ONLINE COURSE SYLLABUS TEMPLATE. Oakland University FULL COURSE TITLE COURSE NUMBER TERM or COURSE DATES INSTRUCTOR NAME AND TITLE

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1 ONLINE COURSE SYLLABUS TEMPLATE This syllabus template can be used as a reference while building the syllabus for your online course. It was created by referencing best practice recommendations from various online learning communities, as well as by analyzing a broad range of syllabi currently in use by OU faculty. Each section is shown with a heading followed by some tips and an example. Note that example text has a green background. If you have questions or comments about the template, please let us know! Oakland University FULL COURSE TITLE COURSE NUMBER TERM or COURSE DATES INSTRUCTOR NAME AND TITLE Contacting Me / Office Hours In an online course, it is usually better for you provide only one or two ways for the student to contact you. If you provide too many methods of contact, it may become difficult for you to manage as you will have to check multiple contact points. In addition, you probably will not want (or need) to provide an office location or office hours instead, you might want to indicate virtual office hours. Here s an example. Please contact me using the COURSE function in Moodle. You can access course by logging into Moodle and then clicking on COURSE , located on the top of the course home page. If Moodle is not available and you need some other way to contact me, you can use my personal at janedoe@oakland.edu. I keep virtual office hours using WebEx every Wednesday and Friday from 4 5 pm. If you would like to meet with me during those times, simply login to Moodle and click on the VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS link, located on the top of the course home page. Course Description There should be a short description of the course here it could be the same as what you d find in the course catalog, or something customized to provide more detail. Here are examples of both, from a CIN 330 syllabi : (Custom Description) This course is intended to survey the ways Hollywood, independent, and global cinemas of the last forty years have sought to capture, anticipate, and critique the times in which they were made, and to interrogate the ways in which we understand them now. Special attention will be paid to how postmodern and post human aesthetics are used to imagine and represent the anxieties and aspirations of cinema s recently past and present historical moment. We will also closely investigate various historically significant representations of nationhood, globalization, race, gender, sexuality, and

2 political ideology, and how changes in methods of production have recast our understanding of cinema s past as well as its precarious future. (Official Description) Study of developments in film since the 1980s including topics such as Hollywood cinema, independent filmmaking, experimental films, feminist cinema, national cinema, and emerging technologies. Prerequisites There should be a short description of course prerequisites here. These should probably come directly from the course catalog. Remember that prerequisites are REQUIRED, so if there are exceptions to them, you need to clearly spell them out. Here s an example from CIN 330: Student must have completed CIN 150 or ENG 250. Learning Outcomes (Course Objectives) Learning outcomes should be as specific and as measurable as possible, and should use clear, active verbs. Here are the learning outcomes for an actual OU course, ISE 150 (How Things Work). Take special notice of how measurable, clear and active these outcomes are. Upon completing this course, students should be able to: Calculate quantities such as inertia, velocity, and acceleration for both regular and rotating objects, and use these calculations to determine, for example, how high a ball will fly, or how fast a car can accelerate Be able to explain how force relates to work, and how work relates to potential and kinetic energy using the law of conservation of energy. Use these relationships to explain why a ramp makes it easier to lift an object. Explain in terms a bright high school student could understand the principle of conservation of momentum. Calculate, using Archimedes' principle, the buoyant force on a log that has been submerged underwater. Use Bernoulli's equation to calculate the pressure of water on a submarine's hull at 300 meters below the water's surface. Explain the three different types of ways a wood stove can convey its heat into a room, and why a halogen bulb is more energy efficient. Describe how a compressor, evaporator, condenser, and throttling valve work together to make an air conditioner or heat pump. Describe the four strokes of an automobile engine. Explain why a diesel engine is more efficient than a regular car engine. Explain how a flashlight works, and calculate how much power it consumes if you know the voltage in its batteries, and how much current it is supplying to the bulb. Explain why the third prong is present to ground a lamp or toaster. Explain why failure can sometimes be a critical aspect of good engineering design. Explain what action you should recommend that your team take if one of the team members is continually providing excuses for their incomplete or shoddy work.

3 Texts List your required textbooks here. You can also use this section to describe how to order (buy) the book, and to describe any supplemental material the user might need to use. This might include mentioning that supplemental readings and resource can be found online (in Moodle). Here s an example from IST 150: How Things Work : The Physics of Everyday Life. Bloomfield. 4 th edition ISBN: You can order your text directly from the OU bookstore at Supplemental readings and resources will also be made available online through Moodle. Using Moodle Use this section to describe what Moodle is, how it will be used in the course, how users can get to it, and how they login. Example: Moodle is Oakland University s learning management system. You will use Moodle to participate in online activities and to progress through the course. You can access Moodle at login there with your university supplied NETID username and password. Meeting Dates and Times If you have any dates and times when the entire class is required to meet, either face to face or synchronously through a web tool like WebEx, you need to clearly indicate that in the syllabus. You can use this section to define the dates, times, and locations of all class meetings. You will also want to use this section to describe the attendance policy for these required events. Note that if you have WebEx events, you should also provide some direction here on how to connect to the web conference. Here s an example of two required meetings one is face to face, the other is a web conference. Date / Time Place Meeting type 10/4/ PM 200 Dodge Hall Face to Face 10/14/ PM Online Web Conference (WebEx) For information about how to connect to your online web conference events, please login to Moodle and follow the directions found there. Students are required to attend these sessions. If you fail to attend or are late for a session, you will be marked down for it. Students who know they will miss a meeting should inform the teacher as soon as possible with the reason.

