Program outline

Program description

A program description on the Program Outline is a concise, general description of the program which broadly includes content and goals of the course. It is informative, but is also used to draw students to the program. It should:

• be general enough to allow for flexibility in delivery of the program over time, but specific enough to reflect content and outcomes
• reflect what students experience in the program (e.g. experiential learning, course topics) and not what they do
• appeal to non-content experts or prospective students
• contain fewer than 900 characters and be written in the present tense

Course descriptions

Descriptions of each course offered in a program are part of the official Program Outline and do require approval at Academic Council. They are created within the Course Inventory Management page of CIM, but appear in the Program Tracking section of the official Program Outline in pop-up bubbles attached to individual course codes. If resources and time permit, complete course outlines should be drafted simultaneously. This makes for a more integrated curriculum, and saves considerable time overall.

Course descriptions include course code and title, number of hours, and a description of what students can expect in the course. Course descriptions should be:

• up to 150 words in length
• written in present tense
• followed by a list of any pre-, co- and concurrent requisite courses

While considering the courses, ask questions about what needs to be taught, determine their optimal sequence semester by semester, and determine how to meet General Education requirements and Essential Employability Skills (EES). Remember, curriculum design moves beyond what order the courses are offered in and considers the relationship between the outcomes, the learning assessments and the learning activities.

Diploma and certificate

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for Diploma and Certificate programs must be vocational in nature. These Learning Outcomes stem from the Provincial Program Standard or Description Vocational Learning Outcomes (VLOs) and Essential Employability Skills (EES). They are statements that indicate what a graduate of the program is able to do in the workplace. When determining new PLOs (based on a Provincial Program Description), ensure that they

• are clearly vocational (they should not describe what a student will do in the program)
• retain the elements, dimensions or themes of the existing Program Description VLOs
• indicate the level of skill appropriate for the credential
• are attainable and measurable

Remember, when using a Provincial Program Standard as the starting point, the outcomes cannot be modified; however, outcomes can be added when relevant, such as institutional learning outcomes around entrepreneurship or Indigenization.

Writing vocational program learning outcomes involves considerable skill and time. For assistance with this process, please access support provided by the Office of Academic Quality (OAQ).

Degree

Degree courses must be designed for students to achieve the PLOs from the Program Outline and take into consideration PEQAB’s Degree Level Standard. Breadth courses are generally developed and approved by the Dean/Associate Dean of Liberal Arts; however, degree-level courses delivered by other program areas can sometimes be used as breadth, as long as they are not in the core area of study. In that case, they are developed by the original program area.

Career opportunities

The career opportunities section of the program outline identifies entry-level positions for which a graduate of a program has been prepared and appears below the program description. Career opportunities should

• outline possible career opportunities for the graduate
• refrain from making promises (i.e. use “may” instead of “will”)
• be up to 100 words (600 characters) in length

Admission requirements

The prior education a student needs for admission into a program appears in the official Program Outline, in the college viewbook, and on the college website for each program. Admission requirements are outlined on the Ontario Qualifications Framework, and are approved internally by the Office of the Registrar.

The basic admission requirement for postsecondary programs is an OSSD or equivalent with Grade 12 English (C or U). Degree programs require an OSSD or equivalent with minimum overall average of 65 per cent, including six Grade 12 U or M level courses and Grade 12 English (U level). Post-graduate programs require a postsecondary diploma or degree or equivalent. Additional program specific requirements appear below the basic requirements in bullet form.