Information on Courses

New Course Proposals

All new proposed courses must be submitted to the Committee on Instruction. A syllabus attached to the approval form must be submitted by October 15 for Spring courses and March 1 for Fall courses. Contact the Office of the Provost with any questions.

Every course is required to have a syllabus. The syllabus is expected to contain the following information:

• instructor's office hours and contact information
• required readings
• course requirements (e.g., exams, papers, book reviews) and relevant due dates
• criteria for course grade
• expectations regarding attendance and class participation
• guidelines for papers, other assignments, and laboratory reports, including the degree to which collaboration is allowed
• student learning outcomes
• inclusion or mention of the Honor Code and listing what constitutes plagiarism is recommended

New courses recommended by the COI must be approved by a majority vote of the Faculty before they may be given or entered into the online catalogue. It is the responsibility of the department proposing the course to see it is approved by the Columbia COI, as appropriate.

Course Changes

Any of the following changes in a course after it was approved by the Committee on Instruction and the Faculty must be resubmitted to the Committee:

• altering the number of class hours
• changing the student learning outcomes
• changing the credit value assigned to the course
• substantial alterations in course requirements

Class Rosters

Rosters for all courses are available on eBear; the online rosters list both Barnard and Columbia students, with additional information such as mailbox number and email address, and are frequently updated. Rosters are also posted on Columbia's SSOL and on Courseworks. At some times of year, there are discrepancies among the online rosters, for example, when a student drops of withdraws from a course, there will be a delay in the adjustment of the roster.

Administering Coursework for Students with Disabilities

In accordance with federal law, it is the College's policy to provide reasonable accommodations to meet the needs of students with documented disabilities. Examples of accommodations which have customarily been requested and permitted may include exam accommodations such as extended time or modified formats, assistive technology, readers, notetakers, and the use of tape recorders. Visit the Office of Disability Services for more information.