Course Standards

Course Design Requirements

• The course shall incorporate principles of learning including, as applicable;
  • unique motivators
  • focus on personal goals
  • promoting positive self-esteem
  • treating students as active participants
• The course shall support a learner-centered approach that;
  • encourage the active participation of each student
  • support and facilitates self-directed learning
  • allow for integration of personal experiences
  • ensure that knowledge and skills are acquired at a pace appropriate to individual students
  • emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning
  • addresses diverse student needs
• The course shall incorporate a combination of the following instructional strategies and corresponding methods, as applicable
  • Direct instruction (e.g., lecture, one-to-one instruction)
  • Indirect instruction (e.g., problem solving)
  • Interactive instruction (e.g., brainstorming, group discussion)
  • Experiential learning (e.g., role playing, case studies, site visits, simulations)
  • Self-directed learning (e.g., homework, essays)
• The course shall incorporate realistic examples, applications, and conditions associated with each intended learning outcome, as applicable.
• The provider shall identify the delivery medium (e.g., classroom, e-learning) for the course.
• The provider shall ensure that the course delivery medium meets the needs of the target student population.
• For courses that are delivered in a delivered in a classroom setting, the provider shall define the maximum class size.
• The provider shall define prerequisites that students must possess prior to participating in the course, as applicable.
• The course shall include methods for providing formal and/or informal instructor feedback to each student throughout the duration of the course.
• The course shall include appropriate evaluation methods for each intended learning outcome.

Course Development Requirements

• The course shall include measureable intended learning outcomes for each knowledge-based topic or skill-based topic, including corresponding criteria to determine achievement of the intended learning outcome.
• The course content shall provide information to support and reinforce every intended learning outcome.
• The course content shall provide opportunities for application of knowledge to achieve each intended learning outcome, including evaluation and feedback, as applicable.
• The provider shall provide students with an opportunity to anonymously evaluate the course and the instruction so that feedback may be used by the provider for continuous improvement.

Course Delivery Requirements

• The course syllabus shall provide prospective students with information related to
  • Course format
  • Course intended learning outcomes
  • Student evaluation (i.e., format of the evaluation, grading procedures, pass/fail criteria)
• The provider shall monitor instructor performance.
• Instructor materials (e.g., instructor guide) shall contain sufficient information to ensure consistency of meeting the intended learning outcomes among varying instructors.
• Where provided, the course materials shall
  • Illustrate good organization, layout, and document management practices
  • Include all important points of the topics being addressed
  • Include examples of real-life practices, documents, reports and/or forms as applicable
• The provider shall ensure that a suitable learning environment (e.g., facilities, equipment, software) is provided.

Student Evaluation Requirements

• Each student shall be evaluated at intermediate points throughout the course to monitor student progress towards each intended learning outcome.
• Each student shall be evaluated at the end of the course to determine student achievement of each course intended learning outcome.
• All evaluation instruments (e.g., examination papers) shall be developed and maintained in a secure manner to ensure their integrity is maintained.
• The provider shall have criteria for determining successful completion of the course.
• A final standing for each student shall be recorded by the provider and issued to the student.