Course Syllabus Recommendations
Section (A) of Faculty Rule 3335-8-19 (modified April 2016) states: Each course as defined in rule 3335-8-01 of the Administrative Code will have a syllabus to be provided to each student explaining how the student's performance will be assessed. University policy further requires that it be made available to students at the beginning of, and throughout the conduct of the course. The syllabus is typically written by the instructor, but often follows guidelines provided by the program, the department, or the college. There is no central requirement for the contents of a course syllabus, but there is a culture that has been established around the expectations associated with this important document.
Syllabi seem to vary in two fundamental areas - the apparent reason for writing the syllabus and the material that it contains. The purpose of the syllabus should drive the decision as to what content to include (Parkes & Harris, 2002)*. Three major purposes that a syllabus should serve are described by Parkes and Harris:
- The Syllabus is a contract - It makes clear what the rules of the class are; it sets forth what is expected to happen during the term of the course; it delineates the responsibilities of students and of the course instructor; and it describes appropriate procedures and course policies.
- The Syllabus is a permanent record - It serves accountability and documentation functions related to the course; It contains information useful for evaluation of the instructor(s), course, and program; and it documents what was covered in a course, at what level, and for what kind of credit (useful in course equivalency transfer situations, accreditation procedures, and articulation).
- The Syllabus is a learning tool - It helps students become more effective learners in the course; it Informs students of the instructor's beliefs about teaching, learning, and the content area; and it places the course in context (how it fits in the curriculum, and how it relates to students' lives).
The syllabus usually contains the following information.
- Prerequisites: Classes, skills, and information required prior to enrolling in course.
- Course Objective: Information to be covered, general themes, and course activities.
- Learning Objectives: A precise statement(s) linking subject matter and student performance. The objective includes competencies, skills, and knowledge students should acquire by the end of the course.
- Textbooks/Readings: Titles, authors, editions, and local book retailers. You should always attempt to order textbooks for which electronic format is available. For information on available alternate format of a book, contact the publisher.
- Course Schedule: Supply schedule of events; include discussion topics, exam dates, assignments, and readings to be completed for each day.
- Additional Required Materials: Any additional course material such as calculator or art supplies that the student has to buy to successfully complete the course. Information on such materials needs to be as detailed and specific as possible.
- Grades: Describe how you are going to calculate the grades and give an explanation of what is required to receive a particular grade.
- Course Policies: Specify how you deal with tardiness, absences, late assignments, test/assignment make-ups, and course academic misconduct.
- Specific University statements or policies: Policies such as academic misconduct, disability services, safety, trigger warnings, etc.
Instructors find that online and hybrid courses merit special syllabus considerations. Some information beyond the standard policies for an in-person course can help to set clear expectations and orient students when the structure of a particular online course or perhaps online learning a may be unfamiliar.
Instructional designers have developed and refined a syllabus template in partnership with the university's fully online programs and certificates. This template contains crucial online-specific policies which may be adjusted by individual instructors, and the file itself has been formatted to meet basic accessibility guidelines. The template and more information can be found in the Teaching and Learning Resource Center under Online and Hybrid Syllabus Template Instructions.
* Parkes, J., & Harris, M. B. (2002). The purposes of a syllabus. College Teaching, 50 (2), 55-61.