It makes you well prepared to present the information to the students. It should be neat, concise and pertinent.
It helps you and the students to understand and be prepared for the course
Presenting yourself as a person first and an intructor second, comes about through varies opportunities with your students. By being prepared with a syllbi that answer's clearly almost all potential questions right from the beginning can avoid problems down the line. Being thorough and addressing class questions on the first day, set's a tone for the class expectations from their Instructor and potentially their fellow peers.
Colby,
Yes it is. You are setting the tone for the class by sharing with the students a well prepared and informative syllabus.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
If your syllabus is well prepared then it directly reflects your professionalism. It also lets students know how you do things and what they can expect from you in your class. Having a well-prepared syllabus is key to starting out a class on the right foot.
Provides a good outline and establishes expectations
Using a well prepared syllabus and sticking to it, ensures that all the students get all the appropriate information. It also holds the instructor accountable for that information.
Additionally, if there is issue with what content is covered or not covered, issue with class attendance or participation, I have used the signed copy that they understood and agree to the syllabus as a concrete way to hold students accountable. Accountability for those in my classes that are fresh out of high school is a huge lesson learned with benefits way beyond my classroom.
Qadar,
Right you are because the students have a very good reference for all of the general questions about the course. This way they can focus on learning the content and moving forward with their knowledge acquisition.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It is important to have a well prepared syllabus because learners have the right to know course expectations, school and classroom policies, and how their performance will be assessed.
In my class, students are lost without syllabus. My detailed syllabus is close to 8-10 pages double sided. I also cover the entire syllabus the first hour of the first day. In the classes I teach, they are 80% lab 20% lecture. Having detailed syllabus cuts so many unnecessary questions.
Susan,
Try stepping back from your syllabus and reflect on what you wanted to know about the courses you were taking as a student. Then put that information into your syllabus because your students will want to know the same information. The syllabus should cover policies, requirements, and assignments. Be concise and clear and you will have a good syllabus.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
As a first time teacher this was difficult for me to make. I enjoy the planned outline of courses but still find it difficult to lay out my own Syllabus.
The Syllabus sets the tone for the course. Student can review the syllabus and know exactly what they will be expected to accomplish.
Using a well prepared syllabus helps inform your class of all of the schools expectations.
It give the studens a clear path to what is going to be offered in the class and it gives the instructor a road map to help keep on track.
It is a guide for students to stay focused on the course.
It's important to have a well thought out syllabus for your course. To not only guide the instructor in what they should be learning at what time. But to also not leave the student guessing what they will be doing in class, as well as, what is required of them.
I agree with this. Students can use a syllabus as a guide to develop their own goals for the class as well. Once they are very clear on the expectations and what they need to accomplish, they can make a plan on how they are going to do that.
A well prepared syllabus is the road map and the information core for the course.
