The U.S. Department of Education, the Higher Learning Commission, and UW-Madison recognize a course syllabus is required for each course offering. This policy specifies what is and is not required in a course proposal sample syllabus.

A course syllabus is required when a course proposal is submitted and must follow the requirements for course syllabi at UW-Madison. Some information that is specific to a course offering, such as instructor name, location, etc. is not required, although it is recommended this information be included when known. The following items are required:

Key Course Offering Information

• Institution name
• Subject and catalog number
• Course title
• Number of credits
• Course designations and attributes (if any)
• Course description
• Requisites
• Instructional mode
• Learning outcomes
• How credit hours are met by the course

Instructor-to-Student Communication

• Discussion sessions (if applicable)
• Laboratory sessions (if applicable)
• The required textbook, software, and other course materials
• Indication of time devoted to individual topics via academic activities
• A representative list of readings
• Homework and other Assignments
• Exams, quizzes, papers, and other major graded work
• Grading

Academic Policies and Statements

• Not required

Special accrediting bodies may have additional or different syllabus requirements.

Course Proposal Elements (KnowledgeBase (KB)

Course Proposal Sample Syllabus Requirements KnowledgeBase (KB)

Course Syllabi at UW–Madison

Course Syllabus KnowledgeBase (KB)

Digital Course Syllabus Tool

How to Access Lumen Courses or Lumen Programs

The review of course proposals is a shared responsibility, the intent of which is to broadly communicate curricula, offer feedback, enhance the quality of instruction, and meet certain standards. This policy outlines the elements required for course proposals.

A course proposal must include information to support the development of the course. The following elements are required, when applicable, and appear in the Guide and Course Search & Enroll. These elements must be consistent across all course offerings and can only be changed via the Course Proposal Form in Lumen.

Subject
Number
Cross-Listing
Course Title
Transcript Title
Course Description
Requisites
Grading Basis
Components
Directed/Independent Study or Thesis Course
Credits (Variable Credit)
Repeatability
Topic Title Eligibility
Course Attributes and Designations
Graduate Attribute
Honors
Breadth
LAS Credit
General Education (QR-A and B, COMM A and B)
Ethnic Studies
Foreign Language
Workplace
Learning Outcomes

Subject

The subject must reflect the area of study and department offering the course. All proposals must be approved by the department that owns the subject listing and the school or college that owns the department. The same is true of any cross-list partners.

Number

The course number must reflect the level of the course:

• Course numbers below 100 do not carry degree credit.
• Courses numbered 100-299 may be taken for credit only by undergraduates.
• Courses numbered 300-699 may be taken for credit by undergraduate and graduate or professional students.
• Courses numbered 700-999 are open only to graduate and professional students.

Specific course numbers are assigned to directed/independent study, undergraduate thesis, and graduate thesis and dissertation writing courses.

Cross-Listing

A cross-listed course must have the same elements in all cross-listed subjects:

• Course number
• Title
• Credits
• Requisites
• Designations, if applicable, e.g., breadth, level, etc.

Cross-listing is reserved for courses that are taught within an inter- or multi-disciplinary framework and that appropriately belong to multiple subject listings. There is no requirement that a course be cross-listed, even when it meets the following criteria:

• All participating units must work together to ensure the accuracy of information as it appears in each subject listing.
• All participating academic units must regularly contribute instructors to either team teach or rotate teaching responsibilities for the course.
• The course must benefit students across the cross-listed departments.
• The subject matter must be appropriate and relevant to fields represented by the participating departments.

Course Title

The course title, also known as the Long Title, must reflect the overall theme of the course description and must be unique except for independent/directed study and similar courses where the title simply describes the basic activity of the course (e.g., Research, Thesis, etc.). It is utilized in Course Search and Enroll, Guide, Canvas and other campus systems and publications where space is not an issue.

A topic title-eligible course has two titles: a course title that is generic title and a topic title. Each time a section of the course is offered, the additional Topic Title is assigned to the section indicating the specific topic. See Topic Title Eligibility for more information.

Transcript Title

The Transcript Title is an abridged version of the Course Title and appears on the student transcript. The Transcript Title must accurately reflect the course to external parties such as employers, other institutions, etc.

Course Description

The course description provides a summary of the course content. The text of a course description is used in the search features of Guide, Course Search and Enroll, etc. Students use key words and phrases in course searches. The description must be written such that the intended audience (students, advisors, transfer credit evaluators, and the public) knows what will be taught in the course.

