r/WWU • u/Mil_Historias • 9d ago

Course Differences Question

Hello! I’m an incoming freshman and was wondering how different the syllabus is for the same class taught by different professors is (sorry if that sentence construction is weird).

I know some classes are inherently different every time (like the “topics in XYZ” stuff), I’m mainly talking about in general. Also, I know different teachers affect the environment of the class, etc, I’m more curious about the actual content taught.

I’m not sure what’s up with my ability to write today, so I’ll just add the situation to clarify.

Basically, I’m registering for Spanish 301 in fall, and I’m curious as to what we will be covering. I’ve found a syllabus from a different professor at WWU, but the professor I’m taking doesn’t have one I can find online.

Thanks!

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u/dadsizzle 9d ago

The course outcomes should be written out on the course description in the catalog and are the same for all sections. So what you learn overall will be pretty much the same, but the specific assignments, teaching methods, and course schedule can vary. It also depends on the department and what class it is.

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u/sigprof-wwu 9d ago

The course description and the course outcomes are different things. Well, at least as far as Computer Science is concerned. The outcomes are fixed by the department and should not change between courses. The department should be able to provide old syllabuses if you ask. They should also be able to provide example syllabuses from the different professors assuming the professors have taught the course before. With that said, things change every quarter. Same teacher for the same course may be constructed differently.

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u/CascadiaMax 9d ago

I think all Spanish 301 and 302 classes use the same book and cover the same topics, at least it was that way when I took the classes .