T.t. ii syllabus writing workshop april 05

2. Syllabus Writing

3. Principles of Syllabus Construction
 A syllabus is a tool
 It exists to serve a purpose
 You have to define that purpose
 I suggest that there are two large purposes
 The syllabus should make a PROMISE
 The syllabus should provide a PLAN

4. The Syllabus as Contract
 The syllabus should serve as a contract between
you and your students
 It should say to the students
This is what you must do
This is when it must be done
This is how it will be graded
This is how your grade for the semester will
be determined

5. The Syllabus as Contract
 The syllabus should also say to your
students
This is what I will do
This is when I will do it
In other words, the syllabus makes clear to
the students what their obligations are to
you, and what your obligations are to them

6. The Syllabus as Contract
 The syllabus should present this
information in a way that is
 Simple
 Clear
 Unambiguous
 Straightforward, and
 Easily found

7. The Syllabus as Contract
 Reasons to make this promise
 First, it is the kind and humane thing to
 Second, it implies an attitude. It says, I
have planned this carefully and I expect
that you will plan your participation in this
course carefully, too.

8. The Syllabus as Contract
 Objections
 We can’t perfectly predict what will happen
down the road
 You may be absent
 Students may be more or less advanced than you
thought
 Lectures may take longer or shorter than you
predicted

9. The Syllabus as Contract
 These are not mere concerns
 They are predictions: teachers know that
these things happen
 Is it possible to write a syllabus that is clear
and specific, and still have flexibility?
 Yes, if you have a PLAN

10. The Syllabus as the Explanation of
the Plan
 What is a “plan”?
 We use the word in a wide variety of
ways, depending on the context
 What is the context here?
 What is meant by a teaching and
learning plan?

11. The Syllabus as the Explanation of
the Plan
 First, a word or two about what does not qualify
as a plan:
 Plowing through the textbook one chapter after
another is not a plan
 Picking out the three chapters that you really like
and concentrating on them is not a plan
 Deciding at the end of class what will be done in
the next class is not a plan

12. The Syllabus as the Explanation of
the Plan
 A plan requires a PURPOSE, a clear and specific
goal
 The question is, What do I want to accomplish
in this course?
 This requires
o Careful thought
o Precise definition
o Imaginative organization

13. Careful Thought
 Who are my students?
 What is their background in this area?
 What are the most important elements
of this course for these students?

14. Precise Definition
 What are the main goals of this
course?
 Why are these goals important?
 What are the main ideas that I want to
thread throughout the course?

15. Imaginative Organization
 How do I arrange the materials and
activities of the course so that the
students have the best chance of
achieving the goals of the course:
 How do I order the readings?
 How do I incorporate other sources,
like videos, speakers, trips, etc.?

16. Imaginative Organization
 How do I inter-relate the materials and activities
of the course so that everything we do is aimed
at achieving the stated goals of the course?
 Reading and Writing
 Discussing
 Group work
 Research
 Observation

17. The Necessity of Reflection
 To organize imaginatively, you must have clear
goals for the course
 Choose materials, activities, teaching methods,
evaluation methods, etc., that are appropriate to
the goals of the course
 Create a rhythm for the course that encourages
achieving the goals of the course
 Choose attendance policies, etc., that are
appropriate

18. The Necessity of Reflection
 To determine the goals of the course takes time,
but it will be the most valuable time you spend
on your course
 Ask yourself
 Who are my students?
 What do they need from this course?
 What do I think is the purpose of this course?
 How can I best organize to achieve these goals?

19. The PLAN Allows for the PROMISE
 Reflecting on the purpose of the course, and
organizing everything in a way that will help
achieve that purpose, will help you stick to the
contract AND be flexible
 First, because this process helps you edit down the
material, choosing what is necessary, what is
important, and what can be ignored
 Second, because the content of any particular class is
not discrete but a part of an organic whole

20. The PLAN Allows for the PROMISE
 But most important, going through
this process forces you to be realistic
About who your students are
About what their capabilities are
About what their interests are
About what their needs are

21. The PLAN Allows for the PROMISE
 Syllabi do not exist in a vacuum
 A syllabus exists in a context
 In this case, the most important element of the
context is the nature of the students
 Their intelligence
 Their motivation
 Their background
 Their interest

22. The PLAN Allows for the PROMISE
 The PLAN should be appropriate to
the students
The reading
The writing
The methods of instruction
The methods of evaluation

23. The PLAN Allows for the PROMISE
 If you will define purpose and goals in light of a
full and rich understanding of who your
students are, you can write a syllabus that will
not have to be changed as you go along.
 A syllabus that manifests a PLAN and makes a
PROMISE encourages both good teaching and
good learning

24. Encouraging Teaching and Learning
 It encourages good teaching by
 forcing you to think carefully about what you
want to accomplish
 forcing you to think carefully about how to
inter-relate the materials and activities of the
course
 forcing you to think carefully about how most
effectively to organize the materials, activities,
and evaluation procedures of the class

25. Encouraging Teaching and Learning
 It encourages learning by
 informing the students about the purpose and
goals of the course, so that they have a context
in which to put the materials and activities of the
course
 informing the students about exactly what they
are required to do, and when, and how
 demonstrating to the students that there is
coherence and meaning to the course

26. Self-Diagnosis for Your Syllabus
 Ask yourself this question: Does my syllabus
provide students with all the information they
need to navigate this course, or will students
have to guess, or ask me questions along the
way, or make mistakes, because the syllabus was
not clear or not complete?
 If you can answer “yes,” you have an effective
syllabus.

27. Specific Elements of the Syllabus
 Basic Course Information
 Course Number and Course Title
 x Semester Credits
 Semester, Year, Day, Time
 Classroom

28. Specific Elements of the Syllabus
 Instructor: Name
 Office: Location
 Phone: Number
 E-mail: Address
 Office hours: Days and times
 If you have a disability that requires an
accommodation, please contact me immediately.

29. Specific Elements of the Syllabus
 Course Description
 Catalogue Course Description
 Course Plan and Rationale
 Course Goals

30. Specific Elements of the Syllabus
 Assignments and Grades
 Required Readings and Learning Resources
 Recommended Reading and Resources
 Graded Assignments
 Grading Policy
 Course Schedule