New Shadow Academy Courses

Are you interested in creating a new course for the Brotherhood? If so, it is suggested that you follow the steps outlined below. Doing so will not only makes things faster and easier, but will also make the Headmaster happier (which is always a good thing)!

1 - The Idea

First, of course, you need an idea. Look for topics that are not already covered and that there is enough information for a stand alone course. We won't have dozens of tiny courses clogging up the Shadow Academy. Here are some other things to keep in mind if you want to propose a new course:

• It should be relevant to the Dark Brotherhood, and tie into Star Wars as a whole.
• Subjects that are not directly relevant to the Brotherhood or Star Wars will need to be made relevant to the Brotherhood.

2 - The Proposal

Now that you have an idea, e-mail the Headmaster and his Praetor with the proposal. It is advised that you do not write out the course notes at this time, as the course may be denied. Your proposal should include the following information:

• Topic/Idea
• Reason why you think this course should be offered at the Shadow Academy.
• A short outline of what the course will cover (you don't need a lot of details here). It should be a formal outline, though, along the lines of:
  
  I. Intro
  A. General Statement
  
  

At this stage, the Headmaster can deny your request if it is already being worked on by someone else or if it is determined that the course doesn't suit the needs of the Brotherhood. The Headmaster may also ask you to hold off on the idea, but not actually deny it. If your idea is approved, however, then you are free to move on to the next step.

3 - The Draft

After the Headmaster has approved the course proposal, you are free to write the course notes. Course notes should be orderly. Please include at the end of your notes the source(s) that you used. Once your draft is done, send it to the Headmaster and his Praetor for review. From here, there will undoubtedly be several revisions to clarify any confusing points, correct grammar and spelling, and add additional information.

After the notes have been completed, the exam will be reviewed. You can begin writing the exam before this , but it won't be reviewed until after the notes.

• Exams should cover the whole course, and involve a variety of questions.
• Each question should be given an answer, and your proposed point value for the question.
• The exam will go through the same process as the course notes.

4 - The Final Review

After the notes and exam have been revised and everything is set to the Headmaster's approval, the course and exam are sent to the Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master for final review. There may be other changes at this stage, but generally courses move fairly quickly through this state.

5 - The Coding and The Posting

Once the course has been finalized, it will be coded and placed on the Shadow Academy website, where it will eventually be announced by the Headmaster and made public for the entire Brotherhood to take. Depending on the subject matter, you may become the first Docent of the course, or it may fall into a pre-indicated department, but such decisions will be discussed long before the course is released.

Remember, there is no set time frame for courses. The Shadow Academy has to balance how often it releases new courses with other changes, such as degrees or revamps, so a course will not be released as soon as it is finished. Some courses have sat for months before release, this is something you just have to deal with.

Finally, remember that new ideas in the Shadow Academy are a first come-first serve thing. To talk about it is one thing, but to actually write something is another. The Headmaster will not tolerate complaining simply because someone else started working on the project first. Above all else, though, have fun, often we learn interesting things when doing research for a new course, all in the process of helping advance the Brotherhood as a whole.