Crafting Your Syllabus

Crafting Your Syllabus
Development, Improvement, and Implementation

Welcome to

Crafting Your Syllabus!

The course syllabus is a hallmark of post-secondary education.

At its core, a syllabus provides a basic outline of an academic course; class procedures, expectations and dates.

apple_books (1).png

...But that isn't all it has to be. With some tweaking, a syllabus can become more than meets the eye.

This self-paced module will show you how syllabi can be developed in order to supplement and enhance the learning experience in your course, right from the start.

Listed below are the expected Learning Outcomes for the module:

Update or develop an Instructor Syllabus in accordance with TCC policies and procedures.
Select strategies to ensure that students comprehend and use the syllabus.
Implement syllabus best practices.

Before you begin, be sure to download and review the module syllabus, located to the right.

Syllabus Survey Results

Before we get into the ways that syllabi can be enhanced, let's ask this question: what do students consider to be the important aspects of a syllabus? To determine this, a survey about syllabi was distributed to the TCC student body. In order to get a wider perspective, the same survey was also distributed to faculty and administrators.

Our survey was adapted from a survey created by Garavalia, Hummel, Wiley & Huitt (1999). The purpose of our survey was to determine what information each group (students, faculty, and administrators) consider to be important in a course syllabus. Participants were presented with several common components of a syllabus and asked to rank each one's level of importance on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being "Not Important" and 5 being "Very Important").

The top five components for each group are described below:

Students

Faculty

Administrators

Below are links to the full survey results for each group:

Students

Faculty

Administrators

We'll revisit this information later in the module. For now, keep these results in mind as you view the basic requirements and best practices for effective syllabi.

Citation: Garavalia, L. S., Hummel, J. H., Wiley, L. P., & Huitt, W.G. (1999). Constructing the course syllabus: Faculty and student perceptions of important syllabus components. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 10 (1), 5-21.

Think About It

Consider the following syllabi:

(Click on each image to view a larger version)

What are some thoughts that come to mind when viewing these syllabi? How do they reflect/represent the courses that they support? Which one is more visually appealing? Which is more detailed? An effective syllabus can contain both elements.

Now consider a syllabus from a course that you teach. Think about how you use the syllabus in your course. Can your syllabus be improved or enhanced in any way?

The sole function of a syllabus does not have to be a piece of paper that students glance at on the first day of class and never consult again. It has the potential to be a great learning tool!

The following sections will provide you with the content, strategies, and resources with which you can transform your syllabus into a tool to be used for the benefit of both you and your students throughout the semester.

Syllabus Basics

Most (if not all) of those in the world of higher education are familiar with the concept of the syllabus. Typically, a syllabus has three major functions within a course: to serve as a contract, a permanent record, and a learning tool (Parkes and Harris, 2002).

While these three main components make up the principal features of a syllabus, to think that these are its only functions would be downplaying the importance of syllabi.

The syllabus can be many things:

...and more!

Click Next Page below to take a look at what a syllabus is here at TCC.

The Master Syllabus & The Instructor Syllabus

The following two links will provide you with information on the Policies and Procedures for Master and Instructor Syllabi.

bullets 2.png

Syllabus Requirements

Now that we've reviewed the Master and Instructor Syllabi, let's explore the required sections of an Instructor Syllabus.

To the right you will find some examples of how other TCC instructors have organized the sections in their syllabi.

Take a look at these examples, and then move on to what comprises the details of a syllabus.

Syllabus Must-Haves: Click on each section to view the required information and where to find it.

Course Logistics

Expectations and Policies

Outlines, Schedules, and Important Dates & Focusing on Learning

Course Logistics

Information to Include	Tips and Where to Find It
Course title	Found in the Master Syllabus or in Eaglenet under "Search for Open Courses" or in the Course Catalog .
SCNS (Statewide Course Numbering System) number	Found in the Master Syllabus.
Complete instructor information, including: TCC phone number (cell phone number optional) TCC email address Office number and location Office hours	Provide up-to-date contact information and indicate the best way to reach you. Let students know your availability and how you can assist them outside of class (i.e., online, at the Learning Commons). Your division will provide you with this information and you will establish your office hours.
The catalog description of the course, including: Number of credits Prerequisites and/or co-requisites Total number of contact hours in lecture, lab, clinic or number of clock hours (PSAV) Credit Type (college postsecondary adult vocational, college prep)	Found in the Master Syllabus as well as in Eaglenet under "Search for Open Courses." Click on the magnifying glass in Eaglenet for details. This information is also found in the Course Catalog .
Identification of courses that satisfy writing across the curriculum and/or the computer proficiency graduation requirement.	Found in the Master Syllabus.
The current textbook(s) and software utilized, including author, title, and publisher. ISBN is helpful, too.	Found in the Master Syllabus. You can also find it in Eaglenet under "Search for Open Courses." Click on the book icon in Eaglenet for details on the textbook.
The overall goal of the course.	Found in the Master Syllabus.
The student learning outcomes for the course.	Found in the Master Syllabus. Refer to the Master Syllabus for a foundation. If you would like to know more about how to write effective learning outcomes, view the online module.
A list of teaching aids and devices both suggested for teacher use as well as required for student purchase and use; e.g., safety goggles, graphing calculators, art supplies, cameras, dental instruments, etc.	Found in the Master Syllabus.
A list of references or source materials.	Found in the Master Syllabus and any sources that you have used. Tip: Have your references listed in discipline-specific format to serve as a model for writing within the discipline that students can use.

