Course Outline Information

Please visit the Course Outline Information and Individual Study Forms webpage for ALL information related to creating your course outline. Below are just a few highlights to consider.

The course outline must identify prerequisites and instructors should announce prerequisites for the course on the first day of class. Students who have not met the prerequisites should be asked to withdraw from the course and the instructor should notify Education Student Services at edacad@ualberta.ca.  Please note that BearTracks is unable to screen for prerequisites in most cases.

Students often try to persuade instructors to waive prerequisites by presenting the instructors with reasons as to why they need to stay in the class (e.g., they have financial difficulties and need to graduate in a timely fashion, etc.). Individual instructors cannot make such decisions about student eligibility for enrollment. Refer these students to ESS (See contact list) for assistance in sorting out the remainder of their program and notify ESS at edacad@ualberta.ca. When you make a referral, avoid making statements that reinforce the student’s belief that the prerequisite may not be necessary (e.g., “I would let you into this class if I could.”). This can make it more difficult for the student to accept subsequent alternatives that are suggested to them. 

The course outline must identify course objectives. Here are some examples of course objectives from undergraduate courses in the Faculty of Education. Remember that each assessment/evaluation item in the course should be connected to at least one course objective. See examples of course objectives here.

Instructors may request that materials be placed on reserve in Rutherford Library. Library-owned materials will be retrieved from the library stacks by library staff. Instructor-owned materials, including photocopies of articles, should be submitted in person or through campus mail to the library. Reserve requests must be made electronically at UA Library Reading Lists 

The course outline must identify how all undergraduate courses in the Faculty of Education are connected to the Alberta Teaching Quality Standard. Here are some examples from current courses of how to list to what extent the course prepares students to meet the competency. Please contact your Subject/Program Area Coordinator for consistency across courses/sections.