Setting a Course Syllabus
At its most basic level, a course syllabus is an outline and summary of topics to be covered in a course, frequently specifying what material will be covered on what particular dates.
But a syllabus is far more than a glorified academic calendar for a particular course. The syllabus frequently begins with the learning objectives for the course. It lets students know just what they can expect to have accomplished by the end of the course. These objectives will themselves vary from course to course. For some syllabi the objectives will articulate a body of knowledge to be mastered; for others the objectives will enumerate a set of skills to be acquired; and for still others the objectives might be sets of practices in which students will now engage. Reflecting on these objectives and articulating them clearly is essential preparation for writing an excellent syllabus.
The course syllabus should be a one-stop shop for certain very basic information: the course number, the instructor's contact information, office number, office hours, hours of instruction, etc. It should list the required and optional texts, as well as any online resources students will need to access. The syllabus should also spell out the overall evaluation-scheme: what percent of a student's grade will come from quizzes, what percent from projects, etc. Some instructors make clear that they expect students – for example, to show up on time, to use a respectful tone with peers, and any other such rules the instructor takes to be essential to a robust learning-environment. The degree of specificity varies from one instructor to another.
The portion of the syllabus that causes many instructors anxiety is often the very portion that provides students the most comfort – namely, the schedule or calendar. A syllabus should, at the very least, sketch what will be covered in each week of the course, if not in every meeting. This worries some instructors who fear that it locks them into a schedule and does not allow them the freedom to slow down or speed up the class as needed. Instructors can, however, avoid this problem by reminding students that the schedule is always only tentative and can – and, indeed, probably will – change over the course of the term. Students like seeing even tentative schedules because it helps them plan in advance, especially when they are taking multiple courses.
When crafting a syllabus for the first time, it is always a good idea to look at other syllabi for similar courses or at the syllabi of admired former instructors or colleagues, even in other fields. Instructors may often employ a syllabus template to create and manage their various syllabi. In the early years of their careers instructors will often find that they try out several different styles of syllabus – perhaps beginning with one very detailed and then trying out one rather sketchier – before settling one that best fits their teaching style and temperament.