what makes a good syllabus? - wichita state...
TRANSCRIPT
What Makes a Good Syllabus?
(Mostly taken from Judith Grunert’sThe Course Syllabus: A Learner-Centered Approach)
A Learner-Centered Approach
What do we want students to learn?
How do they learn?
What helps them learn?
What interferes with their learning?
Move away from the “instructor-centered” model
Attend to research on the psychology of learning: e.g., attention spans, memory and retention, active learning
Attend to research on the characteristics of today’s students
Increases students’ perception of the relevance and interest of the course
Basic Goals of aLearner-Centered Syllabus
1. Define students’ responsibilities
2. Define instructor’s role and responsibility to students
3. Provide a clear statement of intended goals and student outcomes
4. Establish standards and procedures for evaluation
5. Acquaint students with course logistics
6. Establish a pattern of communication between instructor and students
7. Include difficult to obtain materials such as readings, complex charts and graphs
Other considerations
Discipline, department, college and accreditation expectations.
Includes pre-/post-requisites, place of course in department/college/major/students’ studies, university’s urban-serving mission, globalization of the curriculum, requirements of the General Education program
Academic Honesty—including instructor getting appropriate copyright permissions!
Grading scales
Use of Blackboard and other electronic media
How to motivate students to learn
The instructor benefits of a learner-centered syllabus
Helps you re-conceptualize your course, making it more effective and useful
Puts the onus for learning clearly on the students
Prevents conflicts and misunderstandings between instructor and students
Protects you “legally” in grade appeals, plagiarism cases and other complaints
Ask how each and every component of your course can most effectively support student learning
Consider not just content but SKILLSlearned (skills “stick” better over the long term)
Contribute to developing students’ desire for and ability to pursue life-long independent learning
Planning Your Syllabus
What skills, knowledge and attitudes are most important?
How can they be effectively built into your course?
How can you assess whether or not students have acquired the skills, knowledge and attitudes in question? (Not just for grading or program assessment, but for improving teaching.)
A well-grounded rationale
Thinking carefully about what you will teach, why you will teach it, and how you will teach it is the key to making decisions about what to include in your course/syllabus
“That’s how I was taught” or “That’s how we’ve always done it in my department” is not a rationale!
Even if you are satisfied with your course design, consider alternative ways of organizing it or delivering the material
Tools students need for living and working effectively in society
Initiate, understand, assess and assume responsibility for the own ongoing learning process
Assess and use resources effectively
Work alone and collaborate with others
Resolve dilemmas emerging from complex situations
Think and communicate effectively using appropriate means such as writing, speaking, listening, numbers, graphics, performance
Clarify personal values, goals and purposes
Understand and respect differences
WSU’s Gen Ed program
See http://webs.wichita.edu/success/general_edu_program/generaleducation.htm
http://webs.wichita.edu/success/general_edu_program/Mission12.html
Note that Gen Ed Cmte will be looking at syllabi to see explicit statements of how courses satisfy the expectations of the Gen Ed Program
Principles for Designing a Course that Fosters Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is a learnable skill; the instructor and peers are resources for developing critical thinking skills
Problems, questions or issues are the point of entry into the subject and a source of motivation for sustained inquiry
Successful courses balance the challenge to think critically with support tailored to students’ developmental needs
Students are required to formulate their ideas in writing or other appropriate means
Critical Thinking, cont. Courses are assignment-centered rather than text and
lecture centered. Goals, methods and evaluation emphasize using content rather than simply acquiring it.
Students collaborate to learn and to stretch out their thinking, for example, in pair problem-solving and small group work
Courses that teach problem solving skills nurture students’ metacognitive skills
The developmental needs of students are acknowledged and used as information in the design of the course. Teachers in these courses make standards explicit and then help students learn how to achieve them
So what is in a basic syllabus?
Course name, meeting time & place, office hours, instructor contact info
Expectations for performance, including prerequisites and prior knowledge assumed
Description of course, aims, learning objectives
Number of tests and assignments, how they will be graded
Policies regarding absences, making up late/missed work, academic honesty, classroom behavior
What is in a learning-centered syllabus? Basics, plus…
Syllabus becomes a learning tool, a guide to the course, provides an intellectual framework for locating the course in a discipline, the world, etc.
Tells students what, when and why: Explains relevance, importance, priorities, expectations; enhances students’ ability to take control of their own learning; promotes good time management
Clarifies mutual responsibilities of instructor and students in successfully meeting course goals
Provides easy access to learning resources: library, testing and counseling, web resources, key works, SI, study groups, etc.
Walk students through syllabus
A syllabus is a complex document—a well designed one even more so. We cannot expect students to know how to read or use a syllabus, especially in beginning courses
Idea: ask for a written response to syllabus as first assignment
Make syllabus a basis for dialogue about the purposes of education, effective learning methods, learning styles, the nature of the course/discipline, putting the onus for learning on the student, time management, etc.