Get Your Students Hired
How do your students feel if you make changes to your syllabus or addendum, if you find it necessary during your course?
Hi Trampas,
You are correct about the syllabus needing to be flexible. It has to reflect the needs of the students in the course at that time. There is nothing wrong in making changes as long as the students are informed and you are consistent.
Gary
Most of my students do not respond well to such changes unless they can see the necessity for them. Some students really do use the syllabus to plan out the class and they do not like having their plans disrupted. I don't think it is a good idea to change the syllabus unless there is a very good reason for the change.
Every now and then it seems necessary to make a change midstream. Classes might be canceled unexpectedly on a particular day or the original schedule for assignments might start to look unrealistic. Nobody seems to complain about changes if the reasons for the change are understood and as long as more work isn't added on beyond what students expected at the beginning - never had a problem dropping an assignment, though. Could allow it as an optional assignment still if some students got started or need to make up some points.
Hi Todd,
Students really don't mind if you make changes to the syllabus or addendum if there is a understandable reason for the change. The addition of major projects or additional tests will cause issues with students, but minor changes like assignment due dates or reformatted projects are not a problem. Major changes should only be undertaken if there is a reason such as the break down of equipment or personnel issues and then these need to be explained very carefully.
Gary