Guidelines:Course Pages

This page discusses the structure and guidelines of course pages. Each heading corresponds to a heading on a course page; however, some headings may be omitted from a course page if no information can be provided for that section.

Leads

The lead of a course page must begin with the course number followed by the word "covers." This sentence should provide a brief overview of the content in the course. A recommended method for writing this sentence is to directly state the main topics from the topic list. Multiple sentences may be used if necessary.

Topic Lists

Topic lists contain a list of topics covered in a course.

Structure

Topic lists should be done in bullet points, with main topics, units, and/or chapters as primary bullets and subtopics as secondary bullets. Tertiary bullets should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Topics lists should be in chronological order as much as possible and should be given a heading titled "Topic List."

A topic list should still be provided for a course even if course syllabi do not provide a clear topic list. If a topic lists from course syllabi are incomplete or undetailed, then topics should be filled in based on students' experiences in that course.

Semester Variance

Topic lists may vary depending on the semester the course was taken. Topic lists should be as up-to-date and accurate as possible. Changes that have occurred in the topic list of a course should be documented in a separate historical section of the course page.

Professor Variance

Topic lists may vary depending on the professor teaching the course. If differences are minor, then they can be noted within the topic list. If differences are significant, then separate topic lists should be provided. Each topic list should be given a subheading titled with the last name of the professor.

Subjectivity

While topic lists may be copied directly from course syllabi, contributors are encouraged to reorganize topic lists to be more accurate or readable. The best organization of a topic list may be subjective.

Class Structure

This section should be titled "Class Structure" and provides a description for how the class typically operates during a semester. Unless a class sees little variance between professors, a separate subheading should be made for each professor, and the subheading should be titled with the professor's name.

The type of information that can be included in this section can vary greatly; however, personal opinions about professors or classes should never be included.

Prerequisite Knowledge

This section should be titled "Prerequisite Knowledge" and discusses what knowledge from prior classes is needed for the course. The purpose of this section is not to simply list the prerequisites but rather, to describe the knowledge needed from prior courses, whether they are officially listed as prerequisites or not. Each prerequisite course should be given a subheading titled with the common name of the course (e.g. "Linear Algebra," "Physics I," etc.). All official prerequisites should be given their own heading, with exception for equivalent courses, which should be given a single subheading. Courses that are not officially prerequisites may also be given subheadings.

Courses with no prerequisites should still contain this section, and a brief note stating this should be included.

A secondary purpose for this section is to evaluate the necessity of certain prerequisite courses. Some courses may have official prerequisites that students do not feel are necessary, and this may be commented on in the wiki.

Scheduling

This section should be titled "Scheduling" and provides an overview for which majors require the course and when the course is typically taken. If the course is equivalent to other courses (e.g. gives similar credit, covers similar topics, etc.), then a subheading titled "Equivalent Courses" should be included. Under this subheading, a bullet point list of equivalent courses should be provided, with each bullet point starting with the course number and comprising of a brief explanatory sentence.

Resources

This section should be titled "Resources" and should contain a bulleted list of important resources for the course. All resources should be linked.