2 Getting Started with Your Syllabus: McMaster and DeGroote Course Policies
2 Getting Started with Your Syllabus: McMaster and DeGroote Course Policies
The Course Outline
The course outline is a guide for you and your students regarding the teaching and learning activities that will happen during the term. A thorough course outline can reduce confusion amongst students and give you a touchstone for conversations about late assignments, grading, and other issues that might arise with your students. Some Faculties have their own requirements for course outlines. We recommend checking with the program chair or other members of the teaching team to see if there are pre-existing templates or samples upon which you could base the outline for your course. You can access the undergraduate course template here and the MBA course template here.
As per the Undergraduate Course Management Policies found on the University Secretariat website, it is required that every course outline include predefined statements on the following:
- Academic Integrity
- Academic Accommodations of Students with Disabilities
- Requests for Relief for Missed Academic Term Work (see MSAF)
- Academic Accommodation for Religious, Indigenous or Spiritual Observances (see RISO)
- Online Elements
- Extreme Circumstances
This policy also outlines requirements for due dates, including restrictions on when assignments are due and tests are scheduled, and when feedback must be provided in the semester. Likewise, it notes maximum allowable values for course assessments and how to communicate grades to students.
McMaster Grading Scale
McMaster uses a 12 point grading scale with 12 equivalent to A+ and 0 equivalent to an F. You may hear students speak about their performance on this scale even though, generally speaking, most instructors use a traditional letter or percentage grading system for their courses. For more information on the McMaster Grading scale for undergraduate courses, see the Office of the Registrar’s page on the GPA.
DeGroote’s MBA program has adopted an alternative, 6-point grading scale that can be found in the MBA Academic Handbook.
Accessibility and Accommodation
The Academic Accommodations of Students with Disabilities policy outlines the roles and responsibilities for instructors and students regarding requests for academic accommodations in courses at McMaster. At the start of term, you will be required to login to review accommodation letters outlining the requirements to make assessments accessible to students in your course registered through Student Accessibility Services (SAS). At any point in the term, additional students may register and upload new letters, so it is important to check the site regularly for any new or updated letters. In some programs, you may receive this accommodation information directly from the DeGroote Student Experience Office. Any questions you may have about accommodation requests can be directed to the SAS staff members named in the accommodation letter. To learn more about topics in equity, the Equity and I