4 Late Work You should outline your policy with regard to work turned in late here. Here s an example: You will be marked down by one third of a grade for everyday that an assignment is late. So if you turn in a B assignment on Wednesday, but it was due two days earlier, on Monday, then you will receive a C+. All assignments more than two weeks late will not be accepted. Asynchronous Online Learning Activities This section allows you to describe what asynchronous online learning is, and how it will be integrated into your course. Example: In an online course, you are expected to participate in asynchronous activities, such as online discussions, web assignments, or quizzes. These are activities which don t require the entire class to meet in the traditional sense instead, you are expected to participate anytime within a specific window of time. For instance, you may be expected to contribute to an online discussion once or twice a week. For information about specific asynchronous activities, please login to Moodle, or refer to the schedule at the end of this syllabus. Technical Skills Required Use this section to describe what technical skills the student must possess in order to succeed. Example: Students enrolled this course are expected to have a moderate level of computer proficiency. You should be comfortable doing all of the following: Using your chosen computer operating system and a web browser Following online directions for using a new program Typing at least 20 words a minute Troubleshooting basic computer problems Working through problems you can t resolve on your own with remote support technicians Required Technology Use this section to describe the technology the student must possess in order to success. Example: In order to fully participate in this course you will need: An internet connected computer a web browser installed. Use of smartphones and tablets is not recommended. In the event that your computer crashes or internet goes down, it is recommended to have a backup plan to be able to log in from another computer or another location as needed.

5 Technical Assistance Use this section to describe how the student can obtain support for general course and technical problems. General course problems should be directed at the teacher technical problems should be directed at ELIS. Example: If you have general questions about the course (such as due dates, content, etc.), please contact the instructor using any of the contact methods described in the instructor section at the beginning of this document. For technical issues that you cannot resolve on your own, please contact the E Learning and Instructional Support office: Phone : (248) Submit a help ticket : If you have any trouble accessing any of the content in this course, please contact the instructor. Student and Teacher Expectations Use this section to describe both student and teacher expectations. In an online course, this defines standards of participation/behavior, and helps to keep students and teachers on track and in communication with one another. Example: Students are expected to: Complete all reading assignments before each class Ensure that their computer is compatible with Moodle. Login to Moodle 3 5 times a week; daily login is highly recommended. Follow the calendar of events and complete all assignments by their deadline Respond to s within 2 days Participate in a thoughtful manner Respect rules of netiquette Respect your peers and their privacy Use constructive criticism Refrain from engaging in inflammatory comments. The teacher is expected to: Login to the course every day Moderate conversations in forums Respond to forum postings and within 2 days Grade assignments within 5 days of the assignment deadline

6 Grading Use this section to describe how the final grade will determined. It is often a good idea to describe each major type of graded item (quiz, final exam, etc.) and define how much it counts toward the final grade. You might also want to supply a grading conversion chart, and a link ot OU s grading policy. Example: Students will be graded based on the following assessments. Weekly Quizzes Discussion Forum Postings Case Study 1 Assignment Case Study 2 Assignment Mid term Exam Final Exam Attendance 20% of final grade 10% of final grade 10% of final grade This course is not graded on a curve. Oakland University s published grading policy will be used, which can be found on the Oakland University web site by searching for grading policy. Grade codes / conversions are as follows: A = B = C = D = F = (No credit) I = Incomplete W = Withdrawal Z = Audit Academic Conduct Policy Use this section to summarize the academic conduct policy, and provide a link to the full policy. Example: Cheating on examinations, plagiarism, falsifying reports/records, and unauthorized collaboration are considered serious breaches of academic conduct. The Oakland University policy on academic conduct will be strictly followed with no exceptions. For more information visit the Oakland University home page and search for Academic Conduct Policy. Special Considerations Use this section to provide students with special needs a resource to draw upon for help. Example: Students with disabilities who may require special considerations should contact OU s Disability Support Services office. They should also contact the instructor as soon as possible so any required arrangements can be made.

7 Course Schedule This is where you can describe in detail what is supposed to happen during the course. Usually, the course schedule is broken down by weeks. In the example below, each week describes what the lecture topics are, what reading assignments the student is expected to complete, and what activities the student is expected to participate in. Note that for the activities, you probably will want to include a due date. Below is an example from a financial planning course. Week 1 October 1 5 Lecture Topics: Course overview Qualified, Quasi Qualified and Non Qualified : Definitions and Distinctions Case Study methodology Research Projects Ethics : CFP Board of Standard, Code of Ethics, Practice Standards, Disciplinary Rules and Procedures Safe Harbor 401(k) versus SIMPLE plans Integration: Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution Plans New Developments Reading Assignments: Retirement Planning, pages Retirement Planning supplement (Moodle) cfp professionals/professional standards enforcement/standards ofprofessional conduct Activities: Week 1 Quiz (Moodle) Due October 5 Participate in forum Introduce yourself (Moodle) Due October 5 Week 2 October 6 12 Lecture Topics: Time value of money Retirement income calculations Employee Benefits Supplement Social Security Plan attributes and uses : defined benefit, defined contribution, target, profit sharing, ESOP Life insurance in qualified plans Reading Assignments: Retirement Planning, pages Activities: Week 2 Quiz (Moodle) Due October 12 Participate in forum Life Insurance (Moodle) Due October 12 Complete assignment 1 (Moodle) Due October 9 (etc.)