what is the course outline

by Prof. Judah Bins 5 min read

A Course Outline defines the course aims and learning outcomes, course requirements, textbooks, and assessment dates and criteria. It also contains contact details for the Course Coordinator and tutors. Course Outlines for each course can be found in Blackboard.Feb 8, 2019

Full Answer

How do you create a course outline?

The following are some suggestions regarding the content for such an outline:

  • Administrative information – Course name and number, term, your name and contact information, TA name (s) and contact information, and office hours all constitute administrative information.
  • Required texts, readings, or materials.
  • Course description – What is this course about? ...

More items...

How to create your course outline?

When struggling with creating an online course outline, try to answer the following questions:

  • What underpins your subject?
  • What’s an introductory lesson that shapes the rest of the course?
  • How do you follow up from there?
  • Where does your course end?

What is the difference between curriculum and course outline?

What is the difference between Syllabus and Curriculum?

  • Syllabus refers to the program or outline of a course of study. ...
  • Syllabus is the portions of study that should be covered in a subject. This subject can be a part of a course. ...
  • The plural of syllabus can be syllabi or syllabuses. ...
  • A syllabus is descriptive. ...
  • A syllabus is usually for a year. ...
  • Syllabus is for a subject while curriculum is for a course.

How to create a training course outline?

To recap the outline creation process, remember to through the following six steps:

  1. The basics. Who is your audience? ...
  2. Define your training/learning objectives. What exactly do you need people to know or be able to do by the end of the training?
  3. Purpose and Opening. ...
  4. Clarify key topics, related concepts, and timing.
  5. Presentation techniques and materials. ...
  6. Evaluation, assessment, reflection. ...

What means course outline?

What Is a Course Outline? The course outline is defined for purposes of Middle States Accreditation as the official, approved document that outlines what students are expected to learn in a course and what they can expect in the way of instructional methods, activities, assignments and grading methods.

What is course outline of a subject?

Course Outline  Course outline is a blueprint for the implementation of a subject/course. It is a bridge between the instructor and students. It covers the overview of a subject, specific contents, pedagogies and assessment methods.

How do I write a course outline?

A course outline should include the following sections:Course Name, Number, Credits and Description.Prerequisites/Co-requisites.Instructors Name, Contact Info and Bio.Course Schedule.Learning Outcomes.Content Breakdown by Session.Instructional Methods Used.Course Evaluation Process, Policies and Grading Scale.More items...•

Is syllabus same as course outline?

SYLLABUS: A course outline gives the basic components of the course required to be taught by all instructors; whereas a syllabus describes how an individual instructor will teach that course in terms of specific assignments, dates, grading standards, and other rules of conduct required by that instructor.

What is the importance of a course outline to a university student?

A course outline lets students know what the course is about, why the course is taught, where it is going, and what will be required for them to be successful in the course (Altman & Cashin, 2003).

How do you create a course outline for online training?

Rules for Creating a Course OutlineStart With the End in Mind. Begin with the solution and work backward from there. ... Structure Your Content So You Can Deliver it in the Fewest Steps Possible. From these steps, organize modules that will function as higher-level topics that you can break down into smaller lessons.

How can I improve my course outline?

Include more rather than less material. A detailed syllabus is a valuable learning tool for students and lessens their initial anxieties about the course. ... Provide basic information. ... Describe the prerequisites to the course. ... Give an overview of the course's purpose. ... State the general learning goals or objectives.

What is course content example?

Any informational material that is required for participation or understanding content such as assigned readings, video recordings, exams, and any other material needed for learning.

What is course outline?

According to the University of Lethbridge’s Teaching Center, a course outline is a document that benefits students and instructors as it is essential when designing any course. Also known as a syllabus, a course outline serves as a planning tool. As the syllabus is written, it also guides the instructor’s development of ...

Why is it important to define course professional goals?

It is imperative to define these course professional goals, as they will help you determine what you expect from your students, and what your students can expect from the course. In some cases, it helps if you indicate what careers can they be pursuing to provide motivation for them to do better in their academics. 3.

What is a syllabus?

Finally, a syllabus also works as a reference for colleagues, administrators, and accreditation agencies.

Why do we refer to the syllabus?

In some cases, some may refer to the syllabus to give the students an idea of what particular skills they would have obtained after completing the course.

What are the activities that help students meet their learning objectives?

If students need to provide evidence of learning by completing a multiple choice exam, then the activities in the schedule should prepare them for this assessment. Lectures, readings, small group and whole group discussions can all be activities that help the student meet their learning objectives.

What information should be provided about required readings?

Provide specific information about required readings, including title, author (s), edition number and availability (from where they can be purchased or borrowed). It is helpful to the students to indicate how each reading relates to a particular topic in the course. You may also like outline an essay.

What is an orientation course?

An orientation course provides an overview of all the courses you offer. If you are offering many courses in your Academy, create an orientation course to build student engagement and interest with the course contents and let them get acquainted with the goals of your Academy.

What are traditional academic courses?

11 Traditional Academic Courses. Academic courses are courses with a traditional academic structure followed by universities. Each section usually consists of an introduction to the course, where objectives are discussed, a short test to assess pre-existing knowledge, and multiple lectures.

What is a presell course?

Presell courses serve as a storefront of an upcoming course. They can rapidly validate a course idea and start building an email list of your potential students before officially releasing a course.

What is a mini course?

Mini-courses are short to consume summaries (teasers) of a full-sized course. Like presell and orientation courses, they serve as teasers that make students enroll in a course. However, in contrast to the other two categories, Mini-courses provide real educational value: A full summary of what will be taught in the full-sized course .

What is instructional design?

