Course Schedule Notes
What are Course Schedule (CS) Notes?
A Course Schedule (CS) Note is the individual course section's description appearing online in the ACC Course Schedule and in the printed schedule. The CS Note provides students with important, specific details about the Distance Learning course section, including instructions for completing the course orientation online or on-site. It also provides students with faculty contact information, the course website URL, and any other important information they may need prior to enrolling in the course.
CS Notes must be standardized as much as possible to provide consistent information. Students need to be able to glance at a course's CS Note and easily locate the instructor's contact information, course website, and instructions necessary to register for the course and complete the orientation. Extensive details about the course are more appropriately placed on the faculty member's course website or online syllabus, not in the CS Note.
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What must be included in a CS Note
- Course synonym number
- Special requirements necessary to receive the delivery mode (e.g., "Internet access required" for PCM courses), additional software or hardware students must purchase, or any information needed prior to enrolling in the class, such as course prerequisites or permission to register
- Instructor contact information:
- Name—First initial and last name only; no titles or nicknames.
- ACC phone number with voice mail—Voice mail message should include a greeting identifying the instructor and the course(s) taught, and it should state how often (i.e., which days) faculty retrieve their voice mail messages to avoid repeat calls.
- ACC email address
- Course website URL—Course website must provide the online syllabus and detailed information about course requirements.
- Orientation information: [See: Orientation Delivery Requirements]
- Online orientation information must include the URL of the online orientation materials and syllabus, and the time frame in which the orientation must be completed. The suggested time period in which to complete an online orientation is during the first week of class. (Note: The course orientation materials and syllabus must be available to students online. Orientation instructions asking students to "email the instructor during the first week" are not acceptable.)
- On-site orientation information follows this format: Day / Date / Time / Campus / Room Number (Example: Sat 5/21 11am-noon RGC 110)
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What not to include in a CS Note
- Course description
- Course objectives
- Textbook information
- Course equivalency or transfer information
- Descriptive adjectives or unusual special messages
- Details covered in the department's Discipline Note
- Information already included in the Schedule (lab locations and meeting times, etc.)
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Formatting CS Notes
- Be concise; do not use redundant wording.
- Use abbreviations such as "Req:" when beginning a list of requirements.
- Before each email address, include the notation "email:" to clarify the difference between an email address and a website URL.
- Do not include "http://" in a web URL; begin the address at "www."
- Do not use a period at the end of a sentence when it follows a web URL or an email address—students often attempt to include it.
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CS Note entry
CS Notes are created during the Draft #3 stage of the schedule development process, after a faculty member has been assigned to teach the section. CS Notes are entered into the College's CS Note Utility by the Distance Learning Administrative Assistant. When applicable, the DL Administrative Assistant also schedules rooms for on-site orientations at this time, and orientation meeting information is entered into the CS Note.
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CS Notes for new courses
As development of a new DL course nears completion, the faculty member fills out a Request for Adding a Section of a DL Course to the Schedule Form
, obtains the appropriate signatures, and sends it to the Director of Distance Learning. The form contains space for CS Note and Orientation information. After Distance Learning receives the form, the DL Administrative Assistant may contact the instructor to discuss any CS Note or orientation questions.
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CS Notes for existing courses
Once an instructor has established a CS Note for a course and delivery mode, that information is archived and reused each time the instructor offers the course. This is true whether the section rolls over from a previous semester or an additional section of the course is added into the upcoming semester schedule. The CS Note is updated each semester to reflect date changes or any other information an instructor finds necessary. For example, an instructor may decide to offer the option of an online orientation rather than two on-site orientation sessions as previously scheduled.
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CS Notes for unstaffed sections
Two weeks before the schedule locks, the DL Administrative Assistant assigns meeting times, reserves rooms, and lists the pre-approved department phone number for all unassigned ITV, PRN, and DIR sections. For PCM sections, only the pre-approved department phone number is entered. CS Note information is updated once an instructor is assigned to the section.
The incoming instructor must honor the pre-established on-site orientation meetings published in the Course Schedule; these meetings are regarded as a contract with the community and cannot be changed. The new instructor's contact information will be added to the CS Note, and will update on the web-based Course Schedule. If possible, the previously-listed instructor or department shall refer students to the new instructor.
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Proofing CS Notes
The DL Administrative Assistant sends proofing notices to instructors via the DL Faculty Listserv. Two weeks prior to the end of course schedule development, notice is sent for the PCM sections with no on-site orientation rooms to be scheduled. The following week, notice is sent for all sections requiring on-site meetings rooms to be scheduled. DL instructors follow the emailed instructions to proof the text, and use the reply email function to report changes to the DL Administrative Assistant.
Changes to a CS Note can be made anytime throughout the schedule development process by contacting the DL Administrative Assistant by email or by phone at 512.223.8033. If changes are made after the schedule has gone to print, only the online schedule will reflect the changes.
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CS Note Examples
- Example for PCM sections with online orientation only:
54321 — Internet access required. J. Doe, 223-1234, email: jdoe@austincc.edu MANDATORY: Online orientation: www.austincc.edu/jdoe/orientation.html during the first week of class only
- Example for PCM sections with online and on-site course orientations:
54321 — Internet access required. J. Doe, 223-1234, email: jdoe@austincc.edu MANDATORY: Online orientation during the first week of class only at www.austincc.edu/jdoe/orientation.html or attend Sat 8/23 11am-noon RGC 110
- Example for ITV, PRN, and DIR sections with on-site orientations only:
54321 — J. Doe, 223-1234, email: jdoe@austincc.edu, www.austincc.edu/jdoe MANDATORY: Attend Sat 8/23 11am-noon RGC 110 or Wed 8/27 7-8pm PIN 401
- Example for ITV, PRN, and DIR sections with online and on-site course orientations:
54321 — J. Doe, 223-1234, email: jdoe@austincc.edu MANDATORY: Online orientation during the first week of class only at www.austincc.edu/jdoe/orientation.html or attend Sat 8/23 11am-noon RGC 110
- Example for HYD sections:
54321 — HYD class: coursework is 25% classroom-based and 75% is via the Internet. Internet access required. RGC A257, Meeting days 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month (see syllabus for exact dates) Time 4:15pm – 5:30pm, J. Doe, 223-1234, email: jdoe@austincc.edu, www.austincc.edu/jdoe/syllabus.html MANDATORY Online orientation during the first week of class only at www.austincc.edu/jdoe/orientation.html
- Example for sections requiring special additional information:
54321 — Req: Internet access & C++ compiler. J. Doe, 223-1234, email: jdoe@austincc.edu For permission to enroll, then for MANDATORY online orientation during the first week of class, follow instructions at www.austincc.edu/jdoe/
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