Making a Syllabus

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Making a Syllabus
Annotated Version

• Dr. John Marvelle
• CART Teaching Fellow
• Professor of Elementary Early Childhood
  Education
• December, 2004
• Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA

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Workshop purpose To explore ways to enhance our
syllabi.

• At the completion of the workshop, participants
  will be able to
• Identify the items typically present on a
  syllabus
• Identify 2-3 items that could be added to their
  syllabus
• Write course objectives or outcomes for their
  course

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Some of the questions that a syllabus can
answer...
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Course Purpose - Topics
Dear Dr. Greenberg Will this course help me
prepare for the teacher test?
Dear Dr. Marvelle Are we going to learn about
how to work with parents of children with special
needs?
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Attendance Participation
Dear Dr. Greenberg Is participation part of
our grade?
Dear Dr. Thornell How many unexcused absences do
we get in this class?
Dear Dr. SmithIs it ok if I leave early I have
a class across campus?
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Course Grading
Dear Dr. Fishbeck I dont understand how you
graded the assignment. I thought I did a good
job.
Dear Dr. Moir What can I do to get a better
grade?
Dear Dr. Marvelle Do you drop our lowest test
grade?
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Classroom Expectations
participation
preparation
class tardiness
plagiarism
cheating
PC use
cell phones
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A syllabus shares the purpose of your course,
your expectations, your assignments, grading
scheme.
Preventing problems uses less energy than
correcting them.
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This is the entire syllabus. It is pretty vague!
Syllabus found on the web.
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EE 220 Introduction to Elementary EducationDr.
Steven R. GreenbergProfessor of Elementary and
Early Childhood Education How to contact
meDr. Steven R. Greenberg, 135 Hart
HallBridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA
02325 Phone Office [phone] Fax
[phone]E-Mail sgreenberg_at_bridgew.edu 


Office HoursTuesdays 930 1030Thursdays 930
1030 and 1230 130
 
Contents Course Description Course Topics Indices
of Student Success (Course Objectives) Textbooks
and Suggested Readings Grading Rubric Course
Schedule
These are links. When students click on any of
these links they see full descriptions of the
item.
Another syllabus found on the web. Dr. Steve
Greenbergs syllabus (on BSC website). Notice the
difference this syllabi and the previous one.
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There isnt a BSC Syllabus Template, but consider

• Contact Information Office hours, Email
• Catalog Description
• Course Rationale (Explanation / Context)
• Teaching Approach
• List Objectives (or Outcomes)
• Course Overview -- List of Topics
• Resources (Required texts, etc)
• Classroom Expectations, Academic Policies, and
  Supports
• Assignments / Assessments Grading
• Course Calendar

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No Template, but consider

• Contact Information Office hours, Email
• Catalog Description
• Course Rationale (Explanation / Context)
• Teaching Approach
• List Objectives (or Outcomes)
• Course Overview -- List of Topics
• Resources (Required texts, etc)
• Classroom Expectations, Academic Policies, and
  Supports
• Assignments / Assessments Grading
• Course Calendar

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Outcomes/Objectives

• Objectives/Outcomes focus on student learning,
  not on what the teacher will do.
• The student will be to identify

• Objectives/Outcomes are measurable. (Outcomes are
  performance oriented.)
• The student will describe the steps

Although objectives only take up 5-6 lines on a
syllabus, many educators believe that they are
the most important item on a syllabus.
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Outcomes/Objectives
Action verbs often found in objectives.

• On completion of this course, students should be
  able to

• Analyze
• Appreciate
• Build
• Classify
• Compare
• Describe
• Display

• Explain
• Evaluate
• Justify
• List
• Name
• Organize
• Outline

Based on Brown Universitys syllabus template on
the web..
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List Course Outcomes

• In this course, teacher candidates will complete
  the following course outcomes
• build their own portfolio that demonstrates their
  development as a professional and their
  accomplishments during their Professional
  Semester. (ACEI Guidelines 1.3, 5.1, and 7.1).
• describe how to create an inclusive classroom and
  will demonstrate an understanding of special
  education in terms of legal and moral
  responsibilities. (ACEI Guidelines 6.0, 6.2, and
  6.4).

