EDUCATION COUNCIL

A.3.7 Course Outline and Course Syllabus Policy

Approved/revised: May 3, 2023

PURPOSE

This policy differentiates between a course outline and a course syllabus and is intended to provide guidance on the development, distribution, and storing of a course syllabus to promote consistent practice and promote quality assurance.

POLICY

For on-campus students where the delivery model is based on the 13 to 15-week academic term, the instructor provides students with a course syllabus for the course they are registered in during the first week of classes. Under unique circumstances, an instructor member may delay the distribution of a course syllabus, and this will be clearly communicated to the students. A course syllabus informs students of expectations, learning objectives, required resources, and evaluation methods.

SCOPE

This policy applies to all courses approved by Education Council.

GUIDELINES

The course outline and the course syllabus are a contract.

The course outline serves as a contract outlining the agreement between the Institute and the instructor and the Institute and other academic institutions including external and accrediting agencies.

The learning objectives outline the content the instructor will teach.

The course syllabus is an agreement between the instructor and the student concerning content, deadlines, evaluation methods, required resources, and academic policies.

Both the course outline and the course syllabus are legal documents.

·         Course outlines:

• are approved by Education Council;
• provide the framework for the development of a course syllabus;
• are used as a tool to initiate transfer credit agreements with other institutions;
• are stored as a master file in the Academic office; and
• present information that cannot be altered without Education Council approval, including description, prerequisites, corequisites, learning outcomes, student evaluation procedures, recommended textbooks and materials, and related statements.

·         A course syllabus:

• contains all the above course outline information;
• provides students with the necessary elements of a course, including expectations, office hours, instructor contact information, learning outcomes, evaluation methods, resources and course materials, and relevant academic policies;
• is signed by the Department Chair or Program Coordinator, (or appropriate Dean in absence of a program lead);
• details course content, including sequence of topics, tentative dates, and associated assignments; and
• assessments and their weighting.

An instructor is responsible for:

• developing a course syllabus that aligns with the Education Council approved course outline,
• distributing the course syllabus to students in a timely manner ideally on the first day of classes,
• sharing contact information and preferred methods of communication,
• including information pertaining to online learning management systems and tools like Moodle or MS Teams,
• detailing expectations related to absenteeism, late or missing assignments, punctuality, etc.,
• communicating minor changes to the syllabus. Instructors may make minor revisions to the syllabus in the interest of students if learning objectives and required components are maintained,
• consider noting relevant institutional and departmental policies that support student success,
• noting institutional details like the add/drop date and student support information,
• ensuring that the syllabus is signed by the relevant Department Chair, Program Coordinator, or Dean, and
• sharing a copy of the course syllabus with the Academic Office for record management.

A student is responsible for:

• understanding the information contained in the syllabus and to seek clarification from the instructor in a timely manner.

RELATED POLICIES

• C.1.1 Academic Appeals
• C.1.2 Accommodation & Accessibility
  
• C.1.6 Individual Conduct
• C.1.7 Academic Integrity
• C.1.9 Final Examinations
• C.3.1 Maintaining Official Academic Records