Basic Course Information
- How do you want students to contact you: via email, phone or through Blackboard; through a course Facebook page?
- Are there times of day you will not be available?
- How soon can students expect a response?
- Are you willing to meet with students at other times if office hours conflict with their schedule?
- Where is your campus mailbox?
For adjunct faculty who don’t have office space, there are several options for establishing office hours:
- Meet with students prior to or directly after class
- Establish office hours and meet in the Blackboard Support Office in Library 321
- Meet with students in the library, Mary Graydon, or other public spaces on campus
- Establish on-line office hours when you will be available via e-mail, g-chat or Skype.
Course Description and Overview
This section might begin with the course description from the AU catalogue (or your individual version) and often includes general course goals: broad statements that create the course overview/big picture. These goals can be listed or written as a paragraph. Terms often used to describe goals include, for example, appreciate, value, explore, consider, take into account, understand, and become familiar with.
Required Textbooks and Materials
Include, as relevant, information such as the following:
- Which texts are required and which, if any, are optional?
- Are books on reserve at the library?
- Do students need to buy a specific edition of the text?
- Can students rent the book or use an e-copy online?
- Are there additional resources or required fees, e.g. lab fees, art supplies, sheet music, field trips, technology fees or software purchases?
Course Objectives
Clearly stating course objectives helps students see the overall course framework. Relevant points to include are
- What do you hope to cover, introduce and explore during the semester?
- Which content and skills are most important to you in this course?
- What are you going to evaluate?
