Overview

Non-credit courses allow students the opportunity to engage in non-credit academic experiences that are transcript visible. Read the non-credit course policy approved by Curriculum Council.

Grades for Non-Credit Courses

There is evaluative measurement of completion for non-credit courses. Two grades are available for faculty to record:

SC = Successful completion

NSC = Non-successful completion

Instructors enter a grade for each student enrolled in their course and submit grades during the structured grading period for each term.

Academic Experiences

Each non-credit experience has unique learning outcomes, competencies and assessments. Academic units can modify course descriptions for the syllabus but a standard course description (as listed below) will be added to the Catalog to ensure consistency across courses. 

Non-credit syllabi must meet the minimum requirements. It is expected that 5 to 7 student learning outcomes will be selected from the lists outlined below.

Process for Creating Non-credit Courses

Step 1: Submit a new course proposal using CIM

Step 2: Select type of course as 'non-credit' and liaison as 'liaison not required'

Step 3: Copy and paste the standard course description (below) into the course description field. The description in the Catalog is specific to the non-credit experience, not the course. The description in the syllabus should be specific to the course

Step 4: Start workflow on the proposal once all required fields are complete

Step 5: A Curriculum Coordinator in the Curriculum Management office reviews the syllabus to ensure it meets minimum requirements

Step 6: The Catalog Coordinator in the Office of the Registrar (OtR) reviews the proposal to ensure it meets the guidelines outlined in the non-credit course policy

Step 7: The proposal is sent to the College Committee Approver (typically an Associate Dean) for approval

Step 8: The proposal is added to the Curriculum Council consent agenda

Step 9: Upon approval by Curriculum Council, the proposal is sent to the Office of the Registrar (OtR) for input into Banner

Step 10: The proposal originator is notified once the course has final approval and can then work with their Department Scheduler to schedule a class

Service Learning

Course Number: 001

Description: Engage in a service-learning or community engagement experience where skills and knowledge are applied to meet an authentic community-identified need. The experience will integrate meaningful community service with reflection. Through readings and discussions, critically reflect on the service in order to increase understanding of the discipline, gain a broader appreciation of the discipline, enhance a sense of civic responsibility, and strengthen connections with communities.

Assessment of Student Learning

Students are eligible to receive transcript-visible notation for a non-credit undergraduate education abroad experience after satisfying the following requirements, which are to be verified by an OSU faculty member:

  • Periodic evaluation of community work from OSU mentor and community partner to provide the opportunity for frequent, ongoing, and constructive feedback on the specific project outcomes and expectations
  • Reflection detailing what the students have learned in their programs and community experience (about themselves and the social issue) and how they have applied academic knowledge, skills, and theories in the community project
  • Public demonstration of competence and learning through a poster presentation, website, blog, video, or other mechanism

Student Learning Outcomes

Service-Learning Competencies

As a result of this service-learning experience, students will be able to:

  • Apply and extend relevant academic course work, disciplinary knowledge, theories, and skills to community contexts
  • Summarize multifaceted factors impacting the social issue one is working on
  • Utilize critical and systems thinking to analyze how actions and decisions will impact diverse stakeholders
  • Summarize the role of different types of civic engagement in creating social change
  • Demonstrate knowledge about the various types of civic engagement and possess an understanding of the importance of civic engagement in a democratic society
  • Explain and distinguish between charity and justice/change orientation toward service/community engagement (upstream vs. downstream, Band-Aid vs. root cause), specifically in the context of the social issue on which their experience is focused
  • Connect the service-learning/community experience to one’s life; self-assess civic values, behaviors, and identity
  • Integrate one’s education with a responsibility to working toward addressing social issues
  • Demonstrate a strengthened confidence in their ability to contribute toward creating a healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable community.

See Course Content Table

Leadership

Course Number: 002

Description: Provides students with basic personal and interpersonal leadership skills that can be used within and outside of a work setting. Through practice, the leadership experience help students explore motivation, decision-making, time management, power, team building, conflict, ethics, dealing with change, communication skills, and diversity issues.

