Syllabus

Online students rely heavily on written instructions, even more so than students in a
face-to-face class. Your students will benefit from well-articulated instructions and
expectations. An online course syllabus typically includes these items:

 Contact Information
 Course Description and Learning Outcomes
 Grade Breakdown
 About the Course Instructor
 Materials and Resources
 Course and Department Policies
 University Policies
 Coronavirus Information
 Mental Health Support (optional)
 Territorial Acknowledgement (optional)
 Credits and Copyright

Syllabus: Course Name and Course Code

Contact Information
Background: when considering communication channels, remember the
importance of your social presence in the course. Your social presence
throughout the course is very important to students’ learning. Students need to
see you as a real person. Connect with your students and enable them to connect
with you by doing the following:

 Post a short welcome video in Announcements on the course Homepage

 Host virtual office hours using the Virtual Classroom
 Post weekly announcements to share what students can expect for the
coming week.
 If you have TAs, ask them to introduce themselves to the class.
Purpose: for students to know who to contact, when, and about what.

The green italicized text indicates where you should enter/overwrite information.

Announcements

Your instructor uses the Announcements widget on the Course Home page

during the term to communicate new or changing information regarding due
dates, instructor absence, etc., as needed. You are expected to read the
announcements on a regular basis.

To ensure you are viewing the complete list of announcements, you may need to
click Show All Announcements.

Discussions

If you choose to create the following discussions, you can provide this information to
students:

“Your instructor has provided a General Discussion  for class-wide discussions and
an Ask the Instructor discussion forum. Use the Ask the Instructor Forum when you
have a question that may benefit the whole class. Also, check this forum to see if your
question has already been answered before reaching out to your instructor.

Say hello to the class by posting in the  Introduce Yourself  discussion forum.
Discussions can be accessed from the Course Home page by clicking Connect and then
Discussions on the course navigation bar.”
Contact Us
The green italicized text  indicates where you should enter/overwrite information.

Who and Why Contact Details

Post your course-related questions to the Ask

the Instructor discussion topic*. This allows
other students to benefit from your question as
well.

Questions of a personal nature can be directed

to your instructor.
Instructor and TA
Instructor: First Name, Last Name
 Course-related
[email protected]
questions (e.g.,
course content,
TA: TBD (is there a TA for the course?)
deadlines,
assignments, etc.) Your instructor checks email and the Ask the
 Questions of a Instructor discussion topic* frequently and will
personal nature make every effort to reply to your questions within
24 hours, Monday to Friday. When emailing the
instructor, please indicate the course code in the
subject line.

*Discussion topics can be accessed by

clicking Connect and then Discussions on the
course navigation bar above.
 Who and Why Contact Details

[email protected]

Technical Support Include your full name, WatIAM user ID, student
number, and course name and number.
 Technical problems
with Waterloo Technical support is available during regular
LEARN business hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to
4:30 PM (Eastern Time).

LEARN Help Student Documentation

Student Resources

 Academic advice
Student Resources  Student success
 WatCards
 Library services and more

Course Description and Learning Outcomes

Purpose: for students to know what the course is about, and what they can expect to
learn.

The green italicized text indicates where you should enter/overwrite information.

Course Description

Write the Senate-approved description for your course here.

Undergraduate Studies Calendar

Graduate Studies Academic Calendar

Learning Outcomes

Copy course-level learning outcomes for your course. Some people find Bloom’s
taxonomy helpful for this. Review CTE’s teaching tip on Writing Intended Learning
Outcomes.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

 …
 …
 …
 etc.

Grade Breakdown
Purpose: for a quick reference for students to know what the activities and
assignments are and how much they are worth. This information is essential for setting
up your LEARN gradebook.

The green italicized text indicates where you should enter/overwrite information.

The following table represents the grade breakdown of this course.

Activities and Assignments Weight (%)

Introduce Yourself Ungraded

Reflections (3 at 5% each) 15%

Discussions (2 at 10% each) 20%

Project 25%

Final Assessment 40%

 
Final Assessment

Purpose: provides students with information on their final assessment.

If an assessment is considered to be of the same scope and importance of a final

exam, it can take place during the final exam period. Note: major term tests (more
than 25% of the final course grade) should not take place in the last 5 days of
term as outlined in the Formal Lecture Period.

The green italicized text indicates where you should enter/overwrite information.

Include a brief description of your final assessment. If the final assessment is scheduled
during the final assessment period, be sure to provide the dates.

Your Instructor
Purpose: for students to know a little more about you! The goal is to put a face to a
name and share your interest in the subject. You may want to include your educational
background, current research, teaching philosophy, and/or interests. A simple link to
your information page at UW works too.

Picture

Include a recent picture of yourself. Be sure to use a picture you have permission
to share and include the source of this photograph.
Materials and Resources
Purpose: for students to know what textbook(s) they should purchase, how to access
Course Reserves (if there are any), and any additional materials that must be
purchased.

