Introduction to Teaching

Course Outlines

 

Definition

"Course outlines" are the official outlines that have been approved by the Curriculum Committee. The purpose of a course outline is to categorize and classify classes, explain what should be covered, describe any minimum skill levels for enrolling, clarify the goals and objectives, detail how many hours the class should meet, detail specific content, explain methods of instruction, assessment and evaluation techniques, and suggest resources such as books and websites. They are highly structured and have gone through a lengthy procedure to be approved. When needed, they go through another review process to be updated.

 

When you're hired to teach a class, you are expected to design your syllabus and lesson plans based on the official class outline for that class.

 

Where to find course outlines

Ask your department chair or dean where to find the official course outline for the class(es) you’ve been assigned. The San Diego Community College District has been a national leader in developing an online resource for course outlines using CurricuNet. Through CurricuNet, SDCCD faculty can review and manage course outlines. Some other local colleges and districts are in the process of migrating onto CurricuNet.