Syllabi
One thing I've learned from teaching is the importance of the syllabus document: having a very well-developed, detailed, and informative syllabus helps not only the students, but also the teacher in terms of understanding the overall nature, structure and direction of the course as it unfolds. I recommend putting a lot of time and thought into developing this critical document.
It should also be continually updated and improved as the instructor learns what works and what doesn't.
We have syllabi completed for us. It is very important, like you said Jeff, to update it and let the students know if anything is changing as the course goes on. Even a small modification mixes students up.
I agree that it must be kept up to date to reflect the changes in our trade.
Hi Minerva,
Good ideas you have listed. Your comment on the difficulty of student quizzes is right on. I have to get the students to ease up some when they are developing quiz questions for the reason you listed. They really get into writing these questions and they are going to make sure the students know the material or they aren't going to get the questions right.
Gary
I like to be sure and add individual,as well as group projects to the syllabus. A component that students really like is one that allows students to create quizzes for the class(with instructor's approval)-- these are sometimes even harder than the ones I would give them.
I agree totally. If a syllabus is not reviewed on a regular basis the course will become outdated. This is especially true in classes where the information is constantly changing.(IT Courses)
-Jeff
