What do students need and/or want to know about the course?
What pre-requisites exist
Instructor Information:
What do I want students to know about myself? My interest in the discipline? My teaching philosophy?
How can I convey my enthusiasm for teaching, for the course?
Other instructors in the course (e.g., graduate TAs, peer tutors, team teacher)?
Course Description:
What content will the course address? How does the course fit in with other courses in the discipline? Why is the course valuable to the students?
How is the course structured? Large lecture with discussion sessions? Large lecture with laboratory and discussion sessions? Seminar?
How are the major topics organized?
Course Objectives:
What will the students know and be able to do as a result of having taken this course?
What levels of cognitive thinking do I want my students to engage in?
What learning skills will the students develop in the course?
Instructional Approaches:
Given the kind of learning I'd like to encourage and foster, what kinds of instructional interactions need to occur? Teacher-student, student-student, student-peer tutor?
What kinds of instructional approaches are most conducive to helping students accomplish set learning objectives?
How will classroom interactions be facilitated? In-class? Out-of-class? Online? Electronic discussion? Newsgroups? Chat room?
Course Requirements, Assignments:
What will students be expected to do in the course?
What kinds of assignments, tests do most appropriately reflect the course objectives?
Do assignments and tests elicit the kind of learning I want to foster? Assignments (frequency, timing, sequence)? Tests? Quizzes? Exams? Papers? Special projects? Laboratories? Field trips? Learning logs? Journals? Oral presentations? Research on the web? Web publishing? Electronic databases?
What kinds of skills do the students need to have in order to be successful in the course? Computer literacy? Research skills? Writing skills? Communication skills? Conflict resolution skills? Familiarity with software?
Course Policies:
What is expected of the student? Attendance? Participation? Student responsibility in their learning? Contribution to group work? Missed assignments? Late work? Extra credit? Academic dishonesty? Makeup policy? Classroom management issues? Laboratory safety?
Grading, Evaluation:
How will the students' work be graded and evaluated? Number of tests? In-class? Take-home? Point value? Proportion of each test toward final grade? Grading scale?
How is the final grade determined? Drop lowest grade?
How do students receive timely feedback on their performance? Instructor? Self-assessment? Peer review? Peer tutors? Opportunities for improvement? Upgraded assignments?
Texts/Resources/Readings/Supplies:
What kinds of materials will be used during the course? Electronic databases? Electronic Course Reserve? Course Webpage? Software? Simulations? Laboratory equipment?
What kinds of instructional technologies will be used?
Course Calendar:
In what sequence will the content be taught? When are major assignments due? Fieldtrips? Guest speaker?
Study Tips/Learning Resources:
How will the student be most successful in the course?
What resources are available? Online quiz generator? Study guides? Lecture notes online? Lecture notes on reserve in library? Guestspeaker to explain/demonstrate online resources? TA? Peer tutors? Study groups? Academic Services Center? Writing Center? Evaluation of online resources? Citation of web resources?
Student Feedback on Instruction:
Anonymous suggestion box on the web? E-mail?
Student feedback at midterm for instructional improvement purposes?
End-of-term student feedback? Supplement to departmental student feedback form?
Miscellaneous Information:
Instructor biography? Instructor personal statement? Student information form? Other instructor information (e.g., TA)? Additional questions to consider:
How detailed, explicit should the syllabus be?
Will there be some flexibility built into the syllabus?
How to word the syllabus so that it is user-friendly?
Highlights from: Grunert, Judith (1997) The Course Syllabus: A Learning-Centered Approach. Bolton, Massachusetts: Anker Publishing Company, Inc., available in the CTE Library, 212 Gore Hall.
Your syllabus can be an important point of interaction between you and your students, both in and out of class. The traditional syllabus is primarily a source of information for your students. While including basic information, the learning-centered syllabus can be an important learning tool that will reinforce the intentions, roles, attitudes, and strategies that you will use to promote active, purposeful, effective learning.
Suggested Steps for Planning Your Syllabus:
Develop a well-grounded rationale for your course
Decide what you want students to be able to do as a result of taking your course, and how their work will be appropriately assessed
Define and delimit course content
Structure your students’ active involvement in learning
Identify and develop resources
Compose your syllabus with a focus on student learning
Suggested Principles for Designing a Course that Fosters Critical Thinking* :
Critical thinking is a learnable skill; the instructor and peers are resources in 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.
Courses are assignment centered rather than text and lecture centered. Goals, methods and evaluation emphasize using content rather than simply acquiring it.
Students are required to formulate their ideas in writing or other appropriate means.
Students collaborate to learn and to stretch their thinking, for example, in pair problem solving and small group work.
Courses that teach problem-solving skills nurture students’ metacognitive abilities.
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.
Syllabus Functions:
Establishes an early point of contact and connection between student and instructor
Helps set the tone for your course
Describes your beliefs about educational purposes
Acquaints students with the logistics of the course
Contains collected handouts
Defines student responsibilities for successful course work
Describes active learning
Helps students to assess their readiness for your course
Sets the course in a broader context for learning
Provides a conceptual framework
Describes available learning resources
Communicates the role of technology in the course
Can expand to provide difficult-to-obtain reading materials
Can improve the effectiveness of student note-taking
Can include material that supports learning outside the classroom
Can serve as a learning contract
Checklist for a learning-centered syllabus:
Title Page
Table of Contents
Instructor Information
Letter to the Student
Purpose of the Course
Course Description
Course and Unit Objectives
Resources
Readings
Course Calendar
Course Requirements
Evaluation
Grading Procedures
How to Use the Syllabus
How to Study for This Course
Content Information
Learning Tools
No comments:
Post a Comment