The Syllabus

The syllabus. The master document.

I saw my first syllabus in my senior English class. My teacher said he wanted to prepare us for college, and designed his course on a college level. He told us to keep it somewhere easily accessible because we would be referencing it often. I’m pretty sure mine ended up in the trash within a week.

At that point, I did not know the purpose of the syllabus. I thought, ‘well won’t he just tell me when assignments are due?’ Now I realize that a syllabus is much more than a list of due dates.

A good syllabus is concise but covers many common questions from students. In my opinion, it MUST include course specifics (title, meeting times, etc.), instructor info (name, contact info, etc.), a brief description of the course, required texts, course objectives, a grading scale, a brief description of assignments and their course weight, and a schedule by class with assignments and due dates.

This is the very minimum that would make a syllabus ‘sufficient’. However, no one aims for their work to be just ok, so more details are often included. I have seen attendance policies, plagiarism policies, university guidelines, and even a signed contract stating that the student understands the classroom rules.

Personally, I would begin my syllabus with basic course information, such as the meeting time and location. This is necessary so that students are certain they are in the correct place and there are no discrepancies between the university schedule and my schedule. I would then identify myself as the instructor, and provide the best modes of contact for me and my office hours. Students need this information so that I can help them in the best way I can, whether it is a quick email they need or if they need to know when to meet with me face to face. Following the basics, I would give a brief description of the course and the main topics we will be covering. This gives the students a general overview of what to expect. I would outline my course objectives, so they know exactly what they need to learn. I think it is important to include a section about academic misconduct, so that students know it will not be tolerated. I would then reference the university guidelines, and give students a resource to find them if needed. I would provide any course texts that the student may need to purchase, so they can plan ahead for that before it is needed.

I think the next section is where I would get a little more personal with students, and provide them with my own expectations and goals for them. Here, I would lay ground rules such as attendance, cell phone policies, classroom etiquette, and things along these lines. I would include responsibilities and participation as well. This is important because it informs students of exactly what I expect of them. They can see what standards they are being held to. In the same section, I would provide my expectations of myself to them. This would include feedback in a timely manner, punctuality, informative classes, and an open door policy. I think it is important for students to see that not only do I set standards for them, but that they can have standards for me as well.

Next, I would give overviews of the assignments. This would include a brief description, how many points it is worth, the weight, and when it is due. No need to provide a rubric here, because that can come later with the assignment specifics. It is helpful for students to see every assignment that will be done over the semester so they can be prepared.

I would end with a course schedule with specific assignments, due dates, and a checklist for students once they complete the week.

Most of what I have included follows the article ‘How to Improve Your Teaching With the Course Syllabus’ by Drew Appleby. He describes the syllabus as a form of communication between instructor and students, and that is exactly what it is. It keeps everyone on track and on the same page. It is a resource.

Mr. Appleby also made the point to include a caveat in the syllabus to protect yourself and the university. As far as I can remember, all the syllabi I have seen have included some sort of caveat, but I did not realize how important it is. There must be something in the syllabus that says it is subject to change at your discretion. Things are always changing. My senior year of college, we had 3 snow days! Ohio State never closes! This year, we had Carmen go down. It is hard to do an online course when the online system is not working. All of these events made days and weeks shift, so assignments had to shift as well.

I would provide my students with a paper copy (assuming it is not an exclusively online course) and also post it online for quick reference. I know some paper copies go straight to recycling, but some students need that hard piece and keep it in a certain place. I do think it is a must to begin the first class by going through the syllabus and discussing a little more in depth. You can clarify and concerns right from the beginning. However, I think if a course is 1.5 hours long, there is no need to only cover the syllabus. Use this time to begin the first module. If you do not have enough content to stretch it over the entire course, I’m sure students would not mind having a break somewhere mid-semester.

I understand that when students are involved in developing the course schedule, they can work it out so they do not run into 3 big exams in one week or situations like this. I know we had that a lot during undergrad. Our instructors were flexible for the most part, and usually one was willing to change their exam date. However, I do not think students need to be a part of designing the course. If a scenario arises that there is a conflict, then adjustments can be made if the instructor wants to.