A syllabus is a guide to your course and includes what will be expected of students and the instructor (you) over the course of the term. Generally, it will include course policies, rules and regulations, required texts, and a schedule of assignments.
In addition, the syllabus is a great way to convey the coherence of your course learning objectives, assessments, and lessons is done. As the syllabus is often the first point of contact between you and students, it provides you with the opportunity to set a welcoming and positive tone for your course.
Finally, your syllabus should articulate your assumptions and expectations about student learning in your course.
A learner-centered pedagogy.
Students are more active and participative, and the process turns knowledge into a negotiation between teachers and students. The course syllabus is a great place to convey learner-centered pedagogy.
This matrix provides some questions for consideration to help shift your syllabus toward learner-centered pedagogies.
| Teaching Focused | Learning Focused | |
| Defining Questions | What do I want to teach? How can I cover the material? | What do students need to learn? How can we accomplish specific learning objectives? |
| Teachers’ Role | Provide/deliver instruction Transfer knowledge to students Classify and sort students | Produce learning Elicit student discovery and construction of knowledge Develop each student’s competencies and talents |
| Success Criteria | Teacher’s performance | Student’s performance Learning and student-success outcomes |
| Assumptions about teachers | Any expert who knows the content can teach | Teaching is complex and requires considerable training |
Learner-centered equity-minded pedagogy.
A well-designed syllabus is characterized by a welcoming and inviting tone, is accessible for all students, has good visual design, promotes transparency, is accompanied by an activity to ensure that students read and understand it, and reflects your commitment to equity. Equity-minded pedagogy practices support this approach to syllabus development.
Required items to include in Centre College Syllabi.
Per guidelines in the Faculty Handbook, your syllabus must include these 10 items:
- Name of the course, course rubric and number, and term
- Meeting times and places
- Course goals and objectives
- Dates for major tests and assignments and what the penalty will be for late work/makeups
- Class Attendance Policy/Statement. Students are individually responsible for class attendance, but instructors may impose attendance requirements appropriate to any course. Instructors shall explain to students at the beginning of each course their expectations and grading policies with regard to attendance at class meetings.
- Instructors are required by the College to track an accurate record of each student’s attendance.
- Instructors are also asked to report to the Assistant Dean the names of those students who are absent from class excessively, including those who are absent the equivalent of a full week of classes (three consecutive meetings for MWF or two consecutive meetings for T,TH class times). Use the Student Notice report via either Navigate or Report of Concern (via CentreNet).
- Grading Policies—students should know their status in a course at any time after an assignment is returned. Explicit information on how grades will be determined should be provided, including use of + and – grading. You should let students know what the cut-offs are for earning each grade.
- Office hours. Faculty members are required to announce and post their office hours.
- Expectations about any required activities outside normal class period.
- Statement on providing accommodations for students with disabilities. See the many resources compiled on the CTL website here: Syllabi Statements Webpage
- Information about the resources available at the Writing Center.
Additional links and resources
See here for some additional links and resources to support your syllabus development.
- Design a learner-centered syllabus. A learner-centered syllabus is associated with better rapport between students and teachers and increased student motivation, achievement, and empowerment (DiClementi & Handelsman, 2005).
- Evaluate the effectiveness of your syllabus. This Rubric for an Inclusive Course Syllabus from Colorado State provides several good dimensions of inclusivity and engagement to assess your syllabus
- Would you like to add an inclusivity statement to your syllabus? This Diversity and Inclusion Syllabus Statements reference from Clemson provides some useful ideas.
- Provide a visual map of the course, including the alignment of objectives to assessments