The course manual is the first place a student checks for information on a course. Everything that a student wants to know about a course, has to be available here. Handy for students, but it also saves you a lot of unnecessary questions. A lot of study programmes have a fixed format the course coordinator uses when designing the course manual. Can’t find the format? Ask your programma coordinator.
Format
The elements listed below are always a part of the course manual:
1. Name the general information.
Give the name and course code, the lecturer(s) and course coordinator, the amount of course credits a student will receive, period and main language.
2. Briefly describe the course content.
Give a short description of what the student will learn during the course and what the course’s place is within the overall study programme.
3. State the learning objectives.
Describe what knowledge and skills the student will master at the end of the course.
4. Show how the course is structured.
Explain how the course is set up, how many meetings there are and what you are going to do during these meetings. Also briefly name what type of assessment will be used or that the students are required to hand in intermediate assignments. Name the deadlines, when you will give feedback and what a student has to do when they miss a meeting or deadline.
5. Give a comprehensive explanation of how students are assessed.
Be as accurate as possible. If there is an exam, indicate the amount of open and multiple choice questions and how long the exam lasts. If there are other assignments, explain what students will be working on and what assessment criteria will be used.
6. Explain what course material there is.
Indicate what literature students are required to read and what they need to prepare for the exam. Also explain what digital tools you want to use, such as weblectures, educational clips or practice modules.