A Brief Guide
to
Writing a Course Description
The Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning
Updated: 2009-02-13
A Brief Guide to Writing a Course Description
The Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning
Rhodes University
Introduction
Rhodes University‟s Policy on Curriculum Development and Review requires departments to
engage in curricular reviews every three years, with a „comprehensive overhaul‟ of curricula
every six years. Part of the review and overhaul process involves the development of
outcomes1. Rhodes has chosen to follow the route of registering whole qualifications rather
than unit standards. Despite this, we are still required to write course handouts and calendar
entries in a form that meets the requirements of the Higher Education Quality Committee‟s
„Guides to Good Practice‟2.
Writing a course step-by step
1. Purpose statement
a. The first requirement is a simple purpose statement which explains in language
accessible to a person entering the course (i.e. minimise jargon), what the course
is about and where it fits in the wider degree structure
2. The level on the NQF
a. Not strictly required by Rhodes because of the submission of whole qualifications.
(Essentially all Bachelor‟s degrees / Higher Diplomas exit at Level 7; Honours
and professional Post-Graduate certificates, Post-Graduate Diplomas exit at Level
8; Masters at Level 9 and Doctorates at Level 10)3.
3. Credits.
a. Credits are based on the assumption of a „notional study hour‟. A „Notional hour‟
includes any activity in which a student is involved that relates to their mastering
of an outcome (e.g. set reading, contact hours, preparing for and writing an
assignment, individual study, and so on.) TEN notional hours should equate ONE
credit. Simplistically, a three-year bachelor‟s degree is weighted at 360 credits.
This means that a student must complete course/modules (courses, etc) to the
value of 360 credits in order to obtain a bachelor‟s degree4. Simply put: this
means that a student must complete 120 credits per year, assuming completion in
three years.
1
RU Policy document, 2001, Curriculum Development and Review, 1
CHE (HEQC), 2003, Improving Teaching & Learning Resource, Section 2(c)
3
Note that this is a simplistic overview. The placement of a Unit Standard or qualification on the NQF requires
more detail than simply a label.
4
Please note that credits do not reflect performance, merely the size of the course/module. Equally, simply
amassing a variety of credits does not guarantee a degree – the student must meet all other requirements for the
degree structure and assessment as outlined in the Calendar.
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The most accessible description and application of a credit based system is that of
the University of Natal5. Natal‟s model assumes that a single undergraduate
semester course would be weighted at 16 credits, and a 6-7 week module (roughly
equivalent to a term) would be weighted at 8 credits. This means that when we
plan an undergraduate module (for example) we would do so on the assumption
that a student would need 80 notional study hours to complete that module, or 160
hours to complete a semester course (including contact hours, assignment,
preparation time, reading, study and assessment including examinations). Using
such a guideline helps lecturers to balance the workload of a course, and to guide
students in assessing the approximate workload expected of them in this instance
40 / 50 hours per week over a 15-week semester6. This model also assumes that
the ratio of contact time to notional study time will decrease the higher students
progress through the system.
4. Learning assumed to be in place (requirement of prior learning)
a. This statement is very important. It is not the same as simply a statement of prerequisites (e.g. a student entering this course must have completed Sociology
101), but makes clear the knowledge, understanding and cognitive, professional
and general skills required in order that a student may undertake the learning
required in the course / module
b. The statement needs to be quite specific. For example the statement: „Students
must be able to apply the default formulas supplied in a spreadsheet programme to
a given set of figures‟, allows the lecturer to assume that students will know how
to calculate the „Sum‟ of data within a range of cells. Prospective students are
alerted to this specific requirement, and can prepare themselves accordingly.
c. These statements also enable a Department to decide whether a student may be
admitted to a course on the basis of prior learning. If s/he can provide evidence
that s/he is capable of meeting the requirements of prior learning, then s/he may
be admitted to the course/module.
5. Specific Outcomes
a. SAQA defines a Specific Outcome as: „contextually demonstrated knowledge,
skills and values which support one or more critical outcomes.‟7
b. Essentially these are statements about what a student should be able to do, know
and value on successful completion of the course/module. The emphasis is on
capability / competency.8
5
The information that follows is based on Luckett, K, 1998, Programmes Handbook: Guidelines for
Programme Design, Specification, Approval and Registration at the University of Natal.
6
Obviously this is an approximation. Kathy Luckett notes „there is a wide range in the number of hours that
different students study for the same course…and that there is little correlation between the number of hours
studied and achievement. However the informed estimate of 10 hours per module per week (given 4 modules
per semester) does not seem unrealistic‟ (1998:6.n.)
7
SAQA Policy Document, 2001, Guidelines for the Assessment of NQF registered Unit Standards and
Qualifications, 90.
8
SAQA have developed a sophisticated understanding of „competence‟ which involves practical competence
(the demonstrated ability to perform a task or set of tasks and actions in authentic contexts / situations),
grounded in foundational competence (the demonstrated understanding of what we are doing and why we are
doing it) and integrated through reflexive competence (the demonstrated ability to integrate our performance
with our understanding so that we are able to adapt to changed circumstances and explain the reason behind
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c. Specific outcomes should be worded so that they flow from statements such as:
„On completion of this course/module, a student should be able to…‟.
d. As a suggested guideline there should be a maximum of seven and a minimum of
FOUR specific outcomes for any given course or module. There is no rigid
requirement for the number of intended outcomes, but practical experience
suggests ten as an absolute maximum.
e. Specific outcomes should focus on the students‟ abilities, not merely describing
procedures or tasks accomplished. For example: to state that „a student will have
read the major Shakespearian tragedies‟ is not a specific outcome. To state that
„the student will be able to write a brief critical review of selected Shakespearian
tragedies‟, is a valid specific outcome statement as it includes a skill, knowledge
and value / attitude. Please note that every specific outcome need not include all
three of those elements, rather each course/module should involve specific
outcomes that include capability, embedded knowledge and values / attitudes.
f. The simplest questions that need asking prior to writing up course/module
outcomes are:
i. When this unit / course / module is over, what would I like the students to
be able to DO?
ii. What must the students KNOW & UNDERSTAND (and will learn in this
course) in order to be able to DO the above?
