SUR  UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Quality Assurance: Course Outlines

December 13, 2008

Outline of the Workshop                                                 

•         Review and Components (20 minutes)

•         Example of a Course Outline (5 minutes)

•         Comments on SUC current outlines (10 minutes)

•         External: REVIEW OF SUBJECT OULINES --- Bond University (10 minutes)

Outline

PHASE I: Program Specification (PS): 

1. The mission of the University/ College.

2. The aims of the program.

3. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

                        3.1 Knowledge and understanding skills.

                        3.2 Cognitive and intellectual skills.

                        3.3 Practical and application skills.

                        3.4 Transferable skills.

4. Curriculum

5. Students.

6. Staff.

7. Teaching / Learning and Assessment Methods.

8. Resources

PHASE II: Self and Evaluation Documents (SED) 

•         Introduction, Provision, Aims

–        Introduction

–        Provision

–        Mission of the University/ College

–        Aims of the program

•         Academic Standards:

–        Intended Learning outcomes (ILOs_

–        Curriculum

–        Assessment

–        Students Achievement

•         Quality of Learning Opportunities: Teaching/Learning and Assessment Methods, Students Progression, Learning Resources.

•         Quality Assurance and Enhancement: Committees, Students Feedback, Staff Feedback, Employer’ View, Examiner reports       , Review

Major Goals of Course Outline

1. To provide factual information about the course, allowing the SED to provide reflect analysis of the provision and its development

2. Should help students to understand what is expected of them upon completion the course.

3. Help reviewers to understand the ILOs and the T/L and assessment methods for the course under review

Course Outline Content:

•         Course Identification

•         Instructor Identification

•         Course Description

•         Introduction

•         Teaching Format and Delivery

•         ILOs (or Objectives)

•         Assessment

•         Prescribed Text Books

•         Teaching Aids

•         Learning Resources: Texts and  Web sites, Students support, Supplementary References Texts (Library, Hardware and Software Requirements.

•         Weekly Outline and Related T/L and assessment

Course Identification

•         University/ College, Department and Program

•         Title : Software Engineering

•         Code: 421043

•         Unit Value: 3 credit hours

•         Level: BS

•         Pre-requisite: 421040 Object Oriented

•         Semester: First Academic Year: 2008/2009

•         Class Meeting Time: Theory Sat and Mon

                                                            1:00 2:00

                                                Practical: Wed 2:00 – 4:00

Instructor Identification

•         Name:  Ahmad Sharieh

•         Office Place: G 20

•         Office Hours: Sat and Wed 12:00- 1:00

•         E-mail:  ahmadsharieh@suc.edu.om

•         Phone Number: 25542888  Mob: 99439667

•         Mailing Address: Sur University College

                                                P. O. Box 400

                                                P.C 411 Sur

                                                Sultanate of Oman

Course Description

Part of the Curriculum (Degree, total credit hours; Codes for Courses, College/Univ, Department, and Program obligatory and Elective requirements)

Part of the Student Study Plan

Format: Main Goal and level (1 to 3 statements), topics to be covered, major L methods.

Example: Course Description

420313  Software Engineering          (3 credit hors)   Prerequisite: 420310

     The Software Engineering is a subject for students in bachelor level. This course presents software engineering approaches to build software that makes things better. It is intended to serve as a guide to a maturing engineering discipline.  It covers software process models, software engineering methods, software tools, and quality of software. The topics to be studied are: software characteristics, application, process; managing software projects: concepts, process, metrics, planning, risk, scheduling, quality assurance, and configuration; Software requirements: system engineering, analysis, and modelling; Software engineering design: model, architectural, user interface, component design, distributed, real time design, and object-oriented design; testing and maintenance. Case studies are provided; a project is required to apply and investigate issues in software engineering.

Introduction

Optional and elaborate more (Why is this, Expectation,…)

Teaching Format and Delivery

Example:

•         Class contact is 5 hours per week (2 hours lecture, 2 hours lab/tutorial , and 1 hour consultation).

•         The course will be delivered using various modes such as lectures, seminar, presentation, case studies and assignment.

•         As required, there will be presentations, group discussion and individual meeting.

ILOs (Objectives)

1. Knowledge and Understanding Skills

2. Cognitive and Intellectual Skills

3. Subject or Practical and Application Skills

4. Transferable and Communication Skills

Classification of Skills

•         Cognitive: Understanding, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation.

•         Psychomotor: Read, Write, Speak, Listen, Swim, Play, Drive, service,… .

•         Affective: feel, sense, love, respect, … .

How to achieve ILOs:
Deploy 3 major systems of T/L:

•         A structured curriculum of courses and syllabi, with built in pathways and options, that provide the learning frame work for all the inter-related specialization options or degree that under assessment

•         A variety of teaching and learning methods and strategies for ensuring effective delivery of courses

•         A variety of methods and strategies for measuring (assessing) student achievements against ILOS

Teaching & L Methods

•         Ordinary lectures are delivered 3 times/week for each course by an Instructor through ordinary black (or white) boards, data shows, and IT techniques supports,

•         Teaching Assistants (Professors, TA, and graduate and senior undergraduate students) give tutorial sessions.  

