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3.22; 3.22.1 Course Syllabi and Master Course Outlines

PURPOSE:

Course Outline – the purpose of a course outline is to communicate information concerning a course’s number, title, description, number of credits, lecture/lab hours required, pre/co-requisites, objectives and goals (including MnTC objectives and goals) as well as learning outcomes.

  1. Students use a course outline for the purposes of selecting courses to take and for applying to transfer course credits to another institution.
  2. Faculty are required to use course outlines when developing syllabi for specific courses offered during a semester as well as for communicating course requirements to other faculty teaching the same course. Faculty may use course outlines to facilitate program and course review as well as program/course development, licensure and accreditation. Faculty may be involved in developing outlines for their area of expertise per guidelines set by the Academic Affairs and Standards Council (AASC). All course outlines must be approved by the AASC before being adopted for use by the college.
  3. The college uses course outlines for advising students on course selection, determining course equivalencies for transfer purposes as well as program/course review, accreditation and development. The college may also use course outlines to assist in licensure, accreditation and grant application.

    At Riverland Community College, course outlines are referred to as Master Course Outlines (or MCOs).

    The college may designate personnel to write course outlines following guidelines set by the Academic Affairs and Standards Council (AASC). All course outlines must be approved by the AASC before being adopted for use by the college.

    According to Minnesota State Board Policy 3.22, “Course outlines shall be the official system document used to determine course equivalences for student transfers”. Syllabi may be used to determine course equivalence only in the case of courses transferred from/to colleges or universities out of state.

    According to Minnesota State Board Policy 3.26, “course outlines are considered institutional works” and as such are owned by the college.

Course Syllabi – a course syllabus is a document created by a faculty member in order to communicate the specific details of a course to students and other instructors.

  1. Students use course syllabi to guide their understanding/expectations of the course and to guide learning. Each student in a course will be provided with a syllabus “within a maximum of one week after the first class meeting” (Board policy 3.22). This time frame must be adjusted accordingly if the course is offered in a condensed format.
  2. Course syllabi must be developed and written by the faculty member assigned to teach the course.

    Faculty develop and use course syllabi in order to clarifying the goals, objectives and outcomes on the MCO for each course. Faculty also use syllabi to communicate evaluation and grading standards/policies as well as a student’s responsibilities within each course. It is the faculty’s responsibility to assure students enrolled in a course receive/have access to a copy of the syllabus for that course within 1 week of the first class meeting.

    A syllabus is considered a creative and scholarly work that is owned by the creating faculty member. As the owner of the intellectual property rights to their syllabi, faculty may grant permission for the college to use the syllabi for accreditation, program review, curriculum development/review and for licensure applications/updates.
  3. While developed by the instructor, Riverland Community College course syllabi must include the following information:
Required Syllabi Information
Required Where to find this information
Course title and number
  • Master Course Outline (MCO) for the course – the course description and other information should be inserted on the syllabus exactly as it appears on the course outline.
  • Course Goals and Outcomes also need to appear on the course syllabus exactly as they are worded on the MCO
Course description
Course prerequisites
Total credits
Lecture/lab breakdown
MnTC Goal Area (if applicable) and the Core Theme
Course Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
Institutional outcomes

INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING OUTCOMES: (This information is required on all syllabi. Please check the learning outcomes that apply to your course.)
This course addresses the following Riverland Institutional Learning Outcome(s): (check all that apply)

  • ILO 1: critical thinking (Core Theme Goal 2)
  • ILO 2: awareness of the larger global community (Core Theme Goal 7 or Goal 8)
  • ILO 3: ethical, engaged citizenship (Core Theme Goal 9 or Goal 10)
  • ILO 4: communication and collaboration (Discipline Goal 1 and by any learning outcome(s) involving communication or collaboration)
Course text and any other required materials, supplies, tools, or uniforms
  • Chosen by each individual faculty member.
Course room number, virtual meeting link, and meeting times for on campus or synchronous online class times.
  • The days and method the class meets should be listed as they are on Riverland’s Course Schedule unless the class is listed as TBA.
Student contributions and expectations
  • Faculty may include the link to the Student Code of Conduct.
  • Faculty may include the link to the Student Handbook.
  • Other class or safety rules.
  • Student contributions and expectations related to course learning objectives and outcomes are developed and assigned by the individual faculty member.
  • When developing a syllabus, faculty are to follow the standards established by the College Academic Affairs and Standards Council for credit ratios and course goals. A statement based on the following credit ratios letting students know the number of hours a student is expected to spend on attending class and completing course work should be included on the syllabus.

