Three major purposes that a course outlines should serve are described by Parkes and Harris:
The following are some suggestions regarding the content for such an outline:
When struggling with creating an online course outline, try to answer the following questions:
What is the difference between Syllabus and Curriculum?
To recap the outline creation process, remember to through the following six steps:
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.
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).
The purpose of a course outline is to document the curriculum at the course level and to support the learning process by identifying course learning requirements, evaluation methods, learning activities and learning resources.
It contains important information such as course description, course schedule, learning outcomes, learning/assessment tasks, due dates for assessments, assessment criteria, assessment submission procedures, prescribed texts and recommended readings, grades of assessment and your responsibilities as a student.
Learning objectives should be used to guide students as they work through the course, and to assess their learning progress. Excellent learning objectives provide a guide for students when reviewing materials and preparing for assessments. Learning objectives are the most powerful if they are actionable and measurable.
It is an essential piece when designing any course. The course outline has a few purposes. A syllabus is a planning tool. Writing it guides the instructor's development of the course.
Here's the process I use to complete my course outlines:Identify Modules. ... Break Each Module Down into Core Steps. ... Brainstorm the Details. ... Building Your Outline. ... Add Worksheets and Bonuses. ... Validate Your Outline.
Each course consists of one or more sections often called topics. The course sections (topics) are learning content holders of the course lessons and study material. Each course has one Common resource section which holds common course resources like URLs, Files, Videos.
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 a Teaching Portfolio? Portfolios provide documented evidence of teaching from a variety of sources—not just student ratings—and provide context for that evidence. The process of selecting and organizing material for a portfolio can help one reflect on and improve one's teaching.
Three major purposes that a course outlines should serve are described by Parkes and Harris: Course outlines as a contract. Course outlines as a permanent record. Course outlines as a learning tool. Course outlines as a contract—Makes clear what the rules are. Sets forth what is expected to happen during the semester.
Course objectives (linked to professional standards if appropriate ) Description of course content. Description of assessment procedures. Course outline as a learning tool—Helps students become more effective learners in the course. Inform students of the instructor’s beliefs about teaching, learning, and the content area.
A Course Outline defines the course aims and learning outcomes, course requirements, textbooks, and assessment dates and criteria.
They are usually available under 'Course Outline' in the menu on the left hand side of the course page. They will be available once the Course Coordinator makes the course available online in Blackboard.
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 ...
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.
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.
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.
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.
Finally, a syllabus also works as a reference for colleagues, administrators, and accreditation agencies.
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 .
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
You don't want to lose your audience because you are rambling from topic to topic with no clear direction. Outlining will also help with lesson planning.