•         Lecture summary notes, comments, solutions, and announcements are given to students through their  E-mails, where there is an E-group for each class.

•         Additional Materials for some introductory courses are Web-based or on line.

•         Additional IT training sessions are introduced by several ways from the industry, public organization sectors, and the Internet clubs at the College/Univ.

•         External lectures, invited speakers from industry and other institutions, and workshops are provided and students and staff are required to attend.

T/Learning Methods

•         Set of assignments is required for each course. They include home works, written programs, case studies, and small projects.

•         Lab assignments are performed on a time scheduled.

•         A course project is required for course.

•         A specific lab (Incubator called I-Lab) is established for creativity, entrepreneurial, and innovation for students to implement and market their ideas.

•         Training workshops during the semester and during off period between the semesters.

•         Use E-learning environment such as: Moodle, Blackboard, WebCT.

•         Assignments need Library (books, References, Journals, …), Website and E-libraries.

•         Field visiting

•         Training in approved organizations or self-independent learning proved by gaining an accredited certificate.

•         A graduate project is required and a student is required to produce a research paper and a technical report.

Assessment

Example of Assessment methods   

•         Exams: Two term (15-20% each) and one final exam (50%) is required for each course.

•          Assignments, programming assignment (10-20%).

•         Seminars and presentation.

•         Small project and reports.

•         Meeting and attending.

•         Discussion and demo and oral exams.

•         Research paper and technical reports.

 Regulation for Assessment

•         To qualify for the award degree, students must complete all the course requirements: ??.

•         More details of assessment

•         For Multi-sections classes, there will be a coordinator; so all students will gain the same skills and similar environments.

•         All evaluation papers are returned and disused with to students in two weeks, except the final exam. 

•         The results will be approved by: the department committee, the college committee and Dean council.

The grading system for a class is as follows

Categories of ILOs

•         A: Knowledge and Understanding of: (know, define, identify, understand, ….)

–        Essential facts

–        concepts

–        principles

–        theories

•         T/L (examples): lectures, seminars, textbooks, assignments, projects,….

•         Assessment (examples): variety written and oral examinations,….

B. Cognitive

•         Intellectual Analytical and Cognitive Skills such as: (analyze, design, compare, synthesize , solve, recognize, … .).

–        analyses

–         synthesis

–        evaluation

–        problem solving

•         T/L: They are practiced and demonstrated through more active and learning environments involving:

–        assignments

–         projects

–        seminars

–        tutorials

–        laboratory

–        workshops

•         Assessments: written or oral exams, presentation, projects, dissertation, … .

C. Subject-Specific Skills

•         Specific Skills: practical and professional skills

              - Design a new website

              - Write a computer program

              - Produce a strategic plan

              - Write a technical report

•         T/L: developed through opportunities to practice the activity in appropriate learning context such as: laboratory, field or workplace. Hard copy or electronic workbooks and guidance manuals may be used to support such learning.

•         Assessment: assessment of competence in exercising practical skills must involved demonstration, presentation,   ….

D. Transferable Skills

•         Transferable that are readily transferable to employment: communication, language, presentation, team, use of basic IT skills, time management, ….

•         T/L: can be developed through naturally rising opportunities within the curriculum: through seminars, report writing, team working skills through collaborative projects, simulation, ….

•         Assessed:

–        seminars,

–         report writing,

–        team working skills through collaborative projects ,….

–           Exams textbooks

–        journals

Prescribed Text

Example:

Van Home, Financial Management and Policy, 12/e, 2005, Prentice Hall, NY.

Text Web Site

http://www.vig.prenhall.com/catlog/mm.html

Teaching Aids

Example

•         Instructor Manual

•         Test Bank

•         http//:www.prenhall.com/vanhome/

Student Support

•         Spreadsheet Modeling Book

•         http://prenhall.com/vanhorne/

•         Study Guide

•         Student Multimedia CD

•         Free Tutorial Sessions

Supplementary References

Books

Article from Journals

Websites

Online materials

Weekly Outline 

Outline

Software Engineering (hand out)

One will be e-mailed

Comments on SUC current outlines

•         Some do not follow the Handbook Entries; The BA courses are more close than other courses.

•         Some follow partially

•         There is no a course description

•         Some do not distinguish between Teaching and Learning methods

•         Mixed of ILOs (objectives)

•         They are not relating ILOs skills to Topics

•         Some Need more details

•         Lack of Supported materials, Reference, Website and articles from Journals.

•         Lack of training

Review of Subject Outlines (Bond University

•         Level

•         Syllabus

•         Content

•         Sources

•         Format

•         Assessment Level

•         Assessment Style

•         Comments

Some are Good (3), some are medium (2), and some are Low(1)

See hand outs