/when they are scheduled, are subject to rules set out in Regulation 4.0: Examinations of the Undergraduate Academic Regulations, and in Regulation 9.0: Examinations and Term Work of the Graduate Academic Regulations.

The following information must be included in the course outline:

  • If you intend to request e-proctoring, include the following paragraph in your outline:

“Please note that tests and examinations in this course will use a remote proctoring service provided by Scheduling and Examination Services. You can find more information at https://carleton.ca/ses/e-proctoring. The minimum computing requirements for this service are listed on the SES website (https://carleton.ca/ses/online-exams/e-proctoring/e-proctoring-course-outline-template).”

  • If you plan to schedule an in-person exam for an online course, this must be clearly stated.
  • Students who cannot attend on-campus assessments in person may apply to write their exams remotely, if they meet certain criteria. More information for instructors and students is available at https://carleton.ca/ses/distance-exams/.
  • If you have a text/exam that will occur outside of class time, please include the following paragraph in your course outline:

“Assessments will occur on campus outside of regular class time (which can include Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday).”

Deferred final exams, which must be applied for at the RO, are available ONLY if the student is in good standing in the course. The course outline must stipulate any minimum standards for good standing that a student must meet to be entitled to write a deferred final exam.

Additional information to include:

  • Format (essay, multiple-choice, short-answer, other)
  • Modality (online v. in-person; take-home v. scheduled)
  • Material covered (e.g., cumulative v. non-cumulative; open v. closed book)
  • Duration
  • How students can review their work

c.  Final Grade Approval

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.”

7.      Statement on Academic Integrity

Carleton’s Academic Integrity Policy states that “instructors at both the graduate and undergraduate level have the responsibility to provide clear guidelines concerning their specific expectations of academic integrity (e.g. rules of collaboration or citation) on all course outlines, assignment and examination material.”

Your unit may provide you with a standard Academic Integrity statement for your syllabus or you may craft your own. Statements must be consistent with the University’s Academic Integrity Policy when it comes to definitions, processes, and rules.

The statement should include the following:

  1. Permissibility of submitting substantially the same piece of work more than once for academic credit.
  • Although this is not a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy, you may prohibit students from re-using their own work from a different course/assignment, 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.
  • Instructors should clearly define what they consider to be “substantially the same.”
  1. Permissibility of group or collaborative work.
  • If group or collaborative work is expected or allowed, provide 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.

  1. Permissibility of the use of generative artificial intelligence tools (e.g. ChatGPT).
  • Unless explicitly permitted, 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.
  • You are strongly encouraged to include a statement about whether AI tools are permitted or not permitted in your course.
  • If you explicitly permit the use of generative AI, you must provide clear and detailed instructions on which generative AI tools students may use and with what limits.

  1. A statement on plagiarism, such as the following excerpt from Carleton’s Academic Integrity Policy.

“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
  • failing to acknowledge sources with 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 follows a rigorous process for academic integrity allegations, including reviewing documents and interviewing the student, when an instructor suspects a violation has been committed. Penalties for violations may include a final grade of “F” for the course.

8.      Statement on Student Mental Health

Please include the following statement:

“As a 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. For more information, please consult https://wellness.carleton.ca/”

Instructors may also wish to list of some or all the following resources:

Emergency Resources (on and off campus)

  • Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 9-8-8, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • For immediate danger or urgent medical support: call 9-1-1

Carleton Resources

Off Campus Resources

9.      Requests for Academic Accommodations

The following statement must be included in your course outline:

Carleton is committed to providing academic accessibility for all individuals. You may need special arrangements to meet your academic obligations during the term. The accommodation request processes, including information about the Academic Consideration Policy for Students in Medical and Other Extenuating Circumstances, are outlined on the Academic Accommodations website (students.carleton.ca/course-outline).

You should provide any additional information on your requirements for short-term informal accommodations.