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.”