Syllabus resources
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Syllabus Resources
A syllabus is a guide to your course and includes what will be expected of students and the instructor (you) over the course of the term. Generally, it will include course policies, rules and regulations, required texts, learning outcomes, and a schedule of assignments.
A syllabus is a reflection of an individual faculty member’s course goals, pedagogical preferences, and teaching style. As such, rarely are any two syllabi the same. However, effective syllabi do have attributes in common. They provide information students need to navigate the course, such as how to contact the professor and a schedule of assignments and events (Slattery and Carlson, 2005). They convey a sense of enthusiasm and motivation (Svinicki and McKeachie, 2014). They help students understand how to learn as well as what to learn in a course (Parkes, Fix, and Harris, 2003). Finally, they clearly communicate what is expected of students (Saville, Zinn, Brown, and Marchuk, 2010).
As the syllabus is often the first point of contact between you and students, it provides you with the opportunity to set a welcoming and positive tone for your course.
If you would like feedback on your syllabus or someone to proofread it, please email Nisha Gupta (nisha.gupta@centre.edu) or Matt Downen (matt.downen@centre.edu) in the CTL or schedule a consultation and select “Syllabi” using this form: CTL Consultation Request Form.
Required Items to Include in Centre College Syllabus
Per guidelines in the Faculty Handbook, your syllabus must include these 10 items:
Name of the course, course rubric and number, and term
Meeting times and places
Course goals and objectives
Dates for major tests and assignments and what the penalty will be for late work/makeups
Class Attendance Policy/Statement. Students are individually responsible for class attendance, but instructors may impose attendance requirements appropriate to any course. Instructors shall explain to students at the beginning of each course their expectations and grading policies with regard to attendance at class meetings.
Instructors are required by the College to track an accurate record of each student’s attendance.
Instructors are also asked to report to the Assistant Dean the names of those students who are absent from class excessively, including those who are absent the equivalent of a full week of classes (three consecutive meetings for MWF or two consecutive meetings for T,TH class times). Use the Student Notice report via either Navigate or Report of Concern (via CentreNet).
Grading Policies—students should know their status in a course at any time after an assignment is returned. Explicit information on how grades will be determined should be provided, including use of + and – grading. You should let students know what the cut-offs are for earning each grade.
Office hours. Faculty members are required to announce and post their office hours.
Expectations about any required activities outside normal class period.
Statement on providing accommodations for students with disabilities. See the many resources compiled under the Syllabus Statements section of this page.
Information about the resources available at the Writing Center.
A Learner-Centered Syllabus
Students are more active and participative, and the process turns knowledge into a negotiation between teachers and students. The course syllabus is a great place to convey learner-centered pedagogy.
This matrix provides some questions for consideration to help shift your syllabus toward learner-centered pedagogies.
More on constructing a learning-centered syllabus can be found here: https://www.ideaedu.org/idea_papers/constructing-a-learner-centered-syllabus-one-professors-journey/
An Equity-Minded Syllabus
A well-designed syllabus is characterized by a welcoming and inviting tone, is accessible for all students, has good visual design, promotes transparency, is accompanied by an activity to ensure that students read and understand it, and reflects your commitment to equity. Equity-minded pedagogy practices support this approach to syllabus development.
Evaluate the effectiveness of your syllabus. This Rubric for an Inclusive Course Syllabus from Colorado State provides several good dimensions of inclusivity and engagement to assess your syllabus
Would you like to add an inclusivity statement to your syllabus? This Diversity and Inclusion Syllabus Statements reference from Clemson provides some useful ideas.
Support for English Language/ESL Statements
Centre College welcomes students from around the country and the world. The unique perspectives international and multilingual students bring enrich our campus community. To aid students whose primary language is not English, the Centre Learning Commons provides individual English Language/ESL consultations to help with homework, presentations, projects, pronunciation, and grammar. We offer ESL Peer Mentors who meet one-on-one with students and provide guidance and academic support for students. We also lead weekly group lessons to develop academic English (EaSeL Evenings). For more information please contact Karen Tubb in the CLC at karen.tubb@centre.edu, by phone 859-238-6327, or to set up an appointment, please select “Academic Support: ESL Consultation” on the Navigate Student app available via the CentreNet LaunchPad.
Syllabus Statements
The syllabus statement samples below represent the types of statements that are often included on Centre College syllabi. They are intended to give you a starting place for thinking about the types of statements that you want to include in your syllabus. Any of the statements may be adapted to fit the goals, context, and tone of your course. The list is not exhaustive, and should you have an example you would like to add, please contact the Center for Teaching and Learning (ctl@centre.edu).