Syllabus Routine
Sometimes, When I give out syllabi that have been modified from previous instructors (since I'm a new instructor and still perfecting my own), I find my students just ignore it. How can I show the importance of the syllabus to the students?
I find it very useful to cover this document on the first day of class. I discuss each of the points emphasizing my contact info, expectations/goals, grading scale, and week to week schedule. After each section, I open it up for questions and conduct a mini-quiz on the syllabus.
Suzanne,
Like the way you check for understanding. This is how you keep a "read" on you students and what their support needs are.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This is a great way to ensure that students are reading and comprehending the syllabus. I hand out my syllabus and read through important areas of the syllabus such as course definition, grading scale, attendance, honor code. As I am reading through these points I stop and ask if there are questions or concerns and wait for feedback.
Nasreen,
Go through the syllabus that you received and modify it to meet your own standards and policies for the course. Handout the syllabus and go through it with the students at the first class meeting. Attach a signature page at the back of the syllabus and have the students sign and date that sheet and hand it in to you that they have read and agree with the syllabus. You can also have a quiz over the syllabus for bonus points at the next class meeting to get the students to review the syllabus. Refer to the syllabus frequently so the students know you value the content of the syllabus and that they need to use the syllabus as a part of their course success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
