syllabus design and resources, part 1 professional development self-study by aaron kurdle 1wentworth...

1

Syllabus Design and Resources,Part 1

Professional DevelopmentSelf-Study

ByAaron Kurdle

Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

Preface

Not all syllabi are created equal and not all syllabi serve the same purpose.

“The Student Syllabus is the students, colleges,

and instructors guarantee and guide of course quality and student learning outcomes”

Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College 2

Course Objectives

1. State the purpose of a Master Syllabus2. Define the elements of a beginning Student Syllabus3. Compare and contrast the difference between a Master

Syllabus and a Student Syllabus4. Pass, with at least an 80%, a quiz on this professional

development5. Write and submit an electronic Student Syllabus to

meet, at least, the minimum (beginning) college standards


IntroductionSyllabus Design and Resources, Part 1, is a Professional Development

(PD) that is mandatory for all instructors. Its purpose is to advise and inform instructors of the college’s minimum requirements in creating their course’s Student Syllabus and to differentiate it from a Master Syllabus.

The syllabus is a fixture in American Higher Education. It has evolved from the basic course, instructor, classroom, and meeting time to be a method and means of defining the educational process in the classroom at every level. At Wentworth College (WMAC) we use two types of syllabus’: • The Master Syllabus; and. • The Student Syllabus.


Master Syllabus

Where the Master Syllabus is short (usually one page) and describes the course design, the Student Syllabus is usually two or more pages and more descriptive of each element of the course. Specifically, it is detailed with the student’s requirements and responsibilities in the classroom to successfully complete the course.


Master Syllabus (cont’d)

The Master Syllabus is the starting point of any course. It defines the design and framework to which the course is to be offered and for the college credit to be awarded. It is the College’s minimum expectation of what you the instructor need to accomplish with your student in the course. For the purposes of this professional development (PD), we will only work with Master Syllabus’ for established classes. The process for course creation is beyond the scope of this PD.


Master Syllabus (cont’d)

The Master Syllabus is never satisfactory to use as a Student Syllabus.


Student Syllabus

For all courses, the Student Syllabus is the guide and control of course quality. It should tell the student:

• What they will learn; • How they will learn; and,• How they will be assessed.

It should also achieve the Master Syllabus’ stated objectives

and translate them into learning outcomes.


Student Syllabus (cont’d)

It is a mandatory requirement of the college that an updated electronic copy of your student syllabus be submitted for every course in every semester. Additionally, the Student Syllabus is due before the first day of class.

There are two exceptions to this policy:• If you are teaching multiple sections of the same course, one Student

Syllabus is satisfactory for all sections.• If you are a Dual Credit/Enrollment instructor in a High School based

program, your Student Syllabus is due on or before the Friday at the end of the third week of classes at your school. (This is because this type of Student Syllabus must also contain the requirements to be met for High School credit and must usually also be approved locally. )


Master Syllabus Defined

At Wentworth, the Master Syllabus contains important information for the course you are teaching. Additionally, this information describes what the course is and is meant to achieve. It is the product of the college’s process for developing a course, defining a course, and specifying elements of the course that may not be changed.



Elements of the Master Syllabus

Each element is defined more thoroughly in the companion Adobe pdf document, page 3, available on the web-site. This resource is a written version of this slide show.

In all cases, to effectively write a Student Syllabus, you must have and review the Master Syllabus for the course you are instructing.

It is highly recommended that you review all resource documents for any professional development.

•Course prefix and number•Course Title•Credit hours•Catalog Description•Prerequisites/ Co-requisites•Text•Course Objectives•Topical Outline

Student Syllabus Defined

The Student Syllabus is not as easily defined as the Master Syllabus. This is because there are literally hundreds of ways an effective student syllabus can be achieved. Using the principals of the Center for Teaching Excellence, at Carnegie Melon University, we will outline the minimum requirements for a Student Syllabus. The requirements will be illustrated in the context of the Syllabus Evaluation Rubric (SER) and a Generic Sample Syllabus (both available for download at the web page for professional development).

www.wma.edu/pd


Student Syllabus Defined (cont’d)

When writing a Student Syllabus, the instructor should consider how it will be used by the student. In many cases, this may be even more basic: How you the instructor want the student to use it. You must consider that freshman level students may not know what a syllabus is or how to use it. This then becomes a high impact teaching opportunity for you on the first day of class and a learning opportunity for the student. This is also considered a Freshman Competency.



The Syllabus Evaluation Rubric (SER), classifies Student Syllabus as Beginning, Emerging, and Exemplary.

This PD, Syllabus and Design and Resources, Part One, uses only those parts of the SER that address the minimum college requirements for a beginning Student Syllabus. Syllabus and Design and Resources, Part Two, address’ the entire SER and is an optional PD.



The Syllabus Evaluation Rubric (SER) presented in this training is based on the rubric published by the Center for Teaching Excellence and will be the model we use to inform and suggest how to write your syllabus.

Rows will specify a syllabus component and columns the level of achievement (the learning outcome if you will). A syllabus may exceed all minimum standards.

The college’s minimum standard includes both Beginning and Emerging criterion. The following criterion are excerpted from the SER. The full SER is a downloadable resource.



Course Description • Emerging• Instructor Name, contact

Information, class time, class location, and course description

Also, the required textbook and materials, as well as any optional material, should be stated.

SER Criterion (College minimum Standards)


Course Outcomes • Emerging• As a minimum, the list of course

objectives from the Master Syllabus must be included.

Some sample action verbs for student learning outcomes, are: analyzes, applies, compares, computes, concludes, creates, critiques, describes, evaluates, explains, and relates



Class Schedule • Beginning• A schedule that outlines the semester

dates by which book section(s) or topic is scheduled to be covered that week

This is an opportunity to include the expected learning outcomes, you the instructor, wish to achieve (Course Outcomes- Emerging to Exemplary). It is also an opportunity to outline the Assignments Required- Beginning to Exemplary. (See full SER for more details)



Academic Policies and Procedures

• Beginning• The college requires that you

include the Mission Statement, college Plagiarism statement, and the instructor’s attendance policy.

These are available in the Generic Sample Syllabus provided by the college in this PD’s resources.



Assessment of Students’ Learning

• Beginning• The College Grading Scale must be

included.

o The college uses a straight A, B, C, D, and F grading scale conforming to the 4.0 grading scale. The traditional 90% and above score is an A, etc..




(Continued)

• Beginning• Additionally, the instructor’s Final Exam

policy (that conforms to the college policy) must also be stated.

o The college final exam policy is that every student is required to take a Final Exam, regardless of their grade in the course, and it should be worth at least 15% but no more than 25% of their final course grade.




(Continued)

• Beginning• If the course is a Site or Dual Credit

course, a statement that a Final Exam Insert (FEI), provided by WMAC, will be part of the exam and the percentage value assigned to it

o For Dual Credit and Site based courses, a Final Exam Insert will be provided. It must count as a minimum of 20% but no more than 25% of the Final Exam score.



Opportunities for Students to provide evaluative course input

• Beginning• A statement that the students will

be given the opportunity to fill out the “End of Course Survey”

All courses in all sections (including Dual Credit) in every semester must give the “End of Course Survey” within the last 3 weeks of class.


Finishing this Professional Developmentand Resources

The resources available for this PD, available at www.wma.edu/pd , are:


Resource Description

1. Syllabus Evaluation Rubric (SER)

Center for Teaching Excellence, at Carnegie Melon University , Adobe pdf document

2. Generic Sample Student Syllabus

A word document that is a rough outline of the minimum requirements for a Student Syllabus.

3. MA 111 College Algebra, Beginning Student Syllabus

An actual sample course syllabus that meets the colleges minimum standards.

4. MA 111 College Algebra, Beginning Student Syllabus for Dual Credit courses

An actual sample syllabus that meets minimum college standards and integrates common dual credit requirements.

Finishing this Professional Developmentand Resources

To finish this Professional Development, accomplish the following 2 steps:1. Click the Take Quiz link at www.wma.edu/pd , for this PD.

When you click submit, the results are automatically e-mailed to the college. It is open note and open book.

2. Write a Student Syllabus for your course that satisfies at least the minimum college requirements, and e-mail an electronic copy to: Instructors on the Lexington campus, [email protected] ; If a Site or On-line instructor [email protected]; or, If a Dual Credit instructor [email protected] .


mailto:[email protected]



syllabus design and resources, part 1 professional development self-study by aaron kurdle 1wentworth...

Documents