Outline guidelines

Outlines should clearly state the following for each course:

• Prerequisite(s) or corequisite(s)
• Description
• Objectives
• Content
• Method of evaluation
• Required texts (including publication date)

OSCAR provides a text box labeled “Articulation Officer Comments to Reviewers” for each course submission. Any information associated with a course that will aid in its review should be included in this box.

Outline basics

• Outlines should be current (not more than five years old).
• Outlines for courses that are "cross-listed" (e.g. Psych. 10 is the same as Soc. 10) need to list all departments in which the course is offered.
• Only one of the cross-listed course outlines needs to be submitted for review. The decision will apply to all cross-listed courses in ASSIST.
• All lab courses must have a prerequisite/corequisite of a corresponding lecture course.
• Advisories cannot be considered as valid alternatives to prerequisites or corequisites.
• Field courses must have a prerequisite/corequisite of an introductory course in the related discipline.
• "Draft" outlines should not be submitted for the TCA. All new and revised course submissions must be finalized or formally approved by the CCC Curriculum Committee.
• If a course has both a “regular” and an "honors" version, separate outlines must be submitted for each version of the course.
• Indicate that a course is repeatable for credit under CCC campus policies by adding “ea” after the unit value. Credit limitations may be applied as appropriate in accordance with CCC or UC policy. Read more about credit limitations >
• The main text for the proposed course must be dated within seven years for most course submissions. Read more about UC TCA textbook requirements >

Course and outline tips

• English Composition and Literature courses require at least 5,000 words of writing and a substantial amount of reading of significant literature.
• Chemistry courses which are lower division preparation for Chemistry majors must have Intermediate Algebra as a prerequisite.
• College Success courses must include a college catalog as a required text.
• Criminology courses should focus on criminal theory and not specifically on the functional aspects of law enforcement or administration of justice.
• Science-related laboratory courses must have a clearly identified lab manual listed in the outline.
• Subsequent courses in areas of sequential knowledge (e.g., Language Other Than English) require a prerequisite.