The green italicized text indicates where you should enter/overwrite information.

Textbook(s)

Required

List required textbooks with full citations.

Recommended

List recommended textbooks with full citations.

Booklook info

Include the following information if you have a required textbook:

For textbook ordering information, please contact the W Store | Course

Materials + Supplies.

For your convenience, you can compile a list of required and optional course materials
including both print and digital formats, through UWaterloo BookLook using your
Quest userID and password. If you are having difficulties ordering online and need
support, please contact the W Store by email [email protected], by local
phone +1 519-888-4673 or by toll-free at +1 866-330-7933. Please be aware that
textbook orders CANNOT be taken over the phone.
Course Reserves

Will your course have Course Reserves? Yes/No

If Yes, include this statement

Course Reserves can be accessed using the Library Resources  widget on the Course

Home  page.

For more information on how to setup Course Reserves materials see Course

Reserves for Instructors and the guidance below:

Log in to course reserves to place new requests, or to clone reserve lists from a
previous term. Reserves staff will try where possible to replace print resources
with content that is already digitally available, as well as ensure that posted
material:

 Can be accessed through the “Get Course Reserves” link in LEARN

 Is copyright compliant
 Meets Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards

Requests will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Please place your

requests as soon as possible. For material that requires copyright clearance,
several weeks may be needed in some cases to obtain permission and/or
licensing. Questions about Course Reserves can be directed
to [email protected].

Other Materials

List any other materials students will be required to purchase (e.g. a rock kit, third
party tool, or digital asset).

Instructors may wish to connect with the W Store as they also facilitate the purchase
of some third-party tools if not covered by a license. They also sell many kits and
supplies.
Resources

Library COVID-19: Updates on library services and operations.

Course and Department Policies

Purpose: for students to understand policies specific to your course and your
department.

The green italicized text indicates where you should enter/overwrite information.

Course Policies

If you have specific procedures (other than the standard University Policies) for
students to follow if they miss an assignment due date, term test, or final exam, list
them here.

Department Policies

List any department-specific policies here. An example is the allowable use and type of
calculator.

University Policies

Purpose: for students to understand the University Policies that pertain to them being
a student in the course.

Academic integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members

of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust,
fairness, respect and responsibility. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity for
more information.]

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of

his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for
initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section
4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative
assistant who will provide further assistance.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to

avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for his/her
actions. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information.] A student
who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in
learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for
group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor,
academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For information on
categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71,
Student Discipline. For typical penalties, check Guidelines for the Assessment of
Penalties.

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions

and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be
appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an
appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals.

Note for students with disabilities: AccessAbility Services, located in Needles

Hall, Room 1401, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange
appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising
the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic
accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with
AccessAbility Services at the beginning of each academic term.

Turnitin.com: Text matching software (Turnitin®) may be used to screen

assignments in this course. Turnitin® is used to verify that all materials and
sources in assignments are documented. Students' submissions are stored on a
U.S. server, therefore students must be given an alternative (e.g., scaffolded
assignment or annotated bibliography), if they are concerned about their privacy
and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in the first week of the term
and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and
alternatives for the use of Turnitin in this course.
It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first
week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit
alternate assignment.

June 15, 2009 (updated March 2018)

Coronavirus Information
Coronavirus Information for Students

This resource provides updated information on COVID-19 and guidance for

accommodations due to COVID-19.

Mental Health Support (optional)

Purpose: this optional section provides students with the services and contact
information for mental health supports

All of us need a support system. We encourage you to seek out mental health
supports when they are needed. Please reach out to Campus Wellness and
Counselling Services.

We understand that these circumstances can be troubling, and you may need to
speak with someone for emotional support. Good2Talk is a post-secondary
student helpline based in Ontario, Canada that is available to all students.

Territorial Acknowledgement (optional)

Purpose: to acknowledge Indigenous peoples’ presence and land rights, to recognize
that we benefit from the land, to prompt reflection, in the spirit of Truth and
Reconciliation.

“We acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory of the
Attawandaron (Neutral), Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. The
University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to
the Six Nations that includes ten kilometres on each side of the Grand River.”

Note that you can use this acknowledgement as it is, or you may give it additional
context specific to you and/or your course.
Credits and Copyright
Purpose: to give credit where required for media that is not credited within other
course content, such as the course author’s photo and the course banner graphic, and
to list copyright information.

The green italicized text indicates where you should enter/overwrite information.

Credits

Provide full citations for graphics, images, etc. that are not credited in-situ (e.g., course
banners, icons, backgrounds, etc.)

Copyright

© [course author’s name] and University of Waterloo.

List any Creative Commons (CC) information here, if Open Educational Resources
(OER) are being used in the course.