Credit Ratios

  • 1 credit of lecture = 1 hour per week of in-class instruction and 2 hours of outside work
  • 1 credit of lab = 2 hours per week of in-class instruction and 1 hour of outside work
  • 1 credit of internship = 3 hours per week related to internship activities.
Course evaluation and grading standards
Course schedule
Office hours
ADA Statement
  • Riverland Community College, a proud member of the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities System, is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educator and employer. This information will be made available in alternative formats such as braille, large print, or audio upon advanced request by calling 507-433-0600 (TDD 800-627-3529).
  • The link to advocacy and accessibility services at Riverland should be included on the syllabus.
Veterans Services
  • Riverland is dedicated to assisting veterans and eligible family members in achieving their educational goals efficiently. Active duty and reserve/guard military members should advise their instructor of all regularly scheduled military appointments and duties that conflict with schedule course requirements. Instructors will make every effort to work with the student to identify adjusted timelines. If you are a veteran, please contact the Veterans Services Office.
  • The link to Veterans Services on campus should be included.
Campus closure information.
  • In the case of possible College closure, please go the Riverland Community College website for further information and/or instructions. Class Cancellations - Riverland
  • A statement that directs students to their Brightspace site for alternative assignments or class scheduling should be include if applicable.
Faculty absences.
  • In the case of possible faculty absence, please go to the Riverland Community College website at for further information and/or instructions. Class Cancellations - Riverland
  • A statement that directs students to their Brightspace site for alternative assignments or class scheduling should be included if applicable.
Student, faculty and college communication.
  • The official communication mechanism between students and college faculty and staff is Riverland’s assigned email: @my.riverland.edu
  1. College administration has the right to ask faculty members to provide a copy of each syllabus used during a semester. Copies of syllabi will be kept in a private and protected area by college administration.

APPLICABILITY: Minnesota State Board Policy 3.22

SCOPE: Riverland Faculty

DEFINITIONS:

Course Outline – to communicate information concerning a course number, title, description, number of credits, lecture/lab hours required, pre/co-requisites, objectives and goals (including MnTC objectives and goals) as well as learning outcomes.

The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) is the format in which general education is accomplished within the public two- and four-year colleges and universities in Minnesota. The MnTC defines a common curriculum format for general education.

Course Syllabi – a document created by a faculty member in order to communicate the specific details of the course to students and other instructors.

DOES THIS POLICY HAVE A PROCEDURE? Yes

Course Syllabus Archiving Procedure:

  1. On or near the tenth of each semester, the Vice President of Academics & Innovation or their designee will request an electronic copy of each course syllabi from each faculty.
  2. Within ten days of the request, faculty will use a common naming convention to save their course syllabi, using the example below and send them to the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Academics & Innovation.

    Naming convention:

    LASTNAME_SEMESTERYR_COURSEPREFIX and COURSE NUMBER

    Ex: Johnson_Fall19_BUSO1234

  3. The Executive Assistant will archive the syllabi by semester date.
  4. Syllabi will not be shared with anyone but administration or accreditation reviewers, without permission of the faculty.
  5. A written release could be obtained by administration at the faculty member’s end of employment with the college, to handle future requests from former students for transfer purposes or other necessary reasons.

FORMS:

  • Syllabus Template
  • Master Course Outline Template

Date of Implementation: April 11, 2019

Date of Adoption: April 11, 2019; July 2021

Responsible Division / Author: Vice President of Academics & Innovation

Date & Subject of Revisions: 4/11/19 Procedures added; 4/20/21 grid added.

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