And, in the back of your mind,
iii. How will I be able to ASSESS that the students can DO that which I set
out to facilitate?
6. Critical Cross-Field Outcomes (CCFO). These refer to the twelve critical outcomes :
1. Identify and solve problems in which responses display that responsible decisions
using critical and creative thinking have been made.
2. Work effectively with others as a member of a team, group, organisation, community.
3. Organise and manage oneself and one‟s activities responsibly and effectively.
4. Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information.
5. Communicate effectively using visual, mathematical and/or language skills in the
modes of oral and/or written presentation.
6. Use science and technology effectively and critically, showing responsibility towards
the environment and health of others.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising
that problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation.
In order to contribute to the full personal development of each student and the social and
economic development of the society at large, it must be the intention underlying any
programme of learning to make an individual aware of the importance of:
8. Reflecting on and exploring a variety of strategies to learn more effectively;
these adaptations). SAQA Policy Document, 2001, Guidelines for the Assessment of NQF registered Unit
Standards and Qualifications, 12-13 and Luckett, K, 1998:7-8.
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9. Participating as responsible citizens in the life of local, national and global
communities;
10. Being culturally and aesthetically sensitive across a range of social contexts;
11. Exploring education and career opportunities, and
12. Developing entrepreneurial opportunities.9
Please note that it is not necessary (nor is it likely that this will be possible) for a single
course/module to include all twelve of the so-called critical cross-field outcomes. Each
course/module needs, nonetheless, to list which of the twelve are met under the specific
outcomes for the course/module.
Lecturers must note under this (CCFO) sub-heading which of the critical cross-field
outcomes that have been determined by SAQA, are met by this course/module. So, for
example, if the course/module includes deliberate problem solving skills development,
then the CCFO statement which reads “Identify and solve problems in which responses
display that responsible decisions using critical and creative thinking have been made”
will be met in the course/module.
a. To save endless repetition, we recommend that the list of CCFO be appended to
the course/module, with each statement numbered from 1 to 12. All that would
then be required is that alongside each Specific Outcome Statement you will insert
the number corresponding to the CCFO that is met by that Specific Outcome.
b. In many cases more than one CCFO will be met by a single outcome.
c. It is highly unlikely that any one course/module will meet all twelve CCFOs, but
in the process of completing a whole qualification/programme students should be
given opportunities to achieve all the CCFOs.
7. Assessment Criteria
a. In many ways the criteria statements are at the core of the Unit Standard. They are
also often misunderstood. Assessment Criteria for courses or modules are not
„model answers‟, nor do they form a checklist against which a series of ticks or
crosses can be made to add up marks.
b. SAQA defines assessment criteria as: „statements that describe the standard to
which students must perform the actions, roles, knowledge, understanding, skill,
values and attitudes stated in the outcomes. They are a clear and transparent
articulation of criteria against which successful (or unsuccessful) performance of
these is assessed.‟10
c. They go on to state: „…assessment criteria should specify:
i. the knowledge, understanding, action(s), roles, skills, values and attitudes
that a student needs to show in order to provide evidence that outcomes
and competence have been achieved;
ii. the level of complexity and quality of these; and
iii. the context of and conditions under which demonstrations should occur.
9
SAQA, 2000, The National Qualifications Framework and Curriculum Development, 18-19
SAQA, November 1999, Guidelines for the Assessment of NQF registered unit standards and qualifications,
14
10
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iv. Assessment criteria are statements by which an assessor can judge whether
the evidence provided by a student is sufficient to demonstrate competent
performance.‟11
d. Assessment criteria must be clearly associated with the relevant statements of
specific outcome.
e. Criteria statements should not unnecessarily limit the possible responses of a
student (i.e. they should avoid the danger of restricting student responses to a
single possible answer in response to the outcome statement). So for example in
response to the intended outcome:
„A student will be able to list the major representatives of sociological
perspectives on religion‟,
a criterion statement which reads :
„Students must name Durkheim and Marx‟,
is too restrictive as there are others whose names could justifiably be listed in
response to this outcome. Furthermore the criterion statement makes no provision
for a connection between the name and the perspective. A better wording would
be:
„Students must name at least four sociologists of religion and correctly link
these names to the perspectives on the sociology of religion that they
represent.‟
An assessor setting the assessment task could then be guided in setting a task that
will fairly, validly and reliably assess the competence of the student.
8. Assessment Process (including Moderation)
a. This entails providing a statement of how the course/module will be assessed (e.g.
by coursework counting 40%, written examination counting 40% and oral
examination counting 20%), and by whom
b. Also included would be guidelines for the process of moderation, including
guidelines for the appointment of moderators
c. Guidelines for the process of appeal(s) should be included.
11
SAQA, November 1999, 14.
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