Developing a Course Outline:
Guidelines
This document should be used in conjunction with the UNSW Course
Outline Template found at https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/course -outline.
Table of contents
Introduction.............................................................................................................................................. 3
How teachers can use course outlines ................................................................................................ 3
How students use course outlines ....................................................................................................... 3
Working with the template ....................................................................................................................... 3
0. Cover page .......................................................................................................................................... 4
1. Staff ..................................................................................................................................................... 4
2. Course information .............................................................................................................................. 4
2.1 Course summary ........................................................................................................................... 4
2.2 Course aims .................................................................................................................................. 4
2.3 Course learning outcomes (CLO) .................................................................................................. 5
2.4 Relationship between course and program learning outcomes and assessments ....................... 5
3. Strategies and approaches to learning ............................................................................................... 6
3.1 Learning and teaching activities .................................................................................................... 6
3.2 Expectations of students ............................................................................................................... 7
4. Course schedule and structure ........................................................................................................... 7
5. Assessment ......................................................................................................................................... 8
5.1 Assessment tasks.......................................................................................................................... 9
5.2 Assessment criteria and standards ............................................................................................. 10
5.3 Submission of assessment tasks ................................................................................................ 10
5.4 Feedback on assessment ........................................................................................................... 10
6. Academic integrity, referencing and plagiarism ................................................................................ 11
7. Readings and resources ................................................................................................................... 12
8. Administrative matters....................................................................................................................... 12
9. Additional support for students ......................................................................................................... 12
2
Introduction
Course outlines are critical resources that help students understand the course: its aims, learning
outcomes, course requirements and assessment. This document provides guidelines on how to
develop a course outline. It has been designed to be used in conjunction with the UNSW Course
Outline Template.
How teachers can use course outlines
In creating a course outline, you can contextualise all the course elements by demonstrating their
relevance to professional and disciplinary contexts. You can also articulate the relationship between
individual learning outcomes and the UNSW Graduate Outcomes or faculty-specific graduate
attributes and program learning outcomes. Course outlines can form part of the evidence of your
effectiveness in learning and teaching, particularly in relation to the planning and development of
courses.
How students use course outlines
Students use course outlines to inform their decisions about course choices and to manage their
combined course workloads throughout the Semester. They tend to regard assessment as the most
important part of the learning and teaching process, and the way they use course outlines reflects
this. Create a course outline that students can consult in response to the questions and queries that
arise for them throughout the Semester.
Working with the template
You can adapt the framework that the UNSW Course Outline Template provides according to the
needs of programs and individual courses. If you wish, you can format your course outline as
suggested by the template, or use the template as a checklist of course content. Staff can use it when
undertaking the design and development of new courses, or when revising existing courses.
The remainder of this document will address each of the sections in the template and provide
guidance on how to fill it out for your own courses.
3
0. Cover page
[Course Code] [Course Name] is offered by the [School Name] in the [Faculty Name] for the [Session,
Year]
Information should be provided on a cover page that indicates: faculty, school, course, course code,
course name, session and year.
1. Staff
Use a table such as the one below to provide students with the consultation and contact details of the
staff who will be teaching and tutoring in the course.
Position
Name
Email
Consultation times Contact Details
and locations
Course
Convenor
Lecturer
Provide information about any tutors involved in the course, or if that’s not possible at the time the
course outline is produced, indicate where students will be able to find information about their tutors.
2. Course information
Units of credit:
Pre-requisite(s):
Teaching times and locations:
Provide a link to the relevant information on the online timetable site:
http://www.timetable.unsw.edu.au
2.1 Course summary
Give a brief overview of the course and identify its general purpose (refer to UNSW Handbook).
For instance:
This course will focus on [XXX] and will explore these ideas from the viewpoint of [XXX].
2.2 Course aims
Aims highlight the teacher’s intentions for the course. They provide an overall big-picture vision of why
this course is important for student learning. Relate aims to the alignment of the curriculum:
resources, learning activities and assessment of the course components.
4
For example:
The overall aim of this course is to enable you to develop and gain further understanding of
(XXX) through the investigation of (XXX) with a direct emphasis of their application to realworld situations in the field of [XXX].
It is highly recommended that you provide no more than TWO aims, to avoid giving the impression of
a scattergun approach. Include a brief statement about how the course relates to the overall
program(s) in the discipline.
2.3 Course learning outcomes (CLO)
Course learning outcomes (CLO) prescribe the knowledge, attitudes, skills and practices that students
are expected to acquire and demonstrate in completing a specific course. The course learning
outcomes are what must be assessed.
State what you wish the students to have accomplished at the end of the course. Focus the learning
outcomes on the students’ actions. Include (a) content based (knowledge), (b) cognitive
(understanding and attitudinal) and (c) application (skills) based outcomes.
A useful way of writing learning outcomes is to commence with an action statement, for example:
At the successful completion of this course you (the student) should be able to:
1.
Investigate…
2.
Apply theory to….
3.
Undertake….
4.
Create…..
Use verbs to indicate the actions by which students learn and achieve the required performance level.
Don’t begin with the word “understand” unless you also explicitly state what action students will
undertake to develop the desired understanding, and how they will demonstrate their ability to
understand.
It is recommended that you provide no more than FOUR learning outcomes.
For example:
At the successful completion of this course you (the student) should be able to:

