Syllabus Guidelines — CAPP Program

Share Share  |  E-mail  |  Print  |  Text Size

Course Development Guidelines
Procedure for Developing and Presenting a New Course Proposal for Approval
CAPP Syllabus Documents

The Syllabus Guidelines has been developed to assist instructors developing courses to offer for graduate credit through Aurora University's Collaborating Academic Partnership Program. The Guide is designed to develop the course syllabus in a logical, concise, and instructionally sound format to maximize acquisition of the course content and skills taught. The course developed and approved will support the mission of the university as embodied in the Conceptual Framework of the College. Graduate courses, as a result, should emphasize the content, pedagogical knowledge, and skills necessary for teachers to facilitate learning success for all students by enhancing teacher assessment of student progress, reflection to improve instruction, employment of a variety of appropriate instructional techniques, addressing a wide variety of diverse learners and learning styles and doing so in a manner that supports the continuing development of the professional educator.

The Faculty Graduate Program Committee and the Deans of the various Colleges having jurisdiction must approve all Aurora University courses for graduate credit. These courses and the instructors who teach them must meet the general standards of the University as expressed in the Faculty Handbook, the Manual of Academic Regulations, and the policies and procedures established by the Curriculum and Academic Programs Board for the regulation of credit-bearing courses and programs of the University.

Courses delivered and credited through the College of Education's Collaborating Academic Partnership Program have special requirements that arise from the manner by which the courses are developed, presented, the format used, and the participants served. These requirements are imposed by the College of Education's Program Committee in coordination with the Conceptual Framework of the College of Education and are in addition to the general University requirements. Please note that the syllabus format should not include the instructor's name, the dates, times, nor the location of the course. The College of Education prefers to have a "generic" syllabus for its files in order to share them with other Partners considering them for their use. Prior approved course syllabi must be updated and resubmitted to the Collaborating Academic Partnership Program office for approval every three years.

The Collaborating Academic Partnership Program Course Syllabus Guidelines is presented in an effort to assist course designers as they progress through the course approval process. A well-constructed course syllabus is an important teaching instrument for it codifies the instructor's careful planning, objectives, and student undertakings as they learn the skills and content of the class. Aurora University approval of the syllabus is thus a necessary prerequisite prior to scheduling and hosting the course for graduate credit.

The approved syllabus, which is returned to the Collaborating Academic Partnership, will have the University-approved title and course number affixed to the front page. It is the partnership's responsibility to see that this syllabus is copied and distributed to the students with this information in the title section.

Collaborating Academic Partnerships may duplicate the Syllabus Guidelines to distribute to those responsible for developing syllabi for courses proposed for Aurora University credit. However, it is the responsibility of the Partnership's Designated Contact Person to submit a Course Proposal Form along with the syllabus for approval to the Collaborating Academic Partnership Program office.

All new or updated proposed syllabi must be accompanied by the New and/or Updated Course Proposal form.

Course Development Guidelines
Instructors and Partnerships are asked to keep in mind the following general guidelines as they develop courses for submission to Aurora University.

Courses submitted for graduate credit consideration are to address important topics in teacher staff development. Specifically, proposed courses must clearly demonstrate that they either add to the instructional skill of the teacher and/or supplement the content knowledge of the commonly accepted K-12 curriculum.

Graduate credit will not be approved for courses that provide basic computer skills, or seek to award credit for conference attendance. Online courses must provide the opportunity for the student to meet face to face with the instructor of record at convenient times and places. Online courses will also require the scheduling of additional instructional time beyond the required 12.5 hours per credit hour of direct instruction courses.

Please Note: The University expects the Collaborating Academic Partnership Program to provide the same intellectually challenging content and assignments it requires of on campus graduate classes. Consequently, the course requirements for scholarship will be same as those expected of the University's master courses.

Procedure for Developing and Presenting a New Course Proposal for Approval
All submission of forms and syllabi originate with the Partnership's Designated Contact Person.

  1. The SYLLABUS GUIDELINES is provided by Aurora University's Collaborating Academic Partnership Program to assist course designers in the development of a course that will meet University requirements.
  2. The syllabus, New Course Proposal form, submitted by the Partnership's Designated Contact Person, and the Request to Schedule form (if proposed dates have been determined) should be submitted at least 60 days prior to the planned scheduled starting date for the course.
  3. The instructor for the course must be an approved Aurora University instructor. If the instructor for the course has been approved as an Aurora University instructor no further action is necessary. If the prospective instructor is not an approved instructor, the proposed instructor must initiate the approval process by submitting to the Collaborating Academic Partnership Program office an online Professional Biography, and an official, sealed transcript from the institution that issued the terminal degree. The instructor must hold a minimum of a Master's Degree. The online form is located here.
  4. The Partnership's Designated Contact Person will receive all communication from the Collaborating Academic Partnership Program. This includes requests for syllabus revisions, course and instructor approval notifications, and scheduling approvals. If the syllabus is returned for revision, the Collaborating Academic Partnership Program will work with the Partnership to bring the syllabus into compliance with University requirements.
  5. When the course syllabus is approved, the Collaborating Academic Partnership Program will send an approval notice and copy of the approved syllabus to the Partnership's Designated Contact Person. The approval notice will include the official Aurora University course number and title assigned by the University. This official title and course number must be used on all course documents and correspondence.

All new or updated proposed syllabi must be accompanied by the New And/0r Updated Course Proposal form.


CAPP Syllabus Documents
(the following linked documents are in Microsoft Word .doc format)


Updated November 2008

347 South Gladstone Avenue
Aurora, Illinois 60506-4892
630-892-6431
800-742-5281