Creating a Syllabus

Creating a Syllabus

The purpose of this instructional guide is to provide the opportunity for you to really think through both what you say, and how you say things in your syllabus. It also encourages you to check and make sure all the important sections are present, and that all boilerplate language reflects the reality of your course delivery format.  

You can use this guide to create or revise your course syllabus to be as clear, complete, and welcoming as possible. 

Before you Begin

Review the following resources on developing an effective syllabus

1. Measuring the Promise: A Valid and Reliable Syllabus Rubric to Create a Learning-Centered Syllabus

2. Syllabus Review guide:    A inquiry tool for promoting racial and ethnic equity and equity-minded practice.

Creating or Revising your Syllabus

• Begin your syllabus revision or create a new one on a Word document. Even though you may eventually put all or part of your syllabus directly in the Canvas Syllabus tool, please submit your syllabus here as a Word document as your Canvas courses cannot be accessed by all CTL consultants.

• Write your syllabus as if you were directly addressing your students - e.g., "In this course, students will learn about..." is now written as "In this course, you will learn about...". This sets a welcoming tone.

• Avoid jargon and academic-ese as student may not understand these terms.

• Include the following 14 sections in your syllabus:

  1. Instructor contact information

  2. Course description - In addition to the description on the registrar's website, motivate your students by briefly describing how the course relates to their field of study and future careers

  3. Required textbooks, technology, and other materials

  4. Learning outcomes/objectives

  5. Brief description of course assessments including assignments, discussions, exams, quiz, etc.

  6. Grading scale

  7. University, school, and department policies that you consider important to your class, (you may also want to link to the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct)

  8. Accommodations for disabilities

  9. Technology support - This section is particularly important if you have several online components in your course. Include information on contacting the UITS Support Center for technical support.

  10. Course format and length - Are there in-person or Zoom meetings? Are they required? If days and time aren't listed in the schedule of classes, when are they or will you get feedback from students as to good days and times? How long is the course - 13 weeks? 16 Weeks? If it's 16 weeks does that mean they get fall break and Labor Day? These are questions students will have and addressing them upfront assures them that you have a solid plan.

  11. Course overview - Explain the course structure and how you will progress through it. Depending on your course format, provide details and rationale for expectations on deadlines, course activities, and the general pace of the course.

  12. Participation and attendance appropriate to your course format - Help students understand that they are expected to be active participants in the course and why that's important to their learning. Your previous syllabus may have language that was appropriate for in-person courses and this may need to be revised for your new course format.

  13. Course schedule as appropriate to your course format - Online courses should have a list of your modules with their topics and start dates. In-person and hybrid courses should include class meeting dates and any relevant online components.

  14. Course time zone - Some students may be taking your course remotely in a different time zone. Explain how the time zone of the course affects synchronous meetings, deadlines, and other communication. If your assignments are due "at midnight", students need to understand whether that means only midnight in the eastern time zone and 11 pm or 2 pm in their time zone or if it means midnight in their respective time zone. Clarifying time zones for synchronous activities is also critical as time differences are not something most people think about on a regular basis and you don't want to ask students to join you on Zoom when it's 3 am where they are. This section is especially important if you have international students joining from their home countries.

• Check your syllabus to make sure it is up-to-date and reflects the all the relevant and current policies of your department and school.

Self-assess your syllabus 

Review your syllabus to ensure it includes the following elements and utilizes the format, tone, and structure recommended below: 

1. includes all 14 section listed above

2. is written in a welcoming style using student-focused language (you/your) and avoiding jargon and academic-ese.

3. is accessible, using built-in styles for headers and bulleted and numbered lists, using meaningful text for links (not URLs), avoiding the use of tables for formatting, and not using color alone to indicate something is important.

4. is up-to-date, without references to tools or procedures that are no longer relevant or available (i.e. Oncourse, Kaltura CaptureSpace) or no longer used (i.e. emailing assignments, handing in assignments at the beginning of class).

5. readable, using plain, readable fonts with reasonable size text (11 -12 pt), margins of at least .75", and avoiding large amounts of italicized, bolded, centered, or underlined text. 

6. Tone and language in course policies and other sections acknowledge the special circumstances of the pandemic and the current educational and political climate around systemic racism