Course Development

The course syllabus is developed by the initiator and instructor with input and assistance from the OPDE Director and the Assistant for Administration and Public Relations. Much care should be given to the development of a meaningful, rigorous course containing specifics and details of expectations. An assessment rubric for each graded assignment is required.

• All syllabi of proposed OPDE courses are reviewed by the Assistant for Administration and Public Relations and the Professional Development Director for essential components and adherence to policies outlined above.
• Once the standards of the initial review are met, the syllabus is reviewed by the SOE Administrative Council, which is made up of the Associate Dean and Chairs of each department in the School of Education.
• All syllabi are requested to be submitted electronically via e-mail to tannerdb@cofc.edu
• The Administrative Council submits syllabus and instructor approvals, normally on the first and third Thursday of each month by email to expedite approval/revision suggestions.
• The Administrative Council examines the course description, purpose, objectives/standards, content, learning activities, assessment, rubrics, and grading to determine whether graduate professional development credit will be awarded.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (S.A.C.S.) requires that all syllabi of proposed courses be reviewed for the essentials. Based on the review, a decision will be made about whether graduate credit should be awarded for the proposed course, how many hours of graduate credit should be awarded for the proposed course, and whether a grade will be awarded or pass/fail will be assigned for the proposed course.

Syllabus Templates

The Office of Professional Development in Education offers a syllabus template in Microsoft Word format and in a rich text format, readable by any word processing application. An instructor can download the syllabus template by clicking on the appropriate link below, then complete it using the word processing program on their computer. The template guides the instructor through the syllabus creation process.

Syllabus Template

• The minimum class size shall be 10 students.
• The maximum class size shall be twenty-five (25) unless approved by OPDE.  A second section can be added if needed.

• PDE courses can be designed for one, two, or three hours of graduate credit.
• The minimum number of class instructional contact hours for 1 credit is 15 hours.
• The minimum number of class instructional contact hours for 2 credits is 30 hours
• The minimum number of class instructional contact hours for 3 credits is 45 hours.
• The course syllabus must specify the dates and times of class meetings. 

Instructor Paid by Course Initiator

A course with the instructor being paid by the course initiator (not the College of Charleston) has the following per student fee schedule:

• $150.00 per student for a 3-hour course

• $100.00 per student for a 2-hour course

•  $50.00 per student for a 1-hour course

Differential Fee:  This fee is assessed to any student who does not hold a SC Teacher License and/or is not a SC resident.  The assessments are: one credit hour=$80; two credit hours=$160; and three credit hours=$240

Instructor Without Terminal Degree  Paid by CofC

A course whose instructor is paid by the College of Charleston will require the course initiator to cover the direct cost of the instructor's salary plus an administrative fee as noted below:

Instructor With Terminal Degree Paid by CofC

The differential fee is assessed to any student who is NOT a South Carolina resident. The assessments are:

• one credit hour = $80

• two credit hours = $160

• three credit hours = $240

INCENTIVE PLAN

Teach three courses that are managed by the College of Charleston OPDE. A fourth course will be facilitated without a per participant fee assessed if the following conditions are met:​

• All courses to be counted toward the incentive must be ones for which the educational funding agency pays a per participant rate.​
• All courses to be credited in the incentive plan must have a minimum enrollment of 20 students or average of 60 students over the three fee payment courses in one session/semester​
• If an instructor's salary is assessed for the free course, the responsibility of the salary will rest with the contracting school, district, or agency. The College of Charleston will absorb the per participant cost only. Maximum enrollment may not exceed 25 students per class in free incentive courses. ​
• The school district or agency must use the incentive course(s) immediately within 12 months of having earned the free course

Catalog Courses (EDFS and EDEE)

Catalog courses offered by the Department of Teacher Education are those that have been approved as a part of a course of study in a CofC graduate-level program. The regular graduate school tuition fees are applicable to catalog course offerings.  Catalog courses may receive a letter grade or a P/F grade.  If a course is P/F, it carries zero (0) quality points and thus cannot be converted to a letter grade.

Catalog Course Fee:

The regular graduate school tuition fees will be applicable with catalog course (EDFS and EDEE) offerings.

Professional Development Courses (EDPD)

Credit for a course of this type does not count toward completion of a C of C catalog program or a Master's Degree. However, credit can count towards recertification, renewal points, a Bachelor's Degree +18 hours, and/or a Master's Degree +30 hours.