Analyse and interpret current problems based on the themes of the course

Propose solutions to be implemented to address the issues
You can use this section to include any requisite knowledge required to assist in the successful
completion of the requirements of this course (eg., an introductory text to bring students ‘up to
speed’).
2.4 Relationship between course and program learning outcomes
and assessments
Course learning outcomes support the development of program learning outcomes. Align the course
learning outcomes with the program level outcomes, to help students understand how this course
relates to the overall program.
Program learning outcomes (PLO) prescribe the knowledge, attitudes, skills and practices that
students are expected to demonstrate in completing a program of study at UNSW. PLOs are specific
5
to a student’s area of specialisation, and are explicitly aligned with any relevant professional
accreditation requirements. Specify clearly how the course and its learning activities contribute to the
program’s learning outcomes.
To provide transparency to students of the relationship between CLOs and PLOs you might want to
include a table, like the one below, to illustrate the alignment of course learning outcomes with
program learning outcomes and course components such as: support, resources, learning activities
and assessment. Note that course learning outcomes are mapped to one primary program learning
outcome and possibly one or two secondary ones.
Course
Learning
Outcome
(CLO)
LO Statement
Program Learning
Outcome (PLO)
Related Tasks &
Assessment
CLO 1
[Identify …..]
[PLO 2]
[1, 2]
CLO 2
[Analyse and critically evaluate …..]
[PLO 2]
[1, 2]
CLO 3
[Select and implement ……]
[PLO 2, 6]
[1, 3]
CLO 4
[Demonstrate awareness of …..]
[PLO 3, 6]
[1, 3]
For further information, see the following Teaching Gateway pages:

Program-Level Learning Outcomes
http://teaching.unsw.edu.au/outcomes

Curriculum Design
http://teaching.unsw.edu.au/curriculum-design

Alignment of Learning Outcomes with Course and Program
http://teaching.unsw.edu.au/alignment-learning-outcomes-course-and-program
Note: PLOs must articulate with UNSW Graduate Outcomes (see
https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/graduate-outcomes) and be communicated to students through
program-level documents such as the Handbook information, School/Faculty website and in the future
through student academic transcripts.
3. Strategies and approaches to learning
3.1 Learning and teaching activities
Indicate the learning and teaching activities used in the course (e.g. lectures, seminars, tutorials,
studios, practicum) and describe how you expect the students to participate and learn in these various
components, whether face-to-face, online or in blended learning mode. Specify any learning activities
that engage students in using resources and working on tasks, and creating experiences that lead
them to achieve the intended learning outcomes e.g. experiments, research-integrated learning,
problem solving or project work.
When writing this section you may find it helpful to draw on the following:
6

UNSW Beliefs about Learning
https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/beliefs

