Tena Crews

Kimberly,

Just make sure if the syllabus is created for you that the objectives match the expectations of the course. Thanks.

Kimberly Pegues

Luckily our classroom syllabus are already created but this section was very helpful in case I ever have to create my own.

Tena Crews

Sheila,

I am in the same line of thought. Just as the students don't always get something the first time, neither do we. ;-) Thanks for your input.

Sheila Vandenbush

I believe it takes three times to teach a course to get the syllabus aligned. Then when you have it, a new textbook comes along and/or new techology and information. It is an ever-changing process.

Tena Crews

Earlene,

Thanks for adding to the conversation. You are right that this is beneficial to the students and instructors.

Nice job.

Earlene Ray

A Dynamic syllabus is a great tool for MANY aspects of online teaching... not only for us as instructors but moreso for the students. The information attained from thiese forums has helped me to begin my online teaching adventure.Thank you for the great tips!

Tena Crews

Denise,

Since the syllabus is the first point of communication many times, these are excellent points. Thank you for your input.

denise hansen

When creating a syllabus it should be concise and specific, well written, in a way to communicate with as much specificity as possible the information about the course and what your expectations are. You should never have to alter the syllabus once it has been distributed to the student.

Tena Crews

Eleanor,

Thanks for adding to the conversation. We continue to learn from each other.

Thanks again.

Eleanor Smith

Samia, thank you for your note. I did not know that the changes are not routinely discussed before the changes are made. That's good to know, and definitely different from onsite teaching.

Tena Crews

Sunil and Taghreed,

Thanks for continuing the conversation. But, the changes to the syllabus might be student led. For example, what if you ask for a PowerPoint presentation and the students ask if they may create a video or use Prezi? The project outcome may change. We're not saying change everything or lots of things, but things to benefit the students learning styles.

Sunil Kulkarni

Taghreed,

I agree with your views. I am not, if I agree with the notes of this course for this part. The notes suggest that the dynamic syllabus could be changed during the course to add new links, blogs or students comments, etc. I don't think it is good to change the syllabus during the course as it could mislead students. I agree with your view that there shouldn't be any changes to the syllabus during the session, but make necessary changes tot syllabus after the course based on students' feedback for the next session. In fact, I changed my teaching notes, presentation, business articles, examples, etc., based on students' feedback and my observation of students' learning capabilities and comprehension of the subject.

Thanks,
Sunil

Tena Crews

samia,

The syllabus is many times the first point of communication with students. This is an essential moment in the course. The students need to be a part of the discussion with all changes. Thanks.

Tena Crews

samia,

The change may be in how an assignment is delivered by the students. Maybe you first thought a PowerPoint presentation was best but students showed you how a video or other final product would meet the goals better. Why not change?

Tena Crews

Robert,

Thanks for continuing the conversation. If you cannot change the syllabus, make sure you can adapt the assignments and projects to meet the needs of the students and help them achieve the learning outcomes.

Thanks.

samia friesen

Eleanor

There is no doubt that explanation related to the changes in a syllabus must be discussed to allow for a better understanding.

In most onine environments, the course syllabus changes are not discussed with students before they are made. The instructor gathers recommendations/feedback from earlier experiences with the course content, forwards learning event review forms through the estabished venues.

samia friesen

Taghreed
I have to agree that changes should not be made as 'we go along'. Although flexibility is essential, requirements should not be altered on the fly.

We have all experienced the process of recommending changes to the syllabus in an online environment. Changing/ammending a syllabus for a future term has been a 'speedier' process.

Dr. Robert Smotherman

Dr. Crews, William,

There are online schools in which an individual instructor cannot change the syllabus--a committee of faculty who teach the course agree to implement a syllabus change. In those restricted environments, the individual instructor can clarify or provide additional specification to help students better understand expectations and to do their best work. Class announcements, discussion boards, chats, and class emails are some ways in which individual instructors can communicate specification and expectation to assist student learning.

Bob

Tena Crews

william,

That is right. Keeping the syllabus current and up to date is essential. Keep up the good communication!