Preparing Content for the Course Outline Builder
USING THIS DOCUMENT
The following document has been created to help faculty prepare material for the Course
Outline Builder (found in Canvas) or for faculty who do not yet have access to Canvas. You
may not turn this document into a PDF and upload it for use as a Course Outline. You are
strongly encouraged to use the instructions in the Canvas Guide for Faculty the first time
you use the Course Outline Builder.
Instructions and text from the Course Outline Builder tool are italicized below
Bolded text are section headings
Red text is additional information that will help you complete this section
The Course Outline Builder is a tool that helps instructors build their course outlines. This
course outline tool has been developed to meet student needs for consistency and
transparency in how course information is presented and to comply with the Accessibility for
Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) legislation.
Complete each step to create your course outline. The completed outline (in Canvas) will also
contain standard information about workload expectations, academic integrity, student
feedback on courses, policies, material fees, the undergraduate or graduate grading scheme
and the critique and/or exam schedule.
Office Hours
Day (Drop Down)
Time (Drop Down)
Location (Short Text Field)
Notes (Paragraph Box)
Learning Outcomes (Paragraph Box)
Course learning outcomes are approved by the Faculty Curriculum Committee and Senate.
Please add the approved and any additional course learning outcomes.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Required Readings (Optional) (Paragraph Box)
Indicate any required readings including texts, course packs, or articles and where they can be
purchased. Where possible, include the web address, location and phone number of the
supplier.
Textbooks and Course Packs: Instructors are responsible for working with the OCAD U Bookstore
to arrange textbook orders and course packs. Please contact the manager of The OCAD
University Campus Bookstore at [email protected] or 416-977-6000 x360.
Course Reserves: You can find information on arranging course reserves on Canvas here.
Supplies (Optional) (Paragraph Box)
Supplies refer to any materials needed for the course. You may also wish to include brand names
(if available), approximate cost and suggested retailer(s).
Teaching & Learning Methods (Paragraph Box)
Explain to students what they can expect during class time. For example, “Most classes will
begin with a short lecture and we will then break into small groups and you will complete team
projects” or “We will use a variety of learning strategies in this class including project work,
discussions, presentations and lectures.”
Class Schedule (Text Fields)
-Automatically organized by date according to your class schedule from Colleague, the
registration system
-A time saving tool in the Course Outline Builder is the ability to export your course schedule
into Modules. This will create a module for each week of the course. Once you've completed
using the Course Outline Builder, you can then add content pages, assignments, videos, quizzes,
etc. to each weekly module. Note: Only Export to Modules once, each time you click the button
duplicate modules will be created
Class 1, (Date)
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
Class 2, (Date)
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
Class 3, (Date)
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
Class 4, (Date)
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
Class 5, (Date)
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
Class 6, (Date)
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
Class 7, (Date)
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
Class 8, (Date)
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
Class 9, (Date)
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
Class 10, (Date)
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
Class 11, (Date)
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
Class 12, (Date)
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
Critique/Exam Schedule (Y/N Radio Button)
Does this course have an exam or final critique?
Assignments, Critiques & Exams
-Repeat the following steps for each graded assignment in your course
-One great advantage of the Course Outline Builder is that when you add your assignments to
your outline, with the click of the Export Assignments button, you can add them to the
assignments section of your Canvas Course. After completing your outline, you can go to the
assignments tool to add details to each assignment. Note: if you have copied your course from
a past course or master that already has assignments, it is recommended that you edit
assignments manually rather than using the Export Assignments button.
Add an assignment
Name (Short Text Field)
Due Date (Select Date from Calendar; Time Drop Down)
Weight (Drop Down by percentage)
According to the Grading Policy, the course outline must specify the methods by which student
performance will be evaluated; the relative weight in the final grade of these methods, including
any discretionary factor; the due dates of all assignments, tests, exams and critiques; and the
penalty for late submission of assignments.
When thinking through grading for the course, note that:
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Assignment deadlines must be communicated to students in writing.
Any student in need of an extended deadline must negotiate an extension in advance of
the published deadline. Only under extenuating circumstances will late assignments be
accepted without communication prior to the deadline. Documentation of the
extenuating circumstances must be provided by the student upon request. At the
discretion of faculty/instructors, deductions may be applied for any late assignment
submissions.
 No assignment or exam can count for more than 40% of the final grade.
 Where peer or self-evaluation is used, that component cannot count for more than 25%
of the final grade. In courses with multiple sections, the number and weighting of
individual assignments shall be reasonably consistent in order to ensure fairness to
students in all sections of the course.
 Participation may not be assessed for more than 15% of the final mark.
 Faculty must provide students with a numerical interim grade worth at least 20% of the
final grade prior to the interim grade deadline that is the last date to withdraw from a
course without academic penalty.
Changes made to assignments in Canvas will not be reflected in this outline.
Late Work (Paragraph Box)
Explain to students how late work will be handled in this course. You may want to add
statements such as "Late work is not acceptable except in the case of documented illness or
extraordinary circumstances" or "Late work will not be accepted without prior permission of the
faculty member."
Please also explain penalty associated with late work, for example: "All late work will be
assessed a minimum penalty of __% per week. Even with prior permission, no late work will be
accepted more than __ days after the initial due date."
Participation (Paragraph Box)
If students can earn part of their course grade through participation, please explain to students
what is included in this category.
Participation may not be assessed for more than 15% of the final mark. Participation includes
some or all of the following:
 arriving on time and listening to lectures and instruction
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being prepared and working in class time
sharing ideas, concepts and creative exploration
sharing conceptual development in progress with other students
cooperating in group projects
analyzing and offering opinions about work in progress
listening to and being an active participant in critique discussions.
Bibliography (Paragraph)
In addition to course readings, if you would like to provide bibliographic information to students
that inform course development and teaching, please list them here.
Style Guide (Radio Button)
If you would like students to submit their work according to a particular style guide for this
course, please indicate the style:
None
MLA
APA
Chicago
Course Information (Optional) (Paragraph)
Please add any course information that is not addressed elsewhere in the course outline.