For further advice and support in meeting Faculty requirements on updating Course Outlines contact:
Simon Mcintyre, Director, Learning Innovation
Ext: 50631 or Email: s.mcintyre@unsw.edu.au
Remember that students also have access to General Student Information (see http://www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/ under Student Footer). This provides a lot of information we used to put in Outlines. This means you don’t need to go beyond the Course Outline template to provide extra information. Keep it short and sharp!
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SEMESTER 1, 2014
Students are advised to read this Course Outline in conjunction with the General Student
Information guide, which provides essential information for all students and is available under
‘Students’ on the COFA website http://www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/ .
Units of Credit : 6
Teaching Times and Locations:
Parallel Teaching: put here the names of any courses taught in the same class(es) as this courses
Course Coordinato r:
E-mail :
Phone:
Room:
Consultation times :
OTHER TEACHING STAFF :
E-mail :
Consultation times :
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COURSE SUMMARY
This section identifies the general purpose or place of the course in relation to the programs it is part of and provides a brief overview of course content. For consistency, be sure to check, duplicate or extend upon the current UNSW Handbook entry for this course. For instance :
“ This course will focus on (insert appropriate content) and will explore these ideas from the viewpoint of (. . XXX) ”.
COURSE AIMS
This is designed to make explicit to the students what YOU as the lecturer wish to achieve by teaching this course. They should express why this course is important to the learner and provide an overall big picture vision for student learning. Course aims should be clearly aligned with the curriculum learning and assessment outcomes of the course components.
It is highly recommended that no more than TWO aims be provided. Too many aims suggest a scattergun approach. For instance ::
1.
This course will enable you to explore and gain further experience in (. . XXX) through the investigation of (. . XXX) with a direct emphasis on the application to real world situations in the field of (. . XXX)
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Learning outcomes specify what the STUDENTS who are undertaking your course will achieve by its conclusion. Learning outcomes could cover content based (knowledge), cognitive
(attitudes, analysis and interpretation) and application (skills based) outcomes.
Learning Outcomes are also what your assessment tasks test and each task must be linked to one or more Outcomes, so think carefully about what students are achieving by completing this course.
A useful way of writing learning outcomes is to commence with an action statement, for example:
At the conclusion of this course you will be able to:
1. Investigate…
2. Apply theory to…
3. Undertake…
4. Create…
It is recommended that no more than THREE or FOUR learning outcomes be provided, for example:
By the conclusion of this course student will:
1 . Develop knowledge and be able to apply skills in using online communication through a
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group project that focuses on contributing to a series of Blog entries that (. . XXX)
TEACHING STRATEGIES & APPROACH TO LEARNING
Indicate the teaching strategies used in the course (e.g. lectures, seminars, tutorials, studios, blended learning, practicum) and how the students are expected to participate and learn in these various components.
In terms of the approach to learning, briefly describe the values and beliefs you bring to your teaching and how these have informed the course design. This should indicate the way course content enhances the experiences of learning for the student. When writing this rationale you may find it helpful to draw on the Guidelines on Learning that Inform Teaching at UNSW. The
UNSW Guidelines are available at: http://www.guidelinesonlearning.unsw.edu.au/
For Example:
This course enables students to develop particular communications skills that will enhance their practice as a (. . XXX). It reflects a view that professional practice within the field will require advanced levels of communication to support ongoing development of (. . XXX).
Attendance/Participation
Please indicate here course-specific expectations of students (including level of interaction with lecturer and/or tutor(s), attendance at lectures and tutorials/seminars/studio classes or technical workshops; rules governing facilities and computer use, for example, in the use of computer labs in and out of class time, or protocols governing email and online discussion forums).
Assessment
Under Assessment please state whether students must complete all assessments (or whether they only need to get to a mark of 50%) and any other overall assessment requirements.
Late Submission Penalties
Under Late Submission please also state if you will accept a late submission, how long, and whether there is a penalty, such as a mark deduction.
Risk of Failure Warnings
Here you should state how the student would be told when they are at risk of failure. This is likely to be a common approach for all courses in a program, and you should seek advice from your Program Director.
Describe here the changes you have made to the content or delivery of this course since you last offered it. (If it is the first offering, you can simply note that you welcome feedback to improve the course.) Note any particular innovations or enhancements introduced in the light of past student evaluations, informed by CATEI reports or identified by other means.
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An example:
Periodically student responses to Course and Teaching Evaluation & Improvement