Assessment of Student Learning

We see the value of assessment for a course like this but feel that it is best left to the supervisor most familiar with the leadership course to decide whether the student deserves notation. That said, below are suggestions:

  • Creation of a culminating project appropriate to the discipline that challenges students to achieve beyond their current ability levels by integrating and applying knowledge and skills from across the program of study. Possible projects for the leadership experience include portfolios, projects in the community, or presentations
  • Three periodic and structured opportunities to reflect and self-assess that detail what students have learned at different stages through the process of completing their culminating project. Possible reflection formats include electronic journal, discussion boards, videos, or oral formats
  • A public demonstration of competence in sharing the culminating project to an audience. Thirty hours of student engagement that optimally represents an investment of time and effort over an extended period
  • Achieve a benchmark value of at least 1 in all five performance categories (connection to experience, connection to discipline, transfer, integrated communication, reflection and self-assessment) of the AACU Integrative Learning VALUE rubric

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Confront current beliefs about leadership in order to be open to new growth
  • Identify personal strengths, vulnerabilities, dispositions, values, beliefs, and biases as a leader
  • Compare multiple theoretical, biographical, and personal perspectives about leadership
  • Develop a personal meaning of leadership and leadership identity (includes guiding values)
  • Espouse humility and ethical practices with a commitment to civic engagement
  • Understand the benefits of different personality types and learning styles

Student Learning Outcomes Cont.

  • Gain exposure to group dynamics and the implications thereof for leaders and leadership
  • Enhance interpersonal skills and the ability to build strong relationships with others including professional network: peers, industry/academic mentors, potential future employers
  • Write professionally (emails, reports, resumes, and so on...)
  • Speak persuasively across situations/audiences; Articulate clear and inspiring vision/mission
  • Develop conflict resolution and negotiation skills; Execute crucial conversations effectively
  • Understand and appreciate cultural differences; Ensure communication (written, oral, non-verbal) and environments are inclusive of all
  • Gain awareness of privilege, oppression, and systems of inequality; engage in mindful processing of the implications thereof and champion social justice
  • Empower others as leaders by facilitating learning opportunities, coaching/mentoring, and purposefully delegating appropriate challenges
  • Process learning opportunities to examine implications for leadership and connect lessons to personal development as a leader and a professional
  • Demonstrate awareness and enhanced ability with emotional and social intelligence
  • Seek innovative solutions focusing on the best ideas (not just one’s own)
  • Gain exposure to innovation/entrepreneurship; business principles and practices

 

Alternate model could be a graduated outcomes approach:

  • (first year) develop a sense of belonging and contribute to a diverse community
  • (second year) Identify and discuss opportunities for leadership development
  • (third year; team leadership) discuss how diverse groups of individuals can be turned into collaborative teams achieving performance through shared missions and collective responsibilities and management of challenges associated with teamwork including resistance to working on teams
  • (fourth year; self-leadership) discuss and apply self-leadership practices to their personal and professional lives after graduation such as emotional self-control, trustworthiness, conscientiousness, adaptability, optimism, achievement orientation, initiative and cultural competence.

See Course Content Table

Undergraduate Research

Course Number: 003

Description: Engage in research activities appropriate to the discipline; and through the research experience, acquire skills, techniques, and knowledge relevant to the field of study. In consultation with a faculty mentor, engage in research activity, and make and execute a plan for a project.

Assessment of Student Learning

Students are eligible to receive transcript-visible notation for a non-credit undergraduate research experience after satisfying the following requirements, which are to be verified by an OSU faculty member:

  • At least thirty (30) hours of student engagement in activities related to the planning and execution of the research project
  • Regular attendance and participation in research team meetings designated by a faculty mentor
  • Regular documentation and reflection on progress, challenges, and accomplishments. Formats of reflection include, but are not limited to, lab notebooks, short essays, visual displays, blog posts, and journal entries

Assessment of Student Learning Cont.

Student Learning Outcomes

Undergraduate Research Competencies

  • Participate in data collection and/or perform data analysis to address a specific research question
  • Demonstrate increased awareness of research methodologies and/or analysis techniques
  • Demonstrate that skills have been gained in research methodologies and/or analysis techniques
  • Reflect on the research, identifying lessons learned, strengths, and ways to improve
  • Demonstrate an ability to articulate research to others
  • Demonstrate an ability to articulate the relevance of the experience to coursework and professional future

See Course Content Table

Internship

Course Number: 004

Description: Provides basic personal and professional skills that can be used within and outside of a work setting. Through practice, this experience guides students in building and maintaining positive professional relationships, networking/mentoring relationships, and enhances students’ understanding of the connection between theory and practice in their respective disciplines.

Assessment of Student Learning

It is recommended that internship supervisors who are most familiar with performance of their student interns act as supervising faculty, and assess their performance on the learning outcomes.