Guidelines on Learning that Inform Teaching at UNSW
http://teaching.unsw.edu.au/guidelines
For example, refer to your approach or rationale for the teaching strategies used, as illustrated by this
sentence:
This course enables you [students] to develop particular communication skills that will
enhance your 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]. The
course is designed to have a very practical orientation. Learning in this field requires students
to [XXX]. Through the process of creating assignments, you will develop [XXX]. A large
component of the assessment will be done in teams, where you will work together to [XXX].
The course is delivered in a blended format, comprised of face-to-face tutorials with online
lectures and group work. In the face-to-face tutorials you will be expected to [XXX]. The online
component will enable you to experience [XXX] and provide you the opportunity to [XXX].
3.2 Expectations of students
Indicate the course-specific expectations of students, including:

level of engagement during class and outside of class

attendance at lectures and tutorials/seminars/studio classes, labs or technical workshops

online component requirement

protocols governing email, social networks and online discussion forums.
For example:
An integral part of this course is engagement in class activities as well as the online
component. You may fail the course if you do not attend regularly, even if you complete all
assignments. You must actively participate in classes and online group work and complete all
set work to a satisfactory standard as discussed in class and in the course outline.
4. Course schedule and structure
A sample table of weekly class topics or themes, with activities, assessment tasks and related course
learning outcomes is shown below.
Include a statement indicating the total class contact hours and additional study hours required to
successfully complete the course.
For example:
This course consists of x hours of class contact hours. You are expected to take an additional
y hours of non class contact hours to complete assessments, readings and exam preparation.
Week
Topic [Module]
[Date/Session]
Week 1
Topic xxx
Activity [Learning opportunity]

Related
CLO
Read materials on xxx and
7
complete tasks related to
readings
Week 2

Contribute to the online
discussion topic xxx

Explore the area of xxx by
reading

Describe xxx

Debrief xxx
Week 3
Assessment Task 1 due
[date]
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
5. Assessment
UNSW Assessment policy states that UNSW assessment practices will:

Play a pivotal role in focusing learning and teaching efforts on intended learning outcomes
and the development of designated graduate capabilities.

Promote active student engagement in learning through assessment.

Enable students to develop their knowledge, skills and capabilities in meaningful disciplinary,
professional and personal contexts.

Recognise and accommodate student diversity.
8
5.1 Assessment tasks
Outline each assessment task, including:

title and type of assessment (e.g. laboratory practical work, essay, investigative project report,
research paper, scale model, literature review), and a full description of the task

length (if applicable) and weight assigned to each assessment task

mark or grading structure if appropriate

due date(s)

assessment criteria and standards (section 5.2)
The following is a useful table for presenting this information succinctly:
Assessment task
Length
Weight
Mark
Due date (normally
midnight on due date)
Assessment 1:
Assessment 2:
Assessment 3:
Information about the UNSW grading system is available at: https://student.unsw.edu.au/grades
For more information regarding the UNSW assessment policy please visit:
https://student.unsw.edu.au/assessment
Provide a fuller description for each task that clearly describes the purpose, procedure and scope of
work needed to satisfy the requirements for each task, and/or advise where students can obtain more
information.
For example:
We will provide details of the assessment tasks during class week beginning [week number].
or
Students can find the detailed guidelines for assessment tasks at [URL].
or
See Appendix 1 in this course outline for further information about each assessment task.
For assessment design ideas and other information, see UNSW Assessment as Learning Toolkit:
http://teaching.unsw.edu.au/assessment-toolkit
9
5.2 Assessment criteria and standards
Assessment criteria are statements of performance attributes or qualities that guide students to see
what is important in undertaking each component of assessment in a program or course, and that
guide assessors when they are judging students’ responses to the assessment component.
Standards-Based Assessment depends on a set of pre-defined statements outlining different levels
or standards of achievement in a program, course, or assessment component. Standards are
normally expressed in terms of the stated assessment criteria. Standards-based assessment involves
determining which standard the students’ work has achieved according to the pre-defined standards.
Students’ grades, therefore, are determined in relation to neither the performance of other students
nor a predetermined distribution of grades.
A rubric makes explicit a range of criteria and expected performance standards. Using Assessment
Rubrics requires you to provide criteria for each of your tasks to explain to students how their work will
be judged. Provide a set of assessment standards prescribing the standards of performance
associated with each grade (see section below on Grading and Marking).
Provide a rubric for each assessment task to explain expectations in relation to various marking
criteria in either the course outline or via Moodle. More information is available on the Teaching
Gateway:

