Lasharon,
Right you are. A well prepared syllabus shows the students the value you attach to the contents of your course and how you are going to present it to them.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Tangee,
Good point. Students as you know need this type of assurance about the polices, requirements and assignments that are going to be expected of them.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
David,
Good way to illustrate to your students the value you attach to the syllabus. This shows them that many of their questions can be answered by looking at the syllabus so they won't be too stressed about topic or content because it is covered.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It's important so students know what they need to strive for and know expectations. You can't hold people's feet to the fire if they know what the line is!
Part of a well prepared syllabus is having those policies in place that we can go back and refer to later on, perhaps with a copy/paste. For example, at times students may try to turn everything in at the end of a class. A clear policy established at the beginning that nothing past --however many--days can stop this practice. By copying and pasting the policy, the action seems less punitive on our part. It' not an "I'm not allowing you to finish," it's "This action is not within the guidelines."
Martha Moore
It is very important to use a well-prepared syllabus to make sure that the students are well imformed of what the course includes.
With a well-prepared syllabus, students will feel more at ease about the course and the flow of the course.
Students walk into class very anxious and uptight, but having a clear outline with instructions is important for student success from beginning to end.
My school prepares the course syllabus for us and is it ever through. On day one I spend a good amount of time going over the key points of what I want the students to know about the course. I mention that when you purchase a new auto that you rarely go over the owners manual,and I refer to syllabus as the "owners manual of this class" refer to it often. Questions will come up and I inform them to go to the syllabus first it see if it answers your questions. If it dosents come talk to me.
My syllabus is document that demonstrates my level of commitment to provide excellence service to the student. Also, it advises students the procedures on the course and my expectation of them needed to be successful. ~Susan
Great Point. It sets clear expectations but I have had students become discouraged after reading the syllabus and seeing what I wanted from them.
I utilize my syllabus to get my new students to feel comfortable with the course requirements. I stress that there are substantial requirements and expectations that must be met, but that I will assist them in getting through them successfully. I encourage all students to acquire their reading materials early so they can participate in discussions and assignments based on the text. In addition, I try to get them excited about field trips and guest lecturers. I end the class coverage of my syllabus with my grading policies, my attendance policies, my assignments, test dates, etc. This always appears to concern them the most. I feel by reviewing the less demanding part of the syllabus first, they get comfortable with the course and me as an instructor, in the first 10 minutes. They realize that it's a demanding course, but that it will be interesting and rewarding.
Mazen,
Well said about the value of a syllabus. It is just as you have said a contract of learning for between you and the students. With your addendum you have built in flexibility to make adjustments as needed to keep the class moving forward. Good plan.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Syllabus is the key document. In reality it is the contract between the students and the teacher.Better contract better result.
To me, the syllabus is the contract I have between myself and my students. It should be detailed enough to help the students understand the goals and objectives of the cource and what is expected from them to do to make it through the course successfully. Most of the time, I add an addendum to the course syllabus similar to a weekely lessen plan.
Clear rules and guidelines help my students learn better.
Issy,
So true for this type of student. So the more specific you can be about the course goals and objectives the higher their comfort level is going to be.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
My students are very artistic and without some very well grounded structural outline for the learning objectives and goals etc they would be very stressed in knowing their goals.
The act of preparing a syllabus helps you decide what topics will be covered and at what pace. By distributing a written explanation of course procedures, you can minimize misunderstandings about the due dates of assignments, grading criteria, and course policies.
I believe that a well-prepared syllabus is essential to flow of the course. The students expect that we have taken the time to prepare every lesson before they enter the classroom for the first time. They expect that their syllabus will be a detailed outline of what to expect over the coming semester. Having this outline keeps the class on point and running smoothly, as there is never any question on what you have or have not covered.
There are many reasons its important, but I think the top reason is it will help your students succeed in the classroom. It will show the content of the course and what I expect from them.
