Seven Principles of Undergraduate Teaching (Chickering and Gamson): 
The Syllabus

1.	Encourages Student-Faculty/Staff Interaction (Formal and/or Informal)

A syllabus that is welcoming in tone and encourages students to openly communicate with instructors contributes to creating a class environment that is comfortable.

Provide students with multiple methods of contact (such as TCC email address, office phone number, Blackboard Connect, etc.) and the best times to contact the instructor. 

Designate time on the course schedule for meeting with students to discuss their progress.

2.	Encourages Cooperation Among Students (In Class and/or Out of Class)

Embed big-picture discussion questions in the syllabus and have students break into groups to discuss them during the first week, introducing a collaborative class atmosphere at the start of the course.

Suggest that students form study groups in the Learning Commons.

3.	Encourages Active Learning (Student Participation and Responsibility)

Emphasize the importance of attendance (but try to avoid accusatory language). For example, include past statistics of student attendance correlating with failure.

Identify the real-world relevance of the material taught in the course. Provide rationale for the sequencing of content and the use of certain forms of assessment.

The syllabus presents an opportunity for students to take responsibility for their learning. The course schedule can be used by students as a personal planning guide for the course throughout the semester.

4.	Gives Prompt Feedback (Includes Frequent Assessment)

Give students a general timeframe for when they should expect to receive feedback on assignments/exams and how soon they should expect a response to inquiries through email/texts/phone calls.

Highlight information about how often students will be assessed.

5.	Emphasizes Time on Task (Realistic Time Allocation Student/Faculty)

Success Tips in the syllabus can include the amount of time students should put into homework/studying in order to do well in the course.

Ensure the syllabus is comprehensive, but avoid including extraneous details; keep the focus on the factors that will influence learning in the course.

As stated in Preparing an Effective Syllabus (Slattery and Carlson, 2005), “Becker and Calhoon (1999) recommend revisiting information on the syllabus frequently to help students make wise decisions about their use of time.” 

6.	Communicates High Expectations

Clearly state what you expect of students (and, in turn, what they should expect of you) in the syllabus. This should correlate with course Learning Outcomes. How should students work to achieve those outcomes?

Encourage students to take ownership of their learning using the syllabus. Slattery and Carlson (2005) suggest “asking students to set goals for the course based on their initial reading of the syllabus.”

7.	Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning (Implies Multiple Ways of Engaging Students in Course Material and Multiple Ways of Assessment)  

Give students easy access to the syllabus in order to engage them at the onset of the course. It can be printed out and distributed in class and also posted on the Blackboard site for the course. In its digital form, posting the syllabus as a PDF allows students using a variety of operating systems access. 

Give examples of or information about the types of assessments and assignments that will be used in your course (multiple choice tests, essays, discussion boards, etc.).

Let students know that they will be taught in a variety of formats (lecture, reading assignments, videos, hands-on experiences, etc.) to accommodate different learning styles.