Transforming a System: The Student

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• Course and Syllabus Design

• Dr. Marie Norman

• Teaching Consultant and Research Associate
• Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence
• http//www.cmu.edu/teaching

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Objectives

• When you leave today, you should be able to
• Describe audience/purpose/components of a
  syllabus.
• Identify issues to consider when designing a
  course.
• Discuss the course design triangle.
• Delineate features of effective learning
  objectives.

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Show of hands

• Who has...
• TAed?
• Taught a class?
• Designed a course from scratch?

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Whats in a syllabus?

• Audience Who the syllabus for?
• Purpose When and how is it used?
• Components What are the parts of a typical
  syllabus?

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Audience

• Students
• Colleagues
• Department
• Your future self

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Purpose

• To provide basic course info.
• To generate motivation/curiosity about the
  subject.
• To convey your expectations.
• To delineate your own and students roles.
• To serve as a contract between you and students.
• To set the tone for the course.
• To help students assess their readiness for the
  course.
• To provide resources and advice for students.

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Contents a checklist

• Course name/number
• Room number
• Class times
• Office hours
• Instructor contact info
• Course description
• Course objectives
• Prerequisites

• Textbooks and readings
• Course requirements
• Breakdown of grades
• Grading policies
• Course policies
• Resources for help/support
• Advice
• Course calendar
• Others?

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Syllabus analysis

• What aspects of these syllabi help to facilitate
  student learning and motivation?
• Ability to generate curiosity/establish relevance
• Clear expectations
• A logical organizational structure
• Approachable, supportive tone

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When do you write your syllabus?

• At the end of a long process of thoughtful course
  design!

Select content
Determine situational factors
Consider your students
Create basic components
Organize and sequence
Write your syllabus
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Determine situational factors
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• Class size
• Length/units
• Up/downstream courses
• ??

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2 Consider your students

• Majors
• Goals
• Prior knowledge
• ??

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3 Create the 3 basic components
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The Course Design Triangle
Where do you want students to get?
How will you know if they get there?
How will you help them get there?
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The Course Design Triangle (contd)
What students should know or be able to do by the
end of the course.
Assignments, problem sets, exams (high and low
stakes)
Lectures, discussions, readings, in-class
practice opportunities
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To ensure alignment backward design
Identify desired results
Determine acceptable evidence
Design learning experiences

• Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, Understanding By
  Design (2005)

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Everything hinges on course objectives

• Effective course objectives are...
• Student-centered
• Active
• Measurable
• Why is B preferable to A?

A B
Learn about the French Revolution Explain the political, economic, and social factors that led to the French Revolution.
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Exercise

• Whats wrong with these learning objectives, and
  how could they be improved?
• Give students a firm foundation in linear
  algebra.
• Understand random vectors.

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4 Select content

• Topics
• Themes
• Units
• Texts

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5 Organize and sequence

• How can you organize the material most logically?
• How can assignments build from simple to complex?
• What scheduling issues must you consider?

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6 Write your syllabus!
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Conclusions When designing a course...

• Determine situational factors
• Consider your students
• Create the three basic components
• Select content
• Organize and sequence
• Write your syllabus

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We can help! The Eberly Center offers

• Graduate teaching seminars
• One-on-one consultations
• Web resources www.cmu.edu/teaching

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Solve a Teaching Problem tool helps you find
appropriate strategies for common teaching
problems.
Check out our website
Design and Teach Your Course is loaded with
useful information and examples
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Download this handy set of teaching resources
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