Elements of an Effective Course Outline
Expected OutcomesThe principle of specificity requires that the course outline include a description of the knowledge and skills students will need to have demonstrated by the conclusion of the course, such as a list of expected outcomes, learning objectives, or anticipated topics. I recommend including both generic "course goals" or "course objectives" (which tend to be stable over the lifetime of the course), and a separate list of topics (which are likely to change year to year as the course content is updated), which represent the specific content used to illustrate or achieve the course goals for that semester.
A tentative schedule of topics, readings and assignment due dates is also recommended to assist students in pacing their work and ensuring that students are prepared for every class, but this may not always be practical, especially if one is teaching the course for the first time.