Click here to bypass the next three charts or click Next Page to view them.

Expectations and Policies

Information to Include

Tips and Where to Find It

Detailed attendance policy

Devise an attendance policy that is clear and as specific as possible. Be sure that the policy you implement is one that you will be able to stick to throughout the semester. Indicate your level of flexibility with regard to various situations.

Refer to the TCC Policy Manual for more information.

Makeup policy for missed exams, quizzes, and assignments.

Devise a makeup policy that is clear and as specific as possible. Be sure the policy you implement is one that you will be able to stick to throughout the semester. Indicate if and when makeups will be allowed and your level of flexibility with regard to various situations.

Classroom policies and expectations.

Refer to the Student Code of Conduct; it sets the expectations for behavior on campus. The Student Code of Conduct is located in the Student Handbook .

Example of Wording: Classroom Expectations & Policies

ADA statement.

Each year we ask Disability Support Services (DSS) to verify and update a statement that can be used in syllabi.

Wording: DSS Statement

Feel free to download and copy this statement into your syllabus.

Grading:

How the final course grade is calculated.
Factors considered in evaluating and grading students, such as tests, projects, writing assignments, etc.
Information about a final exam (especially if one is not required for the course).
Any departmental policies regarding a grading scale in determining final grades.

A clear and concise grading scale and system is helpful for the instructor and the students. Letting students know how you will assess them at the beginning of the course will give them the opportunity to know what you will expect of them and plan ahead. This will also help to avoid disputes over grades towards the end of the semester.

Including an "Assignment Information" section is also helpful.

Technology Use

Explain to students to what extent and how technology will be used in the course, both in and out of meeting times. State whether or not you will allow laptops/tablets in class.

All courses now have a Blackboard shell; let students know how it will be used.

Administrative Withdrawal Policy

Refer to the Policy Manual for Withdrawal information.

Academic Freedom Policy

Information about this policy can be found here .

Example of Wording: Academic Freedom

Academic Dishonesty

Example of Wording: Academic Dishonesty

Click here to bypass the next two charts or click Next Page to view them.

Outlines, Schedules, and Important Dates

Information to Include

Tips and Where to Find It

The course outline and pacing schedule for the course, including

Tentative exam dates
Tentative dates for major assignments
Holidays
Withdrawal deadlines

The syllabus/course outline helps students to develop self-management skills. With a clearly outlined timeline, students know when assignments are due and when tests will be given. They can use the timeline to plan and monitor their schedules. However, you will also want to include a statement on the potential for the schedule to change, with advance notice given to students.

The course outline also gives you the opportunity to provide a rationale for the topics that are covered and the sequencing of them.

Date and Time of Final Exam (or final project, presentation, etc.)

Refer to the Academic Calendars page for dates and times of Final Exams.

Alternatively, let students know when the final project/presentation/assignment is due.

Focusing on Learning

Information to Include

Tips and Where to Find It

Out-of-class resources that can assist students.

Provide information for any helpful websites, books, or support services.

Refer to the Learning Commons website.

Example of Wording: Learning Commons

Student success strategies/suggestions.

Example of Wording: Tips for Student Success

Think about adding things like a Course FAQ section, tips for success from former students, a description of what constitutes participating in class, motivational statements, etc.

The Syllabus As A First Impression

The article to the right includes a few questions to consider when going over your syllabus.

The User-Friendly Syllabus

The literature has shown that constructing a syllabus

that is user-friendly contributes greatly to its success.

Slattery and Carlson (2005) report that user-friendly

syllabi are "associated with positive student outcomes"

because "students see themselves as active participants

rather than passive recipients in the learning process."

"User-friendly" means that the syllabus is designed

not so that it intimidates students, but rather it gives

them a sense of encouragement through its tone

and layout

Click to the next page to learn about each factor.

Tone

"With forethought, one can be clear about the rules governing classroom behavior without being cold and accusatory." (Slattery and Carlson, 2005)

As previously mentioned, the syllabus serves as part of the students' first impression of you and your course. A syllabus that contains positive wording and avoids the over-use of "DO-NOTS" and other un-welcoming phrases tells your students that you are there to help them succeed, not to punish them.