A course description must:

• Be concise.
• Exclude elements populated through other means, e.g., course title, credits, how it fulfills requirements, planned offerings, requisites, modes of instruction, or how the course will be taught.
• Exclude phrases like "In this course", "The goal of the course is", or "Students will" as these are implied.
• When applicable, reference other courses with the correct subject short description in all capital letters and the catalog number (i.e.: MATH 202). If formatted correctly, Lumen will connect the sequenced course information to be displayed in a course bubble.
• When applicable, clarify that a course is taught in a language other than English. This excludes foreign language courses with the Foreign Language Attribute (FL1-5).

Note: In limited situations, information related to the enrollment of students in the course, such as “Consent of Instructor” may be included as the last sentence in the course description.

Examples:

Requisites

A catalog requisite is the academic preparation required of all students to be successful in a course. A requisite can take the form of a prerequisite (completed prior to the start of the course) or a co-requisite (taken concurrently with the course).

Each requisite must be transparent and inclusive of all ways a student can demonstrate preparation.

A requisite is not a means of managing enrollment. This is done at the section level with requirement groups and is not part of the course catalog. A section level requirement can be variable while a course catalog level requirement is constant. A section-level requirement group is determined when building the schedule of classes and may only be stricter than the catalog level requisite.

A requisite must, when applicable:

• Include all UW-Madison courses that provide the academic preparation needed for the course, including all course equivalents and all cross-listings. Courses must be formatted with the correct subject short description in all capital letters and the catalog number (i.e., MATH 202).
• Include specific GPA/grade requirements for prerequisite courses.
• Include placement exams. Advanced Placement and other third-party test results are automatically configured if the course they equate to is used in the requisite.
• Consider the audience for the course (i.e., class standing- junior standing, graduate/professional, etc. Students declared in a plan or subplan).

When a requisite is not enforceable in the enrollment system, ‘Consent of Instructor’ may be utilized by the academic department when developing the course description at the catalog level. See the list of standard requisites.

Grading Basis

The grading basis for a course determines what grade options are available to the course instructor on the grade roster.

Available grading bases include:

• A - F: The standard grading scale which includes the pass/fail grading option.
• Credit/No Credit (CR/N): A student who performs at a given standard receives credit for the course while those who do not receive no credit. This is not the same as the pass/fail grading option.
• Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U): Typically used for graduate or professional courses.
• School of Veterinary Medicine: Available only for School of Veterinary Medicine courses.

Note:

• Courses with a number ending in 98 (e.g.,198 or 698) are offered on a Credit/No Credit basis.
• Courses with a number ending in 99 (e.g., 199 or 699) are graded on the A - F basis.
• The First in 2 Course Sequence grade option is for administrative use only, and is utilized for courses that are connected, e.g., 681/682 (Senior Honors Thesis) or 691/692 (Undergraduate/Senior Thesis).

Components

A course component reflects a category of course meeting and is not intended to describe the instructional method.

Lecture: A commonly used component for group instruction.

Seminar: A small discussion-oriented course, usually in a specialized topic.

Field Study: A course that takes place in a work setting.

Discussion: A component that is an attachment to and subset of a lecture.

Laboratory: A component used to reflect hands on learning. A laboratory may be attached to a lecture or stand alone.

Directed/Independent Study or Thesis Course: A one-on-one learning experience where student learning is directed by an instructor and the student learns independently of other students.

Some course components may be used in combination:

Lecture/Discussion

Lecture/Discussion/Laboratory

Lecture/Field Study

Lecture/Laboratory

Lecture/Laboratory/Field Study

Laboratory/Discussion

Credits

Each course must abide by the Credit Hour policy, including a course offered for variable credit.

A variable credit course may take several forms:

• Different credits across terms (e.g., 3 credits in fall, 4 credits in spring); or
• Different credits across sections (e.g., topics courses where each section is a different topic with a set number of credits); or
• Different credits across students.
  • For group instruction, each student selects the number of credits representative of their workload.
  • For group instruction, a student selects to enroll in an additional, optional credit. For individual instruction, the student and instructor together determine the number of credits representative of the workload.

Repeatability

A course may be designated as “repeatable” which allows a student to successfully complete the course for credit more than once.

Topic Title Eligibility

The content of a topics course varies with each course offering. A topics course must not be used to circumvent the course proposal and approval process. A topic title that becomes a regular offering in the curriculum must be proposed as a new course.

