Designing a course outline or syllabus
The course outline (syllabus) is a foundational teaching document that communicates course purpose, learning expectations and policies to students. Below are some components of a well-designed course outline and example statements.
You may also wish to reference UVic's undergraduate calendar on evaluation of student achievement or the graduate calendar on evaluation of student course work.
Course information
- Course name, department, number, section, schedule, dates/times and location(s)
- Office hours, locations, contact information
- Website and/or Brightspace and communication protocol
- Course prerequisites and how the course fits into university programs
- Instructor bio and teaching statement (background, teaching and research experience)
- Opportunities for students to provide feedback: early, mid-term and SEL
Intended learning outcomes
Course-level and unit-level ILOs are:
- Clearly articulated so students know what to do to be successful
- Framed with action verbs and are appropriately pitched
Assessments and activities
Well-designed assessments are aligned with course learning outcomes and described with clear criteria, examples, and weightings. Sequencing and pacing assessments to build on each other with rubrics and study supports provided to help students understand expectations and prepare effectively. Formative assessments work best when they offer frequent, low-stakes opportunities to practice before summative evaluations.
Readings and materials
Readings and materials should include complete citations, costs and access information, and be made available to students before the course begins where possible. Explaining the purpose of required readings and additional resources helps students engage with them more meaningfully.
Territory Acknowledgement
See the Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement website for more resources on how to use the Territory Acknowledgement within your course.
Attendances and absences
Below is a statement you can adapt that includes resources.
Academic integrity
Below is a pledge you can adapt and also use in your assessments and exams. Review our resources on academic integrity.
Syllabus statement
Academic integrity is fundamental to all scholarly work. At the University of Victoria (UVic), students are expected to comply with the university’s academic regulations and must not engage in acts of dishonesty, falsification, misrepresentation, or deception in any academic work. Violations of the University’s academic integrity policy may result in academic or disciplinary consequences.
Below is a pledge for students to sign and share with you:
I understand that I must abide by UVic academic regulations and observe standards of “scholarly integrity,” (no plagiarism or cheating).
I will do my work/take the exam myself without collaborating with another person. I will not share any information about the exam with others.
Unless expressly approved by my instructor, I will do my work/take my exam without accessing any unauthorized resources. I understand that unauthorized resources include notes, course materials, the internet, Content Generators (including generative AI tools or any individual or service that generates, completes, manipulates, or substantially alters written or non-written work), or any other aid.
I [type in name] affirm that I will not give or receive any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/ exam, that I will not access any unauthorized resources, and that all submitted work will be my own.
[Type your name here in place of a signature]
Accessibility
Below is a statement you can adapt. Review our resources on accessibility.
Generative AI
Below are a few statements you can choose from. Review our resources on generative AI.
Please be advised that in this course you are not authorized to use any form of generative AI. In order to successfully complete course activities, generative AI is not required nor welcomed. Students should not make any use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, among others that use AI for content generation and editing. As the University of Victoria states on its Academic Integrity Policy “Academic integrity requires commitment to the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility.” Therefore, I expect you to comply with the course syllabus and I encourage you to enhance your academic experience in this course by refraining from use generative AI.
In this course, you are limitedly authorized to make the use of generative AI such as ChatGPT. Below are the specific assignments and activities that you can work together with generative AI. In order to not violate academic integrity, you must cite ChatGPT or any other tool properly using one of the following styles: APA style, Chicago [insert any other style accepted by instructor]. Additionally, you must add as an appendix all the prompts and questions used within the generative AI to create content as an appendix. For all the other activities in this course, please refrain from using any generative AI. Please note that you can opt for not using generative AI at all to successfully complete all the courses requirements.
[list assignments and/or activities that students can use GenAI if they wish]
In this course I welcome the use of generative AI for assignments completion and during activities in the classroom. Therefore, you are authorized to use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. Please note that you can opt for not using generative AI at all as well to complete all the courses assignments successfully. In the case you opt to use generative AI, you must provide proper citation of the tools you used and describe how you used it (for initial research, preparing outline, editing etc).
Although the course allows the use of generative AI, please be aware of the following flaws when using the tools:
- Generative AI does not fact check
- Generative AI may provide bias and inaccurate answers
- Generative AI hallucinates and may provide false or/and made up information
- Generative AI does not critically analyze content
Copyright
It is important that students adhere to the Copyright Act, which provides legal protection to original work (written, recorded and artistic work including communications). Copyright protection exists as soon as a work is expressed by a fixed format (books, class notes, emails, pictures etc).
Class recordings and video capturing
While recording lectures are not required, students find recordings beneficial to their learning. UVic has 114 centrally booked classrooms for basic recording of class instruction.
Be aware that sessions in this course may be recorded to allow students who are not able to attend to watch later. The recording will be posted in Brightspace. Students who have privacy concerns can contact me and will have the option to limit their personal information shared in the recording. If you have other questions or concerns regarding class recording and privacy please contact privacyinfo@uvic.ca.
If you use auto-generated transcription or captioning in your recordings, consider including a statement like the following in your syllabus:
Auto-generated transcription and captioning is enabled in this course. Automated captions are typically 70–90% accurate and may contain errors, particularly with specialized terminology and proper names. Please refer to the audio for clarification. If you encounter captions that are offensive or inaccurate, please notify your instructor or teaching assistant. If you require captions as an academic accommodation, please email the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL)..
Student conduct
It’s important to establish a respectful, inclusive and positive learning environment that sets your expectations for students.
The University of Victoria is committed to promoting critical academic discourse while providing a respectful and supportive learning environment. All members of the university community have the right to this experience and the responsibility to help create such an environment. The University will not tolerate racism, sexualized violence, or any form of discrimination, bullying or harassment.
Please be advised that, by logging into UVic’s learning systems or interacting with online resources and course-related communication platforms, you are engaging in a university activity.
All interactions within this environment are subject to the university expectations and policies. Any concerns about student conduct may be reviewed and responded to in accordance with the appropriate university policy.
To learn more about student conduct, visit https://www.uvic.ca/services/studentlife/student-conduct/index.php.
Student supports
As a faculty or staff member you may be the first person to see the signs that a student is in distress, or they may have come to you for help. You are a vital link to connect students with resources.
Here are a list of resources you may wish to add for additional support: