Course Outlines Procedure

1. Purpose 

Course outlines support the learning process by identifying course learning requirements, learning activities and learning resources, as well as the evaluation framework planned to assess student achievement.

2. Application

This policy applies to all credit level courses offered by Loyalist College.

3. Course Outline Preparation, Approval and Communications

• 3.1 Faculty will prepare new and revise existing course outlines using the approved electronic College template and in alignment with the Educational Philosophy of Loyalist College.
• 3.2 Faculty will submit the course outline electronically at least one month prior to course commencement, unless there are extenuating circumstances, to the appropriate program coordinator for review. Once reviewed, the course outline will be further reviewed and approved by the designated academic administrator.
• 3.3 Faculty will post the approved course outline(s) to the students’ LMS prior to the first class.
• 3.4 Any substantive changes to the course requirements, including assignments and evaluation components, as a result of the program team’s collaborative work, requires approval by the Dean.
• 3.5 Faculty will provide students with written or electronic notice of Dean-approved changes in a timely manner.
• 3.6 Office Coordinators will save PDF versions of all approved course outlines on the Loyalist College P-Drive.

4. Course Outline Content

• 4.1 Course outlines will:
  • 4.1.1 Identify the appropriate program code, description, year and semester.
  • 4.1.2 Identify the appropriate academic year, course name, course code and credit value.
  • 4.1.3 List all faculty members assigned to the course and their course contact information.
  • 4.1.4 Define the delivery mode and hours per semester in the following categories: lecture, lab, field/placement, independent study, unsupervised lab time and total as per the definitions provided by the Ministry in the program delivery information (PDI) chart.
  • 4.1.5 Identify prerequisites, co-requisites and equivalent courses where applicable. As well, the outline should identify courses for which the course is a prerequisite as a means of informing the student of the consequences of being unsuccessful in the course being defined. This information is drawn from a central database, so faculty should confirm the currency of this information.
  • 4.1.6 Cite the course description. This information is drawn from a central database, so faculty should confirm the currency of this information.
  • 4.1.7 Identify appropriate course learning outcomes.
  • 4.1.8 Identify the essential employability skills addressed in the course as defined by the Ministry, see Appendix B.
  • 4.1.9 Identify whether the course is a general education course and to what theme it relates, see AOP 233: General Education.
  • 4.1.10 Indicate the means by which a PLAR candidate may challenge the course.
  • 4.1.11 List required tests, materials, resources or technical materials.
  • 4.1.12 Break down the ways in which the student will be evaluated and how each mechanism relates to course learning outcomes and essential employability skills, recording the weighting of each.
  • 4.1.13 Identify all other requirements of the course that relate to a student’s success.
  • 4.1.14 Clearly indicate the relationship of course components/course learning outcomes to elements of performance and learning activities/assessment/resources.

5. Related Documents and Links

• AOP 224 Evaluation of Student Performance
• AOP 201 Code of Conduct: Academic Employees
• AOP 219 Program Quality Assurance
• AOP 233 General Education
• Loyalist College’s Educational Philosophy
• Appendix A: Course Outline Due Dates
• Appendix B: Essential Employability Skills

6. References

• N/A