Take a look at the "One Final Note" section (bottom of the last page) in this example; the instructor provides a concluding explanation for the preceding stern tone of the syllabus and emphasizes a willingness to work with students.

Another way to create a positive tone is to start off with a welcome message and then elaborate on the policies procedures, as shown in this example.

Tips:

Include a brief statement about the background of the course subject or about your background (or both).

Include positive motivational statments or quotes.

Provide feedback from former students.

Layout

The manner in which content is laid out within the syllabus is also an important factor in enhancing its usability. A well-organized syllabus allows students to locate and decipher the information quickly and efficiently. Parkes and Harris (2002) suggest using several types of organizational techniques:

Headings and subheadings

Boldface and italics

Spacing and indenting

Variable font sizes

Bullets and/or numbering

However, be sure to exercise discretion when using the above techniques; a syllabus full of jumbled fonts and paragraphs is confusing and distracting for students.

Take a look at the clear and logical organization in these syllabi: example 1 | example 2 | example 3

The Learning-Centered Syllabus

TCC is an institution that is commited to fostering student learning and providing opportunities to learn in any circumstance. This concept can be extended to

the syllabus; its role as the initial connection between instructors and students allows it to be a catalyst for promoting the learning process in your course.

If you choose to take a learning-centered approach to constructing your syllabus, here are a few strategies you can use:

Applying The Seven Principles Of Undergraduate Teaching To Your Syllabus

Download and review the following handout about ways to incorporate these 7 principles into your syllabus.

7 Principles Handout

{ Think About It }

Which best practices from the handout do you think you could employ in your syllabus?

Take a look at the syllabus from a course that you teach and highlight areas where you could apply some of the practices.

The Syllabus Aesthetic

Now that we've covered how to enhance the content of your syllabus, let's move on to ways that you can update its appearance. When one thinks of a syllabus, typically a vertically-organized Word document comes to mind. However, more and more instructors are opting to present the required information contained in a syllabus in a way that will facilitate enthusiam for the course. A visually interesting syllabus helps your course to stand out in the sea of traditional syllabi that your students receive during the first week of the semester.

Take a look at the before and after versions of this US History syllabus to see how the same material can be presented in a fresh, new way.

There are varying levels as to how creative you can get with syllabus design - it all depends on choosing a medium and style that you are comfortable working with (Microsoft Word or Publisher, Photoshop, Newsletter Design programs, etc.). Do a quick web search to explore platforms and find one that fits with what you want to do.

Remember: visually redesigning your syllabus is not something that is required of you. These are merely suggestions that you can take advantage of if you choose to do so. Be sure to check with your department before altering the design of your syllabus.

One thing to keep in mind when updating your syllabus in this manner is moderation; the goal is for it to be "attractive without being distracting (Slattery and Carlson, 2005)."

The next page will provide some examples of different visual approaches that can be adopted.

Creative Ideas

Here are some example approaches to giving the syllabus personality:

Creative Use of Graphics	New sletter-Style
The Syllabus as an Inforgraphic	Newsletter-Style with Detailed Course Schedule
Use of Meaningful Quotes (Also an Inforgraphic)	Creative Organization Combined with Meaningful Graphics and Quotes

{ Think About It }

Do you think the visual creativity exhibited in the examples helped to communicate the information?

Would you consider applying any of these approaches to your syllabus? Why or why not?

"How Was I Supposed To Know That?"

Ensuring That Students Read The Syllabus

The comic below illustrates a situation that many higher education instructors have encountered.

As an instructor, you can recognize the importance of a course syllabus. So how do you communicate that importance to students?

Using The Survey Results

Remember the results from the syllabus survey that you saw at the beginning of the lesson? (Click here to view again)

Now that we know what students value in a syllabus, how can we use that information to our advantage?

As the intended audience of the syllabus is the students, emphasizing what they focus on the most in the document will contribute to making the syllabus a usable resource. Once their attention is caught by those critical components, students are more likely to absorb the rest of the information and refer back to the syllabus throughout the course.

The following chart lists the top five syllabus components that students find important and strategies for highlighting them.

Component	Strategy
Dates for exams/assignments	Students identified this as the most important aspect of a syllabus. Be clear about when each exam or assessment will take place and the due dates for assignments and projects. You may want to bold or highlight this information in your course calendar. If there are any changes to these dates, let students know ASAP.
Instructor's email address	Be sure to include your TCC email address in the section on instructor contact information (ideally found at the top of the first page). You should also indicate how quickly students should expect a response via email.
Explanation of how the course grade is computed (weightings of exams, papers, etc.)	Clearly outline the factors that will contribute to the final grade, how much each factor will weigh into the grade, and your method for grade calculation. This information should be made easy to find in the syllabus so that students can reference it after each assignment or exam is completed.
Grading scale	Knowing what amount of points qualifies for each letter grade is important to students. This information will help them plan out their studying and may even help them decide if they want to stay in the course at the beginning of the semester. Make sure that the grading scale is presented clearly and simply, perhaps putting it in a table or box.
Instructor's office hours	Again, students want to know how and when they can reach you. Including your office hours is required in your syllabus, but you can stress this component by clearly stating where your office is located and letting students know if you are also available to meet by appointment.