  • Creation of a culminating project appropriate to the discipline that challenges students to achieve beyond their current ability levels by integrating and applying knowledge and skills from across the program of study. Possible projects for the internship experience include portfolios, reflective posters, or presentations
  • Three periodic and structured opportunities to reflect and self-assess that detail what students have learned at different stages through the process of completing their culminating project. Possible reflection formats include electronic journal, discussion boards, videos, or oral formats
  • A public demonstration of competence in sharing the culminating project to an audience
  • A minimum of thirty (30) hours of engagement that optimally represents an investment of time and effort over an extended period

Assessment of Student Learning Cont.

  • Achieve a benchmark value of at least 1 in all five performance categories (connection to experience, connection to discipline, transfer, integrated communication, reflection and self-assessment) of the AACU Integrative Learning VALUE rubric

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of a student’s internship experience, they should have:

  • Linked academic theories to practice in their discipline
  • Applied knowledge, skills, experience from the academic setting to the work environment
  • Acquired new knowledge or skills through challenging and meaningful activities
  • Reflected on the content and process of the internship experience
  • Advocated for their own learning in alignment with goals for the internship experience
  • Demonstrated satisfactory professional skills in the workplace
  • Built and/or maintained positive professional relationships
  • Demonstrated awareness of community and/or organizational issues related to goals for the internship experience
  • Identified, clarified and/or confirmed professional direction connected to academic endeavor and/or career path
  • Developed self-understanding, self-discipline, maturity and confidence
  • Developed strong networking/mentoring relationships

See Course Content Table

Capstone

Course Number: 005

Description: Create a culminating project appropriate to the discipline that integrates and applies knowledge and skills from throughout the academic program. In consultation with a faculty mentor, design the content of the capstone experience and the ways in which they reflect on their learning in the experience.

Assessment of Student Learning

Students are eligible to earn transcript-visible notation for non-credit capstone experience after satisfactorily meeting all of the following standards to be verified by an OSU faculty member:

  • Creation of a culminating project appropriate to the discipline, which challenges students to achieve beyond their ability levels prior to the experience, by integrating and applying knowledge and skills from across the program of study. Possible projects for the capstone experience include, but not limited to, portfolios, projects in the community, performance pieces, and exhibits of art work.
  • Three periodic and structured opportunities for reflection and self-assessment of what students have learned at different stages in their culminating project. Possible reflection formats include, but not limited to, journals, discussion boards, short essays, visual art pieces, and oral presentation.
  • A public demonstration of competence where students share the culminating project to an audience.

Assessment of Student Learning Cont.

  • Thirty hours of student engagement that optimally represents an investment of time and effort over an extended period.
  • Achieve a benchmark value of at least 1 in all five performance categories (connection to experience, connection to discipline, transfer, integrated communication, reflection and self­-assessment) of the AACU Integrative Learning VALUE rubric

Underlined language is drawn from the key elements of high-impact practices as outlined by Kuh and O’Donnell (Ensuring quality & taking high-impact practices to scale, 2013, p. 10, AAC&U).

Student Learning Outcomes

Capstone Competencies

As a result of this capstone experience, students will be able to:

  • Recognize connections across multiple fields of study or perspectives
  • Apply skills, theories , knowledge, or methodologies to new situations
  • Integrate content and form of communication
  • Self-assess as a learner

See Course Content Table

Education Abroad

Course Number: 006

Description: Engage in an education abroad experience outside of the United States and its territories.

Assessment of Student Learning

Students are eligible to earn transcript-visible notation for non-credit capstone experience after satisfactorily meeting all of the following standards to be verified by an OSU faculty member:

  • Thirty (30) hours of student engagement in a locality outside the United States and its territories
  • Regular engagement throughout the experience with local individuals, groups, or organizations in an academic or professional capacity
  • Regular reflection throughout the experience on progress, challenges, and accomplishment Formats of reflection include, but not limited to, short video/photo essays, blog posts, and journal entries.
  • A culminating presentation to the faculty who supervises/oversees the said education abroad experience, which summarizes their academic and/or professional outcomes

Assessment of Student Learning Cont.

  • A written report documenting satisfactory completion of the above student learning outcomes

Student Learning Outcomes

Education Abroad Competencies

To receive a SC grade, students must:

  • Demonstrate increased awareness of different cultural identities in the context of social/political/historical structures on which the experience is focused
  • Develop new perspectives on their own cultures, as well as abilities to think critically about their own values, belief, and goals
  • Develop a set of skills to manage challenges of daily life in a culture different from their own
  • Demonstrate gained skills in communicating and/or engaging across cultural differences
  • Articulate the relevance of their experience to their academic work and professional future

See Course Content Table

Course Content Table

Week          Topic

Learning Activities

Assessment Due

1

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

5

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

9

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

Finals