Syllabus
I am a little frustrated. I don't feel that the syllabus meets each course requirement, so I have to balance this. I have a six week time frame to complete a large amount of information and I don't feel that this balances out. The students get a copy of the syllabus and I feel that I should follow what they have been given. If I adjust, this seems to push some students totally off balance. Suggestions?
JanetMarie,
Good way to bring balance to what is realistic for students. I have no problem with rigor in courses. I strive for it in my courses but to have a requirement that is based upon a unit of time rather than project requirements seems to be a bit out of line. I think you have found a good way to make work through the situation for your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I am required to use a standardized syllabus that includes all of the out of class home work on it. I am required to give 2 hours of home work for each hour of "face" time in the class. If a student is carrying a full course load of 12 credits, this seems unrealistic but we are required to have 180 hours of out of class time. I list it on my syllabus but then discuss with my cass more realistic out of class work.
Kathleen,
Your syllabus should contain the goals and objectives for your course as well as the information needed for the students to get a clear and concise picture of what is going to occur in the course. If your syllabus does not reflect this or if you are forced to used a standardized one from your school you might want to prepare a supplemental handout with bullet points in relation to the information about the course. I do a one page supplement on a different color of paper so I can refer to it throughout the course as questions come up and issues arise. This is in addition to my comprehensive syllabus.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