Ensuring That Students Read The Syllabus: Strategies

Thinking back to the comic strip, a challenge that instructors may face is getting students to read and make use of the valuable information contained in the syllabus. The presentation of the syllabus on the first day of class (and the syllabus itself) can provide the opportunity to ensure that students are aware of this information.

Here a few strategies that you can employ in your course:

Wrapping Up

As we near the end of this module on syllabi, let's take a moment to review the learning outcomes:

Update or develop an instructor syllabus in accordance with TCC policies and procedures.
Implement syllabus best practices.

Using this checklist, make sure your syllabus is in line with TCC policies and procedures.

Select strategies to ensure that students comprehend and use the syllabus.

Type your response below

Your Syllabus

We've covered a lot of information on improving and enhancing syllabi. Now it's time to put that information to use!

Instructions

Remember that syllabus from one of your courses that you were told to keep on hand? Get it out and start updating or developing the components that you think need adjusting. Here are a few suggestions:

Make sure you have all of the required parts included

Review the tone, content, and layout to ensure that it is user-friendly

See if there are ways that you can make the syllabus more focused on learning

Apply the 7 Principles of Undergraduate Teaching

Enhance the look of your syllabus

Emphasize aspects of the syllabus that students attend to the most

Insert some strategies to get students to read your well-crafted syllabus

After you have completed this final activity, you can Email your updated syllabus to the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Leadership for feedback!

Resources

Congratulations, you have completed the module "Crafting Your Syllabus"! You are now armed with the knowledge and tools to create an effective syllabus.

If you would like even more information, here are some additional syllabus resources:

Articles & Books

A collection of articles about effective syllabus writing from the site Faculty Focus

The Course Syllabus: A Learning-Centered Approach can be found in the CTLL library

Tools

A Google Sites syllabus template for creating online syllabi

How to create a dynamic course calendar

A rubric for syllabi (this rubric does not include all of the items that must be in your TCC syllabus; it should be used as a starting point)

Videos

Negotiating the syllabus with students

Creating a course activity map

Creating an interactive syllabus

Designing and implementing a syllabus for learning (podcast)

References

Garavalia, L. S., Hummel, J. H., Wiley, L. P., & Huitt, W.G. (1999). Constructing the course syllabus: Faculty and student perceptions of important syllabus components. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 10 (1), 5-21.

Hangen, T. (2013). Writing syllabi worth reading. Retrieved from http://www.tonahangen.com/courses/syllabusdesign/

Parkes, J. & Harris, M. B. (2002). The purposes of a syllabus. College Teaching, 50(2), 55-61.

Slattery, J. M. & Carlson, J. F. (2005). Preparing an effective syllabus: Current best practices. College Teaching,53(4), 159-164.

Weimer, M. (2011, August 24). What does your syllabus say about you and your course?. The Teaching Professor Blog, Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/what-does-your-syllabus-say-about-you-and-your-course/

Grunert O'Brien, J., Millis, B. J., & Cohen, M. W. (2008).The course syllabus: A learning-centered approach. (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Chickering, A. W. & Gamson, Z. F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. The Wingspread Journal, 9(2).

Jones, J. B. (2011, August 26). Creative approaches to the syllabus. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/creative-approaches-to-the-syllabus/35621

Mason, M. (n.d.). Literature of the north: Syllabus. Retrieved from http://northernlit.community.uaf.edu/

Sheridan, S. (2011). Fundamentals of biological anthropology: Syllabus. Retrieved from http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/610087/Fundamentals Syllabus F 11 (Sheridan).pdf

Kays, T. M. (n.d.). Scientific and technical presentations: Syllabus. Retrieved from http://cl.ly/image/1y3Y2e2d0z1O/o

Alander, V. (2011). Composition: Syllabus. Retrieved from http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/610087/Fall_2011_EN120018.pdf

Clary , B. (n.d.). Fiction: A syllabus for g-en270(l). Retrieved from https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/610087/Syllabuses/Clarysyllabus-en270-2012.pdf

Gannon, K. M. (2012). Hist 332: Modern latin america. Retrieved from https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/610087/Syllabuses/Gannon332.syllabus.Fall2012.pdf

Honeycutt, B. (2012, April 16). A syllabus tip: Embed big questions. Faculty Focus, Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/a-syllabus-tip-embed-big-questions/