Further Resources for Designing a Syllabus (and a  Course)

"A syllabus is more than just a checklist or collection of policies and procedures. In fact, approaching it as akin to a “contract” — while that’s a popular analogy in higher education — is not the way to create an effective syllabus. We should aim to do more than badger our students with arbitrary dictates that suggest we fully expect them to misbehave. The course syllabus is, in most cases, the first contact that students will have with both us and the course. As the cliché goes, we don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. The syllabus sets the tone for the course. Rather than emphasize what they can’t do, an effective syllabus is a promise that, as a result of our course, students will be able to do a number of things either for the first time or at least better than they could before. As you create a syllabus, then, the question you ought to keep at the center of the process is: What am I saying to my students?"

"I think the most important thing is thinking about the syllabus from a student's perspective."

"We know that you have limited time to design or redesign a course and craft a syllabus.  Although all of the following items may be important to you, we encourage you to assess your priorities and really focus on assessing those aspects that are most important to you. Each of the criteria is categorized under an aspect of course development and aligned with one or more of four pedagogical frameworks. Each of these frameworks is linked to a two-page resource so that you can explore in order to more deeply understand each of these may support your goals for teaching."

• Principles of Learner-Centered Teaching - "Learner-Centered Teaching does not abandon the idea that an instructor has expertise or that lecture can be an effective pedagogical practice. It does center the idea that practice and active learning strategies are what help us integrate learning in the transferable ways in which many of us hope for our students to learn. This means that, as an instructor, you are a facilitator of learning who enables your students to take ownership of learning and, ultimately, of their educational path. It shifts the role of student from passive recipient of knowledge to active participant in whom the instructor has full confidence of their willingness and ability to learn the knowledge, skills and habits of mind needed to be successful in the course."

• Principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) - "Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, advances the position that learning is enhanced when there are multiple pathways through which students can be successful in their learning. UDL argues that in order to teach every student in the class, we should employ various approaches to instruction rather than assuming a “one size fits all” approach to teaching and to evaluating learning.  Taking this approach calls on instructors to offer students three aspects of flexibility: multiple means of engagement, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of representation"

• Transparent Teaching - "When we enter a class on the first day of the semester, syllabus in hand, the reasons for our class structure and expectations are clear to us. When we are grading student work, the attributes of high quality work on an assignment seem obvious to us. Are we making those decisions and standards equally obvious to our students? Transparent teaching is an approach that makes explicit the often tacit ways of thinking and doing that we expect of our students. Specifically, transparent instruction tells students what they are being asked to do (“the task”), why they are being asked to do it (“the purpose”), and how they will be evaluated on their performance (“the criteria”). The research on transparent teaching methods indicates that this approach can increase students’ levels of motivation, confidence, and mastery of skills; these effects are particularly pronounced in underrepresented and first-generation student populations."

• Inclusive Teaching - "Inclusive teachers are mindful of the ways certain aspects of academic culture can be off-putting or mysterious to many students and trigger stereotype threat in students who are members of populations that have been historically excluded from higher education. Through their syllabus, classroom manner, out-of-class accessibility, and feedback, inclusive teachers communicate the message that all enrolled students are capable of success and are valued members of the learning community that the teacher co-

creates. Inclusive teachers are attentive to the diverse knowledge-base and skills-development of their students and make pedagogical decisions about learning activities (readings, writing assignments, problem sets, group work, etc.) that will support the success of all students who meet the prerequisites of the course, are eager to learn, and remain relatively healthy throughout the semester. Inclusive

teachers attempt to make explicit for students the “hidden curriculum” of higher education—the norms, practices, and information that are often presupposed by those who work in higher education, but which students from different cultures and backgrounds may find unfamiliar. Rather than seeing the diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and talents of students as obstacles to their learning, inclusive teachers take advantage of these differences to maximize the learning opportunities of all students.