Can syllabus have too much information for the first day?
I find students have trouble processing the information on the first day.
Shalanda,
Good point and this is why it is important to go through the syllabus with the students and show them the value of the contents.
Gary
In a Math class students are really nervous about decimals and fractions, so they really don't listen to anything or look at the syllabus thoroughly. I find that they only look for the exam dates and they don't pay any attention to the learning material. Yes the syllabus can scare the students into dropping the course.
Hi Laquitha,
Good point about the syllabus. The ongoing use of it in the course helps the students to see the value you associate with it.
Gary
I think that sometimes, too much to soon can be overwhelming. However, it's better that the students have the information than them not having it. What I normally do is stress with them the importance of holding on to the syllabus until the end of the course and bringing it to each class. While this may seem obvious, many students don't keep their syllabi. I tell them that it's just as important as their text book and that we'll be revisiting the syllabus weekly. This helps a great deal in keeping students on track and them being aware of the expectation.