A topics course is used to pilot and refine an idea for a new course, address a timely issue of special interest, or be offered for a limited time, and must:

• Fall under a disciplinary area of closely related course content; and
• Align with the approved catalog-level components for the course, including learning outcomes, component type(s), and course designations; and
• Include at least one learning outcome common to all offerings of the course; and
• Appear on students' transcripts with the specific title of the topic; and
• Allow for repeat enrollment with different topics; and
• Follow the same requirements for credit hour, instructor qualifications, syllabus information, etc. that pertain to all courses.

A topics course is not to be cross-listed unless there is a specific programmatic and scholarly reason.

Course Attributes and Designations

All attributes and designations are set at the catalog level and apply to all sections of a course, unless otherwise noted.

Graduate Attribute
The graduate level course attribute is assigned to a course that meets graduate-level standards and contributes to the requirement that at least 50% of credits applied toward a graduate degree must be in courses designated for graduate work.

Honors Designation
The honors designation may be used at the course catalog or section level. When designated at the course catalog level, every section of the course must be offered every time with the honors designation. When designated at the section level, oversight is the responsibility of the school/college honors program and is addressed each semester when developing the Schedule of Classes.

Breadth Attribute
The breadth attributes are administered by the College of Letters and Science and indicates a course has been reviewed to meet the requirements for the L&S undergraduate degree (Natural Science, Humanities/Literature/Arts, and Social Studies requirements). Many schools and colleges also use the L&S breadth designation to indicate to students how they may meet their general education requirements.

LAS Credit Attribute
A course designated LAS Credit must encourage students in one or more of the three “habits of mind” of liberal arts education, as specified by the College of Letters and Science:

• Skilled written and verbal communication, excelling in formulating and expressing a point of view, reflecting, and questioning current knowledge through reading, research, and consideration of the views of others.
• The ability to drew flexibly upon and apply the modes of through of the major areas of knowledge.
• Knowledge of our basic cultural heritage as a multifaceted and often contested history.

General Education Attribute
Consideration of course eligibility for a general education attribute occurs after all department and school/college approvals are granted.

 Communication A
 Communication B
 Quantitative Reasoning A and B

Ethnic Studies Attribute
The ethnic studies requirement is overseen by the Ethnic Studies Subcommittee of the University General Education Committee, which reviews all requests.

Foreign Language Attribute
The foreign language course attribute differentiates courses where the primary focus of the course is teaching a method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way, from courses that focus on the culture, literature, history, and polity or other aspects of language learning.

Workplace Attribute
Workplace experience encompasses internships, clinical work, cooperatives, practica, student teaching, and other simultaneous credit-bearing experiences based on immersive workplace experience that is linked to an academic program.

Learning Outcomes

Course learning outcomes state what students are expected to know or be able to do upon completion of a course and may contribute, or map to, program learning outcomes. Each course is expected to have three to five course learning outcomes.

Learning outcomes must be common to each offering of a course regardless of instructor, mode of instruction, etc. An instructor may have additional learning outcomes for a specific offering of a course, but these must not be in place of the approved and established course learning outcomes.

Canvas

Clarification of Guidelines and Roles for Learning Outcomes in Lumen Courses

Course Requisites

Course Search & Enroll

Directed/Independent Study for Undergraduates

Guide

Independent Study

Lumen

Office of the Registrar Valid Grades

The U.S. Department of Education requires an institution participating in Title IV (federal financial aid) to define a credit hour. Compliance is subject to external review by the delegated authority of the Higher Learning Commission, the university's regional accrediting agency.

1. Application of the Policy

   Course proposals must include sufficient information to aid in the determination of a course’s credit hour value which is established at the time a course is approved through governance and finalized by the University Curriculum Committee. The credit hour designation is maintained across all course offerings and is communicated to students in the course syllabus or equivalent documentation, along with learning outcomes and/or objectives.

   As courses are delivered, departments and their instructors are expected to maintain the appropriate learning activities for students for the determined number of credit hours. All credit-bearing courses at UW–Madison have an instructor of record who meets the minimum qualification standards, who takes responsibility for the learning experience, and who assesses the academic engagement of students, as appropriate for the course format and mode of delivery.

   The 45-hour-per-credit standard conforms to the standard Carnegie unit of the federal definition that sets a credit hour as a course that meets weekly for a 50-minute period over a 15-week semester and expects two hours of student work outside of the classroom for every in-class hour.