(CATEI) surveys are gathered, using online evaluation forms. Student responses are taken seriously, and continual improvements are made to the course based in part on such feedback. Significant changes to the course will be communicated to subsequent cohorts of students taking the course.
It is important that students complete the CATEI course and teaching surveys for this course.
This is completely anonymous and provides important student observations and suggestions to ensure that the course is continually improved.
Over the past semesters we have, for example:
1.
2.
Limit course assessment to no more than THREE tasks - one or two of which may include the stages of a bigger task. Remember that not every task needs to be formally assessed for marks and students can be asked to provide a draft, for example, without it needing to have marks attached.
Please include assessment details in the Course Outline so that all students know from the outset what is expected to pass the course.
Weighting : No task should be worth more than 65%, with most tasks it is desirable to limit the size (and risk) to 50% weighting. Group work (where the marks are not given individually) should be limited to no more than 30%. Weighting should reflect the complexity of the task. A larger weighting might mean more criteria being assessed, while a smaller weighting should have less criteria (see below).
Assessment Brief : this summarises the scope of the task, introduces the aim of the task and clearly explains what you want students to do and submit.
Assessment Criteria With Marking Rubric Each assessment task should be marked against stated assessment criteria and all assessors marking the same task should award marks against the same criteria.
Please specify THREE (or four) assessment criteria for each task. This improves marking reliability and transparency. Knowing in advance the criteria used to mark their work significantly boosts student confidence and helps them independently plan and conscientiously address critical aspects of the assessment requirements.
You might select or write a number of criteria that focus on:
- ‘Conceptual coherence…’
- ‘Quality of creative resolution…’
- ‘Development of personal voice or style…’
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- ‘Pertinent (visual or textual) research and referencing…’
- ‘Demonstrated knowledge of…’,
- ‘Relevant theoretical or contextual interpretation…’
- ‘Insightful synthesis of ideas…’
- ‘Skillful execution…’,
- ‘Professional production values…’
-
‘Appropriate technical documentation…’
- ‘Innovative approach to (specified or self identified) problem(s)….’
- ‘Solution satisfies requirements of brief…’
- ‘Successful communication of …
- ‘Confident presentation…’
- ‘Constructive teamwork….’
- ‘Diligent contribution to group project…’
- ‘Satisfactory planning and preparation…’
If you wish, you can use a Rubric to help you mark and help explain to students what is being assessed. You must list the criteria, and a Rubric helps feedback to students
The Rubric in the Course Outline template allows you to list assessment Criteria and provides for feedback to be given as both a tick in one of the standards boxes (unsatisfactory to outstanding) and as a mark for each criteria. If the assignment is worth 30% and there are three criteria, each could be worth 10%. Students can use a Rubric to see how their performance against criteria adds up to a final grade for that assignment.
It is also important that you explain what the different standards you are using meaning. What is involved in “unsatisfactory” work, and what in “Very Good” for example.
FOR GUIDE TO UNSW GRADES SEE: https://myunsw.edu.au/student/academiclife/assessment/GuideToUNSWGrades.html
Student Learning Outcomes addressed in this task:
Please list the Learning Outcomes you have written about that are specifically being assessed by each task. Do not introduce new Outcomes you haven’t listed above. Also ensure that
Feedback strategy for this task:
You must provide feedback for every assessment, and you should provide students with information here on how they will get feedback on this task. Provide here information on whether feedback will be written or spoken, and when it will be given.
Week Date Topic Name Tasks Due
1 3 March
This is where you put an overview of the weekly class schedule. It allows students to see at a
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glance what topics are being covered, and when tasks are due. Please change the date to the actual date of your class (presently it is the Monday of the week).
Week 1 : 3/03/14 – 7/03/14 TOPIC:
READINGS:
ACTIVITIES:
This is where you can put in more detail information, such as readings that need to be done before class, or activities that will be done.
Provide a list of required and/or useful resources that can include amongst others:
 details of online materials or blended learning support provided
 textbook details, including title, author, publisher, edition, year of publication
 references or links to required and additional readings
 confirmed active URLs for recommended websites
 advice on industry publications or other contact information (e.g. galleries, museums, practitioner networks, professional associations, research repositories, government authorities in Australia or overseas)
 information on relevant material sources and equipment suppliers.
You should also alert students to the:

Common information e.g. UNSW Library website: http://www.library.unsw.edu.au/

Relevant COFA facilities: http://www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/about-us/facilities/

Specific course related logistical information for classes conducted off COFA campus in alternate delivery venues or for scheduled fieldwork arrangements.
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