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or Course Objectives

• By the end of this course, teacher candidates
  will be able to
• build their own portfolio that demonstrates their
  development as a professional and their
  accomplishments during their Professional
  Semester. (ACEI Guidelines 1.3, 5.1, and 7.1).
• describe how to create an inclusive classroom and
  will demonstrate an understanding of special
  education in terms of legal and moral
  responsibilities. (ACEI Guidelines 6.0, 6.2, and
  6.4).

Notice the difference Will complete vs. Will be
able to Outcomes describe what a student will
actually do during the course.
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No Template, but consider

• Contact Information Office hours, Email
• Catalog Description
• Course Rationale (Explanation / Context)
• Teaching Approach
• List Objectives (or Outcomes)
• Course Overview -- List of Topics
• Resources (Required texts, etc)
• Classroom Expectations, Academic Policies, and
  Supports
• Assignments / Assessments Grading
• Course Calendar

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Stating Expectations and Creating the Classroom
Climate
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Use your syllabus and your first day of class to
help your students know your expectations
Most professor dont include all of these, but
include those they feel are appropriate to their
classroom style and maturity of their students..

• Classroom Expectations
• Attendance / tardiness
• Participation
• involvement
• note-taking
• use of laptops
• Behavior
• eating in class
• civility respect
• (side conversations)

• Academic Policies
• quality of work (rubrics/checklists)
• grading schemes
• late assignments
• plagiarism / cheating

• Support
• disabilities accommodations
• additional help

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Use your syllabus and your first day of class to
help your students know your expectations

• Classroom Expectations
• Attendance / tardiness
• Participation
• involvement
• note-taking
• use of laptops
• Behavior
• eating in class
• civility respect
• (side conversations)

• Academic Policies
• quality of work (rubrics/checklists)
• grading schemes
• late assignments
• plagiarism / cheating

• Support
• disabilities accommodations
• additional help

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Attendance Policy
Help your students know what your attendance
policy by clearly stating it.
For example Attendance in my sections of MMAE
202 is rigidly enforced.  I will hand out a sheet
with each student's name on it. You are required
to put your initials in the box corresponding to
your name, otherwise you will be marked as
absent. The part of my evaluation of your grade
will be based upon your attendance record.
Therefore, it is imperative that you come to
class. If for some reason (and it better be good)
you cannot attend class, you must e-mail me the
day before and explain why. M. Vural, Assistant
Professor of Mechanical Aerospace
Engineering Illinois Institute of Technology
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The Buddy System
From Dr. Aeon Skobles syllabus (on BSC website)
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For example As a student, you are
responsible for learning about the course topics
that are discussed in class. If you miss any
class time, you are required to demonstrate your
understanding of the topic(s). To do this, you
are expected to submit a tangible product (see
criteria below) on each topic presented or
discussed during your absence.
Missed Class Assignment
From Dr. John Marvelles syllabus
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Participation
Help your students know what you mean by
participation. Also, if and how it will be
used in your grading.
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Student Participation
Student's Name _________________
_________________ _________________
Thanks to Prof. Kathleen Tunney, SocialWork, SIUE
This is only one example. How do you tell your
students what participation means and how
you will use it in your grading scheme?
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Disability Support
For example Bridgewater State College, the
faculty of the Elementary and Early Childhood
Education Department and this instructor are
committed to non-discrimination of handicapped
persons as specified in Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Students who qualify
as handicapped persons or have extenuating
circumstances, which might interfere with
coursework, as assigned should meet with the
instructor at the beginning of the course so that
reasonable modifications in course requirements
may be made when necessary.
Used by Elementary Early Childhood Education
Department
One way to let your students know about Section
504 and the availability of the Academic
Achievement Center.
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• Another example In compliance with
  Bridgewater State College policy and equal access
  legislation, I am available to discuss
  appropriate accommodations that you may require
  as a student with a documented disability.
  Requests for academic accommodations should be
  made during the add/drop period, unless there are
  unusual circumstances, so that appropriate
  arrangements can be made. Students should
  register with the Disability Resources Office in
  Boyden Hall for disability verification and
  determination of reasonable academic
  accommodations.

