Course Outlines Policy

To describe the required elements of all course outlines and document how course outlines are implemented.

This policy applies to all Seneca courses.

The documentation of a course’s purpose, learning outcomes, essential employability skills, as well as its sequence of instruction, resources and evaluation criteria. Course outlines contain three elements: Seneca-common section, school-specific section and an addendum.

Contains course code; title and description; credit status; learning outcomes; essential employability skills; references to the academic integrity policy; discrimination and harassment policy, and policies and information about academic accommodations. This section contains consistent information, regardless of school or section, for all course offerings.

Contains a course’s prerequisites; topic outline; mode of instruction; prescribed texts; reference material; required supplies; the promotion policy and the modes of evaluation.

Provides section-specific information about a course, such as faculty contact information and the planned schedule of topics and assessments.

1. Course outlines will be made available to all students registered in a given course through the approved learning management system prior to the beginning of the course.
2. Seneca-common and school-specific elements of course outlines are available on Seneca’s website.

1. Faculty responsibilities
   • Courses with the same title and course code must have the same Seneca-common section of the course outline, regardless of program linkages or delivery methods. The school-specific section contains additional information about the course, specific to the school offering it. Information in the addendum may be different for each section.
   • Faculty shall review course outlines, including Seneca-common, school-specific and addendum information, with students at the beginning of each course.
   • In unusual situations where changes need to be made to information in a school-specific section during the semester, the changes must be approved by the appropriate chair and all faculty teaching the course, and then provided in writing to all students registered in the course. When changes need to be made to information in the addendum during the semester, the changes must be approved by the appropriate chair and provided in writing to all students registered in the course.
2. Student responsibilities
   • Students are expected to be knowledgeable of the contents of the course outline and to discuss with the faculty any areas where clarification is required.
   • Students are responsible for retaining course outlines for any future requirements they might have to certify or confirm details of the course content, such as for future applications or transfer credits.

1. Seneca-common and school-specific sections of course outlines will be reviewed annually, according to the published process, in advance of critical dates. When revisions are required, they will be approved by the appropriate chair for use in the following academic year.

• Appendix A: Required elements of a course outline

• Academic Integrity Policy

• Seneca’s Course Outline System

1. The Seneca-common section contains the following elements:
   • course code and title
   • course description
   • credit status, including any additional requirements for credit such as successful completion of field placement
   • course learning outcomes
   • course essential employability skills learning outcomes
   • reference to Seneca’s Academic Integrity Policy
   • reference to Seneca’s Discrimination and Harassment Policy
   • reference to Seneca policies and information about academic accommodations
2. The school-specific section contains the following elements:
   • prerequisites, including references to any documentation that details prerequisite skills and/or experience, and type and level of competencies that would be considered equivalent to the stated prerequisite
   • topic outline
   • modes of instruction
   • prescribed texts
   • reference material (required and recommended)
   • required supplies
   • Student Progression and Promotion Policy, which details extensions to Seneca’s Grading Policy
   • modes of evaluation, which details the means by which students will be assessed and the relative weight of each assessment; treatment of failed or missed tests or assignments; any exceptional requirements for attendance and participation; treatment of late assignments and standards and treatment of language usage in tests and assignments
3. The following information will be provided to students in the school-specific section or in the addendum:
   • faculty contact information
   • planned schedule of topics, tests and assignments
   • any other information relevant to the section (e.g. hours and/or means of consultation; detailed grading schemes; any variations on the mode of delivery or textbooks; audio/videotaping as methods for learning and/or evaluation additional learning resources/equipment, etc.)

Approval Date: May 2018

Last Revision:  May 2018