Course Overview

Provide information about the course structure and purpose. You can use the placeholders below and the Course Overview Template to guide you.

Important Course Resources

Course Name and Number

Syllabus [link]

Course map [link]

Course Summary

[Match this language to what is in your Welcome Letter, if using one.] Example: This course is the second semester of a two semester calculus sequence. We will extend many of the concepts you learned in your first calculus course to new situations, including studying derivatives and optimization of functions of more than one variable. We will also study mathematical modeling and differential equations. Mathematical modeling is the process of creating a mathematical representation of a real-life phenomenon and using it to study the situation or make predictions.

How This Course Works

Delivery

[Match this language to what is in your Welcome letter, if using one. Give detail about how your course is delivered here. For example, is the course blended? Are there required online or in-person meetings, or is all the material delivered asynchronously through Moodle or another platform? Are there opportunities for real-time interaction?]

Course Organization and Flow

Schedule

[Tailor this to your particular course.]Example: See the syllabus for a detailed course schedule with due dates.  For course policies surrounding due dates and late work, see the course syllabus.

Units/Modules 

[Tailor this to your particular course; you might prefer “modules” or “topics” instead of “units”.] Example: Our class is organized by units and each unit is labeled with a title and a time period that you should be completing the unit. Each unit begins with a brief overview and a list of learning outcomes for the unit and a list of items you must complete during each unit’s set time period.

Instructional Materials and Learning Activities

[Tailor this to your particular course.] You will interact with a variety of Instructional materials to learn, check your understanding, and practice critical thinking in this course. Instructional materials have been selected carefully to aid you in completing course activities and assessments. Instructional materials and directions for using them are listed in each unit.

[List the types of materials and activities in the course, and a general sense of the rationale/what they’ll get from each.]

Assessments and Grades

[Tailor this to your particular course.] Example: Higher-stakes assignments and graded items give you the opportunity to show what you have learned, and count for a larger portion of your course grade. In this course, higher stakes assignments include three major papers, a mid-term, a final, and a project.

You can find details about how items will be graded and how your course grade will be calculated in the syllabus. The Academic Success Center has many resources on test-taking strategies.

To see your grades in Moodle, click the “Grades” tab in the course menu at the top of the Moodle course. The User Report lists grades and feedback for each gradebook item for this course.

How to Succeed in This Course

[Tailor this to your particular course and recommended approach.] This course is designed to require an average of X hours per week for a student to achieve all learning objectives. Some weeks will be lighter and some weeks will require more time. Visit the course Moodle site at the start of each unit, and create your plan for interacting with the materials over the course of the week/module and meet all course due dates and deadlines.

Help and Support

Provide instructions and resources for getting help.

[Example: You will find helpful resources by opening the Block Drawer on the right side of your Moodle page. If you do not see blocks on the right side of your Moodle page, you can open the Block Drawer by clicking on the left-facing arrow at the top right of the course page. Blocks here include [Tailor this list to your particular course]

  • a Course Resources block with links to the syllabus and other resources
  • a Meet the Instructor block with full details about how to contact me or visit my office hours
  • a Student Services block with links to find help on campus for a wide variety of challenges, assignment help from the Libraries, and NC State’s Student Services Center. You’ll also find links there for technology support.]