Instructional design is a thoroughly researched subject I suggest you study to get lots of insights into your course design.

What is drip feed in a course?

With the drip-feed course, you can organize the timely release of your content (section by section) so that it doesn’t become available to your students all at once. For example, if you’re running a fixed time frame course, ten weeks, it makes sense to drip your content weekly to keep students engaged and moving through the course.

What can you frame in a live meeting?

You can frame your live meetings with many different types of material, also: Quizzes, gamification, discussions in the discussion forum, transcripts of the live sessions, downloadable files (PDF) of your presentations.

What is the purpose of an outline in a course?

Creating an outline that serves as a guide to the course is useful for both learners as well as for you so you can develop a more effective course .

Why is it important to have an outline?

Having an outline allows you to organize these topics in a way that will make sense to your students. In addition, it prevents you from forgetting to add critical information that is relevant to the topic. Writing out what you plan to cover will also help you generate ideas.

How long should a microlearning lesson be?

Depending on how far down the path of microlearning you are going, lessons might only need to be a couple of minutes up to 10 to 15 minutes in length. There's not too much content in a 2-minute lesson so you really need to get at the heart of the topic and do so quickly if you're going that route.

What is the best tool to use to outline a project?

These are great, but with most, you will have to manually re-type your ideas into other software to use them later on. However, if you're a visual learner, mind mapping is probably the best tool for you. You can also use Trello or other productivity software to outline and manage your projects.

How long does it take to create an eLearning course?

The idea behind rapid eLearning is where you use every tool and strategy you can to potentially create a course in 2 to 3 weeks instead of taking several months. So within your lessons, outline the exact content you will cover.

What is the lesson in Module 1 of Marketing?

Module 1: Marketing. Lesson 1: How to choose the right marketing strategy for your business. Topic 1: Why choose Facebook marketing. By using the modules, lessons, and topics for each new idea, you will create a system that is simple for your learner to follow.

Can you use a pen and paper for outline?

Like with everything, there are tools you can use to help you outline your course. You can definitely use a pen and paper for this exercise, but it's really nice if your outline is already on a device where you can work with it later. That way you can expand on it when you go from outline to your actual content.

What is a course outline?

Did you know that a course outline is a legal, binding document? It communicates important information about a class such as course outcomes, class expectations, and grading structures. Both instructor and student are obligated to follow the content of the syllabus. As mentioned the course outline includes the course outcomes or the list ...

Who must align his/her instruction and assessments to these outcomes?

The class instructor must align his/her instruction and assessments to these outcomes. A student would have the right to complain if outcomes were not touched upon or an exam or an assignment covered topics unrelated to the outcomes.

Is it good practice to inquire into your institutions policies about course outlines?

It is good practice to inquire into your institutions policies about course outlines. Ensure good teaching practice by doing more than just providing your students with the course outline as a handout and/or posting it online.

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Course Description

  • It is always important to give the students a brief idea of what the course is all about. This is also the section that informs the students on what subjects they will be taking should they enroll. Some syllabuses also provide a small descriptionof the subjects to give further detail on what they can expect for that subject.
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Course Goals

  • As you begin encoding the syllabus, it is important to ask these questions: What are the big ideas that you are going to cover in your course? What are the essential understandings that students will take away with them after the course has finished? It is imperative to define these course professional goals, as they will help you determine what you expect from your students, and wha…
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Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

  • At the end of the day, it is pointless to have your students taken the course if they have not learned a single thing. Which means formulating a syllabus is easier said than done since you also have to start designing outcomes that the students might achieve during their time in the university, and it is a valuable element to have in your syllabus. The outcomes are usually state…
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Assessment Overview

  • The assessment overview is a grading guide that allows students to see what weightings can apply to the different assessment elements of a course. An example of an assessment overviewis below. Quizzes: 50% Participation: 5% Journal Assignments: 20% Team Assignment: 10% Final Exam: 15% As well as including the overview of grading, a grading scale should be identified for …
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Assessment Plan

  • These assessment plans are built in line with student learning objectives as these indicate what the students will learn. While your assessment plan states how you, as an instructor, will gather evidence for achievement of the objectives. This will detail the type of assessments that will occur within the course structure, how they will be marked, and how they provide evidence of stu…
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Instructional Method

  • Though it is not always required, indicating on how the course is going be taught from here on is not really such a bad idea whether they would be lectures, seminars, video presentations, etc. But along the way, it is important to be evaluated by the very students you teach before the end of the semester as it also helps you grow as a teacher to see how your students feel on how you teach…
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Required Course Materials

  • Provide specific information about required readings, including title, author(s), edition number and availability (from where they can be purchased or borrowed). It is helpful to the students to indicate how each reading relates to a particular topic in the course. You may also like outline an essay. It is never a bad idea to go to the library as it provides access to course materials, both pr…
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Schedule of Activities

  • This portion of the outline should be built once the plan has been made. Once you understand how you want to assess your students, you can create activities that help facilitate the learning that needs to be done to help students achieve the objectives. Course activities should work in parallel with the assessment plan. If students need to provide evidence of learning by completin…
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Plagiarism Announcement

  • Students have the tendency to be lazy and due to that, they might end up copy-pasting someone else’s work and making it their own. With that said, you have to inform your students that a plagiarism detection service such as Turnitin will be used to ensure original quality work from the students. But should they request an alternative method of plagiarism detection because of priv…
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Reading List

  • This section will serve as a guide for the students on the textbooks and other educational materials during the entirety of the course. Listed below is an example of a course outline. Course Code: ENGL 105 Course Title: The Dynamic World of Neil Gaiman Course Description: Neil Gaiman is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books and graphic novels. His notable works i…
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