An example of a generic learning rubric
http://teaching.unsw.edu.au/generic-assessment-rubric-pdf

More information on assessment rubrics http://teaching.unsw.edu.au/assessment-rubrics
5.3 Submission of assessment tasks
Provide procedural advice for submitting work and indicate the policy on late submission, extension of
deadlines and special consideration. Include extracts from the relevant school policy or indicate where
students can obtain this information.
Normally UNSW requires all assessments that can be submitted online to be submitted online with no
paper versions submitted.
5.4 Feedback on assessment
UNSW draft Assessment Procedures state that "feedback may be provided to students in a variety of
ways, including but not limited to written comments, reports on performance, completed rubrics,
verbal advice, structured peer feedback and guided self-evaluations. Channels for providing feedback
can be face-to-face, on-line and other recorded means. Feedback may be provided to students on
either an individual, class or cohort basis. Feedback need not be linked solely to completed
assessment but can also be given to students generally in connection with their learning and as part
of ongoing assessment tasks".
High quality feedback should provide information to students at three basic levels:
1. Where am I going? (the goals) - Feed Up - how their performance relates to the broad goals
of the course.
10
2. How am I going? - Feed Back - how successful they have been at addressing the task and its
criteria.
3. Where to next? - Feed Forward - how could the response to the task / performance be
improved (Hattie, 2007)
You must address and link all three aspects of feedback in order to help students close the gap
between where they are and where they are aiming to be (Sadler, 1989).
Include a strategy for giving feedback to students on their assessment preparation, activities and/or
marked submissions for each task. Tell students when, where and how they will receive feedback for
this assessment.
More information is available on the Teaching Gateway:

Grading and Giving Feedback
http://teaching.unsw.edu.au/grading-assessment-feedback

Giving Assessment Feedback
https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/assessment-feedback
6. Academic integrity, referencing and plagiarism
Indicate the preferred referencing style that students are expected to use in your course, with links to
resources on how to use it.
Provide information to students about the University’s expectations regarding academic integrity and
provide links to further information:
Referencing is a way of acknowledging the sources of information that you use to research
your assignments. You need to provide a reference whenever you draw on someone else's
words, ideas or research. Not referencing other people's work can constitute plagiarism.
Further information about referencing styles can be located at
https://student.unsw.edu.au/referencing
Academic integrity is fundamental to success at university. Academic integrity can be
defined as a commitment to six fundamental values in academic pursuits: honesty, trust,
fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.1 At UNSW, this means that your work must be
your own, and others’ ideas should be appropriately acknowledged. If you don’t follow these
rules, plagiarism may be detected in your work.
Further information about academic integrity and plagiarism can be located at:

The Current Students site https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism, and

The ELISE training site http://subjectguides.library.unsw.edu.au/elise/presenting
The Conduct and Integrity Unit provides further resources to assist you to understand your
conduct obligations as a student: https://student.unsw.edu.au/conduct.
The Teaching Gateway also contains resources for staff on reducing plagiarism:
https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/reducing-plagiarism
1
International Center for Academic Integrity, ‘The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity’, T.
Fishman (ed), Clemson University, 2013.
11
7. Readings and resources
Provide a list of required and/or useful resources.

textbook details (title, publisher, edition, year of publication)

required and suggested additional readings

material accessible online (including through Moodle).

recommended videos, multimedia, websites.
Alert students to the UNSW Library website: http://www.library.unsw.edu.au
In preparing the resources, keep copyright requirements in mind. See the UNSW Library’s copyright
page: https://library.unsw.edu.au/copyright/index.html
8. Administrative matters
Include information on:

School/Faculty office

Website where student related information, policies and guidelines are available
9. Additional support for students
Include information on the following student support services and check links to keep them updated:

The Current Students Gateway: https://student.unsw.edu.au/

Academic Skills and Support: https://student.unsw.edu.au/academic-skills

Student Wellbeing, Health and Safety: https://student.unsw.edu.au/wellbeing

Disability Support Services: https://student.unsw.edu.au/disability-services

UNSW IT Service Centre: https://www.it.unsw.edu.au/students/index.html
12