Lorraine,
This is such an important part of a new class. Knowing what the requirements, expectations and policies are set the tone for how the students will interact with each other and you the instructor.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is important for the student to understand what will be covered and what to expect from the class. It will help them focus on what they are going to learn and how to study for their exams.
Walter,
That is great to make it clear every class session and place it on the board. I find this helps because you are creating a framework that has consistency.
It reduces the opportunities for misinterpretation of the materials. It is vital to keep everyone moving toward the same goal. In providing a clear objective it allows for greater learning outcomes that extend beyond the expectation in a refined focus.
John,
They need to know what the expectations are from the very beginning. This sets the stage for a positive and engaging class which is as we all know so much easier to teach.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It is important to give a comprehensive and clear description of the course requirements because it allows the students to understand what is expected of them and make them comfortable in the class.
Carol,
Good point about having the students sign and hand in a sheet acknowledging that they have received and read the syllabus. This puts accountability on the students and reduces their blame shifting to you when something comes up and we know something will. Each course phase it seems like some new issue comes up that requires some thinking and planning to work through to keep the course moving forward and the students comfortable.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Students always want to know what they will have to do for your class, so they can gauge what it will take to accomplish the work for yours in relation to their other classes and varying schedules. Most often I get questions the first day about the amount of homework, what they will need to have for class (tools, supplies), will they have to do this or that?, etc.
If you cover all this in the intro with most of the information listed on the syllabus then you can answer most of the questions before they are asked. And if they signed a paper saying that they read and understand the syllabus then if there is a conflict later on, you can point out that they acknowledged all that in the beginning.
Asha,
Thank you for these good points about how to start a course off and what to share with the students in terms of goals, objectives and evaluations.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Thia is a very important step. It allows the students to see that you are intending to be fair in your grading and rules for the class. What is expected of the students, like if they are running late or are unable to make it to class, I ask them to email me so I am not wondering what happended to them . It also allows me to guide them to what they shoyuld de next to prepare for their next class. What they missed etc. It also helps me to see if the student cares about the class and what issues they are going througfhjt so I can help them next time I see the student accordingly.
Clear and manageable course requirements create a good first impression. Students respect the fact that thought and planning has been put in creating the current course.
Also, this is the first step in helping the students learn and organize their thoughts, which in turn will begin to allow them to understand a concrete way of studying the material.
Clear course requirements also help you maintain a confident outline of what you will be teaching and allow you to build on those requirements.
It is important to give a clear and consise requirement to the class to spell out any misunderstanding which might occured in the future.
Beth,
One of the basics of our profession is that we will repeat and repeat and repeat ourselves over and over and over again. Students have selective memories when it comes to due dates and assignments.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I find it is very important on the first day of class to give clear course expectations both verbally and in writing. I have to refer to the written expectations quite often during my courses. Students seem to forget quite easily what I verbalized on day 1.
Qadar,
Good example of the value of keeping the objectives in front of the students throughout the course. This is important for all of us instructors to remember.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Although I go over the syllabus cover to cover on day one, but I still right the course objectives and assignment due dates daily on the board. One day I didn't write the objective on board on purpose. None of the student finish the required assignments for that day.
Course requirements serve several functions:teacher's expectations of student's performaces; reference document for learners. As students have certain rights, they should have clear guidelines on what is expected from them, so they either comply or deny them,as well as appeal results.
Joseph,
Thank you for sharing your approach to distributing your syllabus and holding the students accountable for having received the information. I use this method and it has worked very well for many years. The questions that are asked are meaningful and targeted because they have been through the syllabus and have the majority of their questions answered that deal with policies, assignments and projects.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I agree on this completly. I then added a page to the back of my syllabus and also to my course expectations (class rules) page and I now have my students sign them. So now if they ever have any questions they always ask before signing. Once they have signed them they are stating they completley understand the documents and the wording on them. It has cut back on any problems with students stating they didn't know or didn't understand.
David,
Good point and well said. They have to know your policies are going to be enforced on a consistent basis.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
