D2L Syllabus and Class Schedule

Section 1: The Syllabus

Prairie State College does not have an official template for a syllabus, but the Faculty Resource Book provides the following information about the Official Course Outline and the Syllabus. The Faculty Resource Book also includes a checklist of suggested items for the syllabus, a sample official course outline, and a sample syllabus.

From the Faculty Resource Book

Each approved course has an Official Course Outline which includes a description of the course, a topical outline, a statement of specific course goals and objectives, and methods for evaluation. When you’re assigned a class to teach, your discipline or program coordinator will give you a copy of the Official Course Outline as the foundation for your course syllabus.

Board policy requires that each faculty member assigned to teach a credit course follows the Official Course Outline. However, instructors have a great deal of flexibility in planning their individual syllabi as long as they meet the basic requirements for the course.

An effective syllabus clearly communicates to students the learning objectives for the course and how the academic skills of students will be advanced through your instruction. … In addition, the syllabus serves as a contract between the instructor and the student, and should therefore explain expectations, such as how students will be evaluated, what course assignments, tests, and activities are to be completed and your policies on attendance, classroom conduct, preparation and submission of assignments, late or missed work, and student participation.

Syllabus Checklist

Please use the following checklist for designing a course syllabus:

Prairie State College should appear on the top of the syllabus
Course name, number, section number, IAI number (if your course has one)
Your (instructor) name, PSC email address, and when/where you can be reached
Name and author of text(s), outside readings and manuals required for course
Course objectives (taken directly from the Official Course Syllabus)
Course overview, including exam dates, due dates for assignments, or special events
Course requirements and your grading policies
Statement on cheating and plagiarism
Attendance policy and last day to withdraw from course
Disability Disclosure Statement
Religious Observance Statement

The Syllabus on D2L

Many instructors upload the Syllabus as a file in the Course Introduction module. (See sample image above.)

The D2L Template also includes a content page for the Syllabus in the Course Information module. The text of the syllabus can be copied into the page. (Image on the right.)

To add the syllabus text into the Syllabus template, click on the link for “Syllabus” (image above).

In the syllabus content page (image on the right), click “Edit HTML.” This will enable the text editor, and you can copy-