Developing Course Syllabi: Annual Teaching Day, 2005

1. Developing Course Syllabi: Annual Teaching Day, 2005 Catherine Black, Languages and Literatures Jeanette McDonald, Educational Development

2. Big Questions • What role do syllabi play? • How is syllabus design connected to effective teaching and learning? • Do students use them? • Why make the effort?

3. Laurier Context • available 1st week of classes • copy to chair / dean • name, office location, ext., office hours • overview of subject matter • methods of evaluation / weighting • policy statements (course/university) Source: Collective Agreement

4. What’s the use of a syllabus? • entry point into course • communication mechanism • contract • Time management / planning tool (map) • Informational source • motivational / documentation tool (e.g., reading schedule, record grades) Parkes & Harris, 2002; Smith & Razzouk, 1993

5. Online more visual, interactive, information rich never gets lost readily available student increasingly tend to prefer Paper need for documentation course portfolio curriculum committee transfer credits evaluation of teaching chair/dean Online vs. Paper Syllabi Sample Online Syllabi www.aarweb.org/syllabus/ www.ualberta.ca/~ebenzvi/teaching.html

6. Learning Activity: Syllabi Analysis • tone, content, format • course level – 1st to 4th, grad. – impact? • discipline • first impressions? • borrow ideas? leave ideas? • what’s missing?

7. What do you think?

8. Guelph Study ’01 – Syllabus Analysis • item analysis of syllabi (n = 229 ) • student focus groups • student questionnaire • review of the literature

9. Syllabus - What students want? Tone • academic/serious, but student friendly • tailored to course audience • oriented to student needs • professorial commitment to teaching and learning (content/organization)

10. Syllabus - What do students want? Organization/Format • well organized, concise, to the point • regularly updated • common reference items - page 1/2 • detailed course information - page 3+ or appendix

11. Syllabus - What students want? Content • complete contact information • clearly outlined student expectations • summary of assessment information • detailed assignment/exam information • relevant policy and procedures

12. How long should they be? Depends on: • discipline • course design / administration issues • course assessments • teaching style and approach • level of detail • role of syllabus as perceived by prof.

13. Syllabus Sections: the basics Visit ED website: http://www.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=333&p=8505 OR http://www.wlu.ca/edev > resources > topic specific > course syllabi

14. An effective learner-centred syllabus should • define student / instructor responsibilities • provide clear statement of student outcomes • outline standards/procedures for evaluation • acquaint students with course logistics • establish a process for communication • include difficult to obtain materials Source: Diamond, 1998

15. First Class Meeting: general review think-pair-share quiz on syllabus modeling course testing practices on-line (PS100DE) scavenger hunt draft presented for input and revised Post First Class Meeting: Mid-term feedback on syllabus End-of-term feedback on syllabus Reference during class (e.g., learning objectives, assignment guidelines, study tools) Presenting/Evaluating Your Syllabus

16. References • Collective Agreement for Full-time Faculty and Professional Librarians, July 1, 2006-June 30, 2008. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University. • Diamond, R. (1998). Designing and Assessing Courses and Curricula: A Practical Guide (2nd edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Grunert, J. (1997). The Course Syllabus: A Learning-Centered Approach. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing. • Oxford English Dictionary http://www.oed.com/ [Accessed April 30, 2007]. • Parkes, J. & Harris, M.B. (2002). Thepurposes of syllabus. College Teaching, 50 (2), 55-61. • Smith, M. & Razzouk, N. (1993). Improving classroom communication: The case of the course syllabus. College Teaching, 68 (4), 215-221.