Syllabus Policies & Statements

Section (A) of Faculty Rule 3335-8-19 states, “Each course as defined in rule 3335-8-01 of the Administrative Code will have a syllabus to be provided to each student at the start of the term explaining how the student’s performance will be assessed.” Syllabi also direct students to resources that support their academic experience.  University policy requires that syllabi be made available to students at the beginning of the term and throughout the conduct of the course.

Standard Syllabus Statements

The link below provides instructors with standard syllabus statements, some of which are legally required (e.g., the religious accommodations statement, disability statement, and harassment, discrimination, and sexual misconduct statements); others are  strongly recommended.

View Standard Syllabus Statements 

Optional Syllabus Statements

The following link provides optional statements. Instructors may choose to include any or all of these optional statements in their syllabus at their own discretion:

View Optional Syllabus Statements

Syllabus Guidelines

The syllabus is typically written by the instructor but often follows guidelines provided by the program, the department, or the college. While course syllabi may vary in format and content, there is a culture that has been established around the expectations associated with this important document. 

The purpose of the syllabus should drive the instructor’s decisions regarding what content to include (Parkes & Harris, 2002)*. As instructors design their syllabus, they may reflect on three broad purposes that a syllabus can serve:

1. The Syllabus as a guide: 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 rules, procedures and course policies.
2. The Syllabus as 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).
3. The Syllabus as a roadmap for learning: 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 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.