Group items tagged

"Creating an effective syllabus is as much about deciding what stays out as it is determining what goes in."

The author uses a syllabus so detailed that it can function like a textbook, and offers specific tips on how she uses the syllabus every day. This is an intriguing way of making sure the syllabus is not just a contract read on the first day and referred to only when people break it. I was particularly taken with the approach Dr. Crossman uses to make students actually do the "recommended" reading.

James Lang offers a set of strategies to get students to read the syllabus, and to actually internalize the information in it. I've recommended syllabus quizzes to many faculty members, but I'm intrigued by the way Lang suggests personalizing them with open-ended questions.

Some interesting ideas for first day of class activities here. I was particularly taken by the "syllabus scavenger hunt" in which students are asked to list their big questions about the course and find the answers in the syllabus (or start a conversation about why they aren't there).

I was intrigued by the suggestion that a syllabus statement affirming our commitment to Title IX can serve to deter potential perpetrators of assault or harassment, as well as to remind survivors (and their friends) of the resources available. Kenyon's Civil Rights Coordinator has provided four examples of potential syllabus language, so you can set the tone which fits your class best. (Hat tip to Laurie Finke for the link.)

When you borrow an assignment or part of the course structure from a colleague, do you note that on your syllabus? Do you make your syllabi (or other writeups of your course activities) available to your colleagues? What would happen if you did?

Michael Wesch describes his steps in redesigning a course syllabus to make the Big Ideas of the course more obvious (and engaging) to students. I was particularly taken by the typographical element of putting the Big Ideas in his handwriting and the day-by-day details in type.

What are the metaphors at work in your syllabus? What are their positive and negative connotations? How explicit or implicit are they? (Don't miss the link to "other metaphorical frames" for a list of possibilities to consider.)

Annotating your syllabus with your students is a great way to practice transparency, clarify your expectations, and check your assumptions.

Syllabi have to include clear policies, but Ed Cunliff says "I have yet to see a policy on syllabi that demands they bore the reader!" By addressing writing style, formal structure, and graphic design, Cunliff tries to make his syllabi lively, engaging documents. What do you do to get students interested in the syllabus?

A fair number of faculty have told me that their remote teaching experience showed the benefits of a more flexible syllabus. Here's one example of how to give students options for a final paper/project, but the most important part may be the discussion of how Professor Katopodis generates these options with her students.

An interesting idea about the flipped classroom model. The professors in the article are not only challenging the idea of class time and homework time, but the idea that the whole class needs to move through the same syllabus at the same pace. From the article: "We would rather our kids actually know 80 percent of the content, instead of being exposed to 100 percent of the content," said Bergmann.

Could a clickbait writing style get students more "engaged" with your syllabus? The answer will shock you. (Or at least slightly amuse you.)

"By carefully considering what our syllabi are for, what they should include, and - most essentially - what they really communicate to our students, we can create a document that does a significant amount of heavy lifting for us. That document articulates a set of promises about what the course can do for students when they accept our invitation and take ownership of their learning in this collective enterprise."

This article discusses an interesting approach to discussion participation in the syllabus: what's expected, what's "good" participation, and how do you get students motivated to participate?

Mastery learning promises more individualized educational experiences within a class. Students who reach a benchmark of skill or content mastery can move on to the next unit, allowing them a deeper educational experience; students who struggle get more opportunities for review and feedback. It's extremely challenging to build a syllabus this way; this article cites some educators who are finding that the flipped classroom model can also aid a mastery learning orientation. If this all sounds like too much chaotic change, it might be worth considering whether particular elements of a course could be converted to a mastery orientation, without upsetting the whole apple cart.

Vitae's new syllabus database is a very limited tool - it's only searchable by file name, author name, and the disciplinary keywords chosen by the author. Still, it's a good step to see the Chronicle of Higher Ed providing a space for open syllabi. Worth a look as you plan next year's courses, or think about your own online presence!

A detailed exploration of the role of the accessibility statement on a syllabus, and the impact that its language and placement may have on all the students in the class.

Midterm might be a good time to review your syllabi and make some notes for next time. Take some time for reflection, then check out the example syllabi at the end of this article for inspiration.

There's some interesting potential for a "big data" approach to publishing syllabi.