Suggestions for Creating a Good Syllabus*
A syllabus is an excellent tool for communicating course content, course methods and goals, what we expect of our students, and how we will evaluate them. That said, there are probably as many different approaches to creating syllabi as there are instructors. This page advances suggestions as to syllabus content and, in some cases, provides links to excerpts from syllabi.
CONTACT INFORMATION
• Name of the instructor
• Course Name and Number (Teacher as Leader – EDPL 223)
• Office location
• Office hours
A good rule of thumb may be to schedule at least one office hour on each teaching day; many faculty members also indicate availability by appointment.
• Email address
It is helpful to indicate how frequently or the days/hours when you are most likely to check and respond to email. At some point in your syllabus, it may be helpful to indicate whether you accept assignments electronically, by what means (i.e. email, D2L) and in what format (i.e. Word, RTF).
• Phone
Office phone and/or other numbers at discretion of instructor. If you use a number at which you cannot regularly be reached, it may be helpful to indicate the times when you are most likely to check for messages.
• Fax number (if applicable)
Indicate whether and under what conditions faxed assignments will be accepted.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Course descriptions are available from the Marquette’s academic bulletins. In addition to the official course description, you may choose to describe the course and your approach to it in more detail, including your objectives and goals, organizing themes or highlights. Baruch College offers some sample course descriptions.
COURSE MATERIALS
Books and other materials required, recommended, or on reserve in the library should be listed, with editions specified as appropriate.
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
The nature and number of course requirements (assignments, examinations, presentations, etc.) should be spelled out. Avoid changing assignment details during the semester. Clarifying the purpose of a requirement, such as to make sure the student has read and comprehended a text, to develop communication skills, to test the student’s ability to synthesize information, to develop the students’ capacity to work together etc., can result in better student work.
GRADING POLICIES
The fairest way to grade is to establish and communicate grading criteria from the start and to follow those criteria as systematically and objectively as possible. The weighting of specific assignments/examinations is often expressed as a percentage of the total grade. Overwhelming emphasis on a single examination or paper, especially at the end of the semester, makes it difficult for students to learn from errors. Baruch College offers sample grading information for syllabi. Using rubrics may be a particularly effective way to develop and communicate grading expectations and parameters.
When class participation figures in determining the grade communicate your expectations and, perhaps, your rationale. For instance, many instructors point out that good participation cannot take place without prompt attendance. You and your students may find it helpful to refer to a discussion rubric and/or to clearly described demonstrations of what constitutes appropriate or inappropriate discussion participation (i.e. “participation is expected to relate the discussion relevant examples and experiences and/or relevant course concepts and theories and/or to provide thought-provoking questions for further consideration and discussion”).
POLICY REGARDING MAKE-UP EXAMS
When a student who is otherwise passing a course misses the final exam, he or she should be given a grade of “X”. A student receiving the grade of X must file an explanation for his or her absence in writing to the dean of the student's college and must retake the exam according to university and department policy. For exams missed during the semester, faculty may schedule make-ups at their discretion. Not offering make-ups or other arrangements, such as averaging grades from other exams, for missed exams risks penalizing students for documented illness.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT POLICIES
Behavior acceptable elsewhere might not be appropriate in classrooms. Faculty members have discretion in this regard and should make clear what the boundaries are. Some of the classroom behaviors that are subject to faculty discretion include seating (assigned or general seating), eating, private conversations, use of cell phones and other technology (one can indicate laptop use is restricted to note taking). Additional classroom management suggestions are available in “Classroom Management” section of the New and Adjunct Faculty Handbook.
ATTENDANCE AND TARDY POLICIES
Students are expected to attend all exercises of the courses in which they are registered and to be on time. Any absence, regardless of the reason, will prevent the student from getting the full benefit of the course. Instructors may include class attendance as a measure of academic performance, and inexcusable absences may render a student subject to censure. Contact your department chair, administrative assistant or liaison about your department’s attendance policy. Clearly specify your expectations for attendance and punctuality and the consequences for not meeting those expectations.
SCHEDULE OF TOPICS
Schedules can be general (listing main topics to be explored at each class meeting) or specific. Specificity, when feasible, allows students to budget their time and to plan their off-campus work schedule. Your schedule may be presented as provisional – subject to revision as the semester progresses – but keep in mind that students may find frequent and substantial changes to the class schedule frustrating. Items to considering specifying in the class schedule include:
• what will be covered/what preparation (e.g. reading) is expected;
• discussion prompts for class meetings;
• when assignments/papers are due;
• when exams will be given and what they will cover or
• date by which a course needs to be dropped by the student.
STATEMENT REGARDING ACADEMIC HONESTY
Faculty approaches to these issues range from explanations of the centrality of honesty to the academic process to threats of punishment if the student is caught cheating or plagiarizing. At the very least an academic honesty statement should be included in your syllabus. It is also helpful to discuss academic honesty (including definitions of cheating and plagiarism), what it means in practice, and the penalties for academic dishonesty. Students should understand these issues from the start of the semester.
DISABILITIES STATEMENTS
Marquette is committed to providing a caring and welcoming campus, and recognizes and cherishes the dignity of each individual. The Office of Disability Services works to provide all students reasonable accommodation to learning opportunities. Disabilities statements help ensure that no student with a disability is denied the benefits of, is excluded from participation in, or otherwise is subjected to discrimination. Arrangements for adapting class procedures without compromising course content and standards may take time. Therefore, students who require accommodations or modifications should contact you as soon as possible. Inviting students to do so in your syllabus (and during the first class meeting) and providing contact information for the Disability Services Coordinator at (414) 288-1645(VT) will help ensure their needs are met.
STUDENT SUPPORT INFORMATION
You may choose to remind students that Marquette provides academic support services, including tutoring, study skills development and writing support, through the Office of Student Educational Services (288-3270) and the Ott Writing Center (288-5542).
REFERENCES TO DESIRE2LEARN (D2L)
Desire2Learn is a program that allows instructors to create, deliver, and manage web-based educational technologies for courses. It can be used to add online elements to a face-to-face course, or to develop completely online courses with few or no face-to-face meetings. A Desire2Learn (D2L) site is created for each course taught at Marquette. D2L provides a wealth of online tools including:
- personalized course calendars
- threaded discussion, live chat, and online whiteboard
- online quizzes and surveys, with automated grading and statistics
- course assignment and documents areas
- course-related external links
- timed release of quizzes and other course materials
- student rosters, e-mail, and online gradebook
D2L is easy to use and instructor training sessions are held frequently. If you plan to use D2L in conjunction with a face-to-face class, you may find it helpful to notify students which D2L components you plan to use, the D2L login Web site address (http://d2l.mu.edu) , and the contact information for the Help Desk (288-7799 or helpdesk@marquette.edu) should the need assistance using D2L. Baruch College provides some samples of instructor statements about their use of online courseware.
*Adapted from Baruch College’s Suggestions for Creating a Good Syllabus
|
