A few helpful notes when starting a proposal for the first time:
- What to fill out - The Course Management System (CMS) will guide users to fill out all information required for new courses. The required information will vary based on the course level (undergraduate or graduate), instructional format (classroom or online), and whether it meets any requirements.
- Syllabus - For every new course, or for any request to substantially change an existing course, a syllabus is required. COCI expects certain components to be included in every syllabus:
- The requirements for the course (what students will be expected to do to pass), and the relative weight of each requirement toward the final grade (usually expressed as percentages).
- Requirements for undergraduate courses must include a comprehensive final examination, unless an alternative method of final assessment has been noted in the proposal and explained in the syllabus.
- A chronological schedule of topics, usually in a week-by-week format. Note, if the course proposal includes a request for non-standard term lengths (e.g., a three-week term) please include in the syllabus an explanation of how the schedule will be adjusted to accommodate such a schedule.
- A list of required readings, provided in citation format.
An example of a fully developed syllabus can be found on the website of the Center for Teaching & Learning.
Syllabi submitted to COCI missing these components will be returned with a request for clarification.
- Final exam - A final examination is required in all undergraduate courses (see Senate Regulation 772(link is external)). The exam should be written when practicable, no more than three hours, and take place during the regularly scheduled final exam period. COCI's procedures allow instructors to offer alternative methods of final assessment , such as a final paper, project, or take-home exam, which should be indicated in the course proposal and described in the syllabus. See the COCI Handbook section 2.1.3 on Final Examinations for more details.
Final exams may not be held before the start of the final examination period. Nor may final papers be required to be completed or turned in during the regular semester's period of formal instruction nor during the reading/review/recitation (RRR) period. See the COCI's Reading, Review, and Recitation (RRR) Week Guidelines (PDF) and the Office of the Registrar's Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Campus Policies and Guidelines Concerning the Academic Calendar, RRR Week, Exams and Commencement(link is external) (PDF).