From Dr. Victor DeSantiss syllabus (on BSC
website)
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Some Extras
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Academic Misconduct Statement
For example Bridgewater State College is
dedicated to the pursuit of truth. In this
pursuit, academic honesty is of fundamental
importance. Faculty, students and administrators
all have a responsibility to value, demonstrate
and safeguard academic integrity as one of the
colleges most essential intuitional values.
Academic misconduct includes, but is not
limited to plagiarism, cheating, disruption of
teaching or research, dishonest practices in
connection with examinations and disruptive
classroom behavior. Any one of these examples
may result in dismissal from the course with an F
grade.
Plagiarism
Cheating
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Supporting your course with your webpage
For example
http//webhost.bridgew.edu/jhayesboh/NOT13TH/not13
th.htm
Take a look at Dr. Hayes-Bohanan page to see how
he uses the web to encourage and support his
students.
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No Template, but consider

• Contact Information Office hours, Email
• Catalog Description
• Course Rationale (Explanation / Context)
• Teaching Approach
• List Objectives (or Outcomes)
• Course Overview -- List of Topics
• Resources (Required texts, etc)
• Classroom Expectations, Academic Policies, and
  Supports
• Assignments / Assessments Grading
• Course Calendar

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The Final Grade

• Final grades in this course will be determined as
  follows
• In-class Final Examination 30 percent
• Written Essay 20 percent
• Case Study paper 25 percent
• Oral Presentation 15 percent
• Participation 10 percent

Most syllabi include some grading scheme. On the
following pages are several examples.
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(No Transcript)
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Grading Checklist
Grading Assignments
Help students understand assignments by providing
your grading checklists and rubrics.
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Grading Assignments
Help students understand assignments by providing
your grading checklists and rubrics.
Holistic Grading Rubric
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Hybrid Grading Rubric (Checklist-Rubric)
Problem Definition 0 1 2 3
Top-down design 0 1 2 3 4
Documented code 0 1 2 3 4 5
Documentation 0 1 2 3
Annotated Output 0 1 2 3
Total Possible /18
This shows how a checklist can be weighted.
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Appealing a Grade Statement

• For example If you find that your grades have
  been added incorrectly, or you would like a grade
  on your homework or examination reconsidered, you
  should
• Prepare a written statement explaining why you
  think your grade is incorrect
• Leave your written request, together with the
  homework/exam in question in my office at E1-253D
  or mailbox at E1-247.
• Grade change requests received later than one
  week after the graded assignment was returned to
  you will not be considered.
• M. Vural, Assistant Professor of Mechanical
  Aerospace Engineering
• Illinois Institute of Technology

Just one example how a professor handled
students asking for a change of a test grade.
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Last Discussion Topics
These topics were briefly discussed.
1 - WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE ON MY SYLLABUS AND WHAT
CAN WAIT? 2 - Many syllabi say, NOTE THE
INSTRUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE
REQUIREMENTS AND SYLLABUS AT ANY TIME.
Summary Include what fits your style and the
maturity of your students.
Although most of the participants agreed that a
syllabus isnt an absolute contract (most of do
change the calendar and sometimes topics to be
covered), most of us felt that a statement like
this was too strong -- especially if it implied
we could (on a wim, change the course
requirements or the grading scheme.
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Dr. John Marvelle Elementary Early Childhood
EducationIf you would like to make an
appointment to talk about your syllabus or
teaching and learning, call or email me
jmarvelle_at_bridgew.edu [phone]
Thank you for sharing!