   All courses are required to have stated learning outcomes or objectives. The learning outcomes are a feature of the course and are approved when the course is approved. Learning outcomes serve as a basis to determine if the amount of learning is consistent across different formats and modes of instruction. In relation to the credit-hour policy, a statement of what students will learn is necessary if credit is based on a demonstration by the student of learning equivalent to that established as the expected product of a period of study corresponding to a time-based credit-hour assignment.

   The credit-hour standard for the course, and the way that the credit-hour standard is achieved, are communicated to students as part of the course syllabus or equivalent documentation.

   Departments continue to be responsible for the consistent application of the credit hour, credit-hour policy, and for ensuring that a stated credit-hour standard is maintained as courses and instructors and mode of instruction or course formats change.

   All credit-bearing courses are to be scheduled in accordance with UW-Madison’s academic calendar and session dates calendar. The definition of a credit hour accommodates course offerings across fall and spring semesters, summer term and all sessions, and across all formats and modes of instruction including in-person, online, and hybrid. The credit hour policy provides flexibility to serve the university as methods of instruction continue to evolve.

2. Regular and Substantive Student-Instructor Interaction

   1. For purposes of this policy, regular and substantive interaction involves engaging students in teaching, learning, and assessment, consistent with the content under discussion, and it also includes at least two of the following, regardless of modality:

      1. Providing direct instruction;
      2. Assessing or providing feedback on a student's coursework;
      3. Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or competency;
      4. Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency; or
      5. Other instructional activities approved by the institution's or program's accrediting agency.

   2. UW-Madison ensures regular interaction between a student and an instructor or instructors by, prior to the student's completion of a course or competency:

      1. Providing the opportunity for substantive interactions with the student on a predictable and scheduled basis commensurate with the length of time and the amount of content in the course or competency; and
      2. Monitoring the student's academic engagement and success and ensuring that an instructor is responsible for promptly and proactively engaging in substantive interaction with the student when needed on the basis of such monitoring, or upon request by the student.

   The requirement for regular and substantive student-instructor interaction sets a quality standard for UW–Madison instruction and recognizes the centrality of faculty and other qualified instructors in the student learning experience. The requirement for regular and substantive student-instructor interaction is mandated across all course formats and modes of instruction.

   A traditionally formatted three-credit course will typically include three 50-minute class meetings of instructors and students weekly over the 15-week semester. In a blended or flipped course format, substantive interaction may take the form of instructor-guided problem solving or discussion formats. In online/distance courses, the instructor must use technology and progressive disclosure of content to establish regular and substantive interaction. Independent/directed study, research, studio and performing art, internships, clinical placements, other workplace experiences, and other experiential learning must have distinctive levels of regular and substantive instructor interaction consistent with higher education standards.

3. Exclusions

   UW-Madison must be authorized by the Higher Learning Commission and/or the U.S. Department of Education to offer all instructional programs. UW-Madison does not offer certain modalities or programs such as correspondence courses, and competency-based or subscription-based programs.

Courses with Variable Credit

Procedures: Credit Hour

34 C.F.R. § 600.2

Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions

Higher Learning Commission

Higher Learning Commission Credit-Hour Review

Higher Learning Commission Substantive Change: Academic Programs

U.S. Department of Education Regulations

UW System Administrative Policy 165, The Academic Calendar

The U.S. Department of Education, the Higher Learning Commission, and UW-Madison recognize a course syllabus is required for each course offering.

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), UW-Madison’s accrediting body, dictates the following:

• Instructors are expected to communicate course requirements to students in writing and in a timely manner, HLC Assumed Practices C.5.
• The institution presents itself clearly and completely to students and the public, HLC Criterion 2.B.
• Institutions are to comply with the U.S. Department of Education’s requirements related to the definition of a credit hour, 34 C.F.R. § 600.2.

To meet these requirements, and to support the learning experience of students, instructors of record are required to develop a course syllabus for each course offering and to communicate the syllabus to students.

Students frequently seek copies of syllabi for past courses, for example to support application to graduate or professional programs, in the context of an employment search, or in relation to seeking transfer credit equivalency at another institution. For this reason, and in support of UW-Madison Faculty Policies and Procedures Chapter 5.31 D, departments must retain syllabus records of courses taught in their department. It is expected that syllabi from all course sections will be retained for a period of no less than 10 years. Departments may contact University Archives regarding the disposition of syllabi that are more than 10 years old.

34 C.F.R. § 600.2

Higher Learning Commission Assumed Practices

Higher Learning Commission Criteria for Accreditation