The two foundational pieces of any course proposal are the Rationale and the Course Learning Outcomes. These key elements answer the essential questions:

Why are you creating (or modifying) this course?

What do you expect students to learn in this course?

Start your creating proposal by answering these two questions. The rest of the course proposal flows from here.

Rationale

In the Rationale, you should describe the basis and context so that the reader of the proposal understands how this course supports student learning and how it fits in the wider curriculum. The Rationale should answer these questions:

Which students will be taking this course? Why would students need or want to take this course? How will students benefit? What particular skills will students develop? (basis)

How does this course fit into the greater curriculum? Does this course impact students beyond one particular major? (context)

If this is a course modification, what is the purpose of the change? How will the changes improve student learning? How will course revisions impact the greater curriculum? Will changes impact other programs or divisions?

If this is an experimental course, what characteristics make the course experimental? On what basis will you decide whether or not to make the course permanent? How do you plan to obtain information that will support that decision?

Rationale

The Rationale section of the course proposal should be a one-to-three paragraph explanation that makes it clear to the reader (namely members of the Curriculum Committee and other faculty) the purpose and necessity of the course (or course modifications).

In a Course Modification proposal, the Rationale should articulate the reasons for the changes enumerated in the Summary List of Changes field. In an Experimental course proposal, the Rationale should explain the experimental nature of the course--what is new and different about the course, what will be learned from running the course and what actions might be taken based on what is learned from running the course. In an Independent Study, the rationale articulates the reasons a student is requesting and independent study and how the course will support program learning goals.

Course Learning Outcomes

Best practices for curriculum, assessment and instructional design call for starting from desired outcomes and designing "backward" (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005) from those ends.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) are specific statements that describe the required learning achievement that must be met on the way to attaining the degree and meeting the goals of the program. Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) similarly describe the competencies the student will achieve upon successfully completing the course.

Course Learning Outcomes

The Course Learning Outcomes section of the course proposal should contain several (three to ten) clear numbered statements that accurately describe what you would expect students to be able to know and do upon completion of the course.

Learning outcomes are a vital component of a course or program proposal. They are the essence of the course or program. They are essential because they:

define the type and depth of learning students are expected to achieve
provide an objective benchmark for assessment
clearly communicate expectations to learners
guide and organize the instructor and the learner

One method that can be useful when writing a learning objective or outcome is the ABCD method (Heinich, et al., 1996). The ABCD method considers:

Audience: Who are your learners (who will be doing the performance)?

Behavior: Describe the task or behavior using action verbs -- be sure it is something that is observable.

Conditions: Under what conditions (what tools, aids or reference materials can the learner use? Are there things that they won't be able to use? What contexts?)?

Degree: To what degree of mastery -- how well must it be done (speed, accuracy, quality, quantity, level of scholarship, etc.)?

ABCD Course Learning Outcome Example

LOexample

Avoid the use of the terms “understanding” and “knowledge.” Instead, describe what students will be able to do with their understanding or knowledge using action verbs.

For more on writing learning outcomes visit the Developing Learning Outcomes page of the Champlain College Learning Outcomes Assessment Course.

Next up: Course Content, Alignment and Assessment

Major Methods of Assessment
Topical Outline
Program Learning Outcomes
College Competences

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References

University of California Online: Learning Objectives

Vanderbilt Center for Teaching: Understanding by Design

Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, Chapter 1. What is Backward Design?, Understanding by Design, 2nd Edition, ASCD, Alexandria, VA, 2005.