It is important to have a well developed syllabus to show your students content area and expectation in the classroom.
Hi Marshall,
You make a great point on how to protect yourself with the syllabus. If it is there in print then there is little or no room for misunderstanding. This lets you move the class forward without getting too bogged down with minor questions.
Gary
Hi Maria,
Good point about the need for a well developed syllabus. How do you introduce the syllabus to your students?
Gary
The syllabus is like a contract between the instructor and student;the instructor promises they will deliver information in a certain order, on specific dates, tells the students what they need to do to accomplish mastery of the class and succeed. It holds both instructor and student accountable for assignments, tests, homework and what lectures and content will be delivered when.
It provides a reference when students are confused about requirements and helps keep everyone marching towards the same goal. It is a fundamental part of the teaching process.
The student and instructor should agree.
Not only is it instrumental to having everyone on the same page it also sets the expectations of the instructor on what the student should learn during the course. The syllabi also plays a vital role in dealing with students who do not agree with faculty members on what was/ what is and what will be covered and tested on. In my role I deal with these types of situations and have found the syllabi to be my best tool.
Gives the students important information of the course content and answers many questions they might have.
being well prepared is very important. To be unprepared would not be in the best intrests of the students
Hi J Rider,
There are a number of ways of getting the information across to the students. If you want a brief syllabus to share with students this is fine. Then as you say you can provide additional handouts to provide the needed information. The key is to make sure the students get and understand the information no matter the format that is used.
In teaching there are just general guidelines to follow, each instructor has to find his/her own level of comfort for delivering the information.
Gary
The syllabus is instrumental to getting students and faculty on the same page for the start of the course. It clearly explains expectations and acts as a roadmap for the course and shows how topics relate to the big picture.
In my eyes this is what is going to give the student and you the direction of the class. It is a road map of how the student can get from point A to point B, and what you are going to do to help him or her get to there if he or she become mis-directed. It is to show the necessary steps needed to gain the knowledge to suceed in the class.
I actually have some problems with the notion of having a too complete syllabus. Of course, all of the information that has been proposed to belong in a syllabus is important and needs to be available to the student. However, putting everything into a single document seems to make it less likely that student will read it.
Rather, I'd put all information that needs to be known in separate documents. The syllabus would then refer to this information.
In general, I question syllabi that are more than a couple of pages long.
Bob and Edna,
I have always used a very well-defined syllabus but have never included a contract on the last page. I view the students enrollment in the course as their agreement to abide by the class expectations. I always email my syllabus before the class even starts so they know exactly what is expected. If they show up, I view that as them agreeing to the contract. I understand your point, Bob, that many instructors don't take responsibility for their students' learning. However, the other side of the coin is that many students don't take responsibility for their own learning. What do you think about this?
I can see your point. I go over my syllabus the first day of class and point out my expectations. But I think you can take the pressure off, if you have built in leeway in the syllabus.
For example, I tell them if you are going to be late with an assignment, please contact me. As long as they keep in communication with me, I don't penalize them. Do I have students who abuse this policy? Yes, but somehow it seems to even out in the end. If they don't put the effort in-- they do not pass. Their poor work ethic seems to catch up with them. But for a few students with extenuating circumstances, it does take the pressure off.
A well prepared syllabus shows the student what to expect from the course and that I am an organized instructor. I write an objective that sets our goals for the class. Sometimes I include a day to day outline of the daily work.
A well-prepared syllabus tells the students exactly what is expected from them. Students would know how the instructor is going to approach the class. It is a contract between students and intructor.
I think that a well-prepared Syllabus is to a Course what a well-prepared outline is to an essay.
Hi Vicki,
Right you are and well said. The students need to see the journey they are going to take during the course and what their destination will be. This is why the syllabus needs to be accurate and complete.
Gary
It seems very important to have a well prepared syllabus so students know what to expect for the term. It also helps keep your prepared for the duration of term.
I'm not one to just get in the car and start my cross-country journey. I like to know where I'm going, how long it will take me to get there, if I have enough gas in the tank (and enough money in my pocket for refills), where I'll be staying along the way as well as once I get there and how I'll get back home. That's what the syllabus does...it maps out the plan so that we're all heading in the same direction with the same destination in mind. It's a pretty simple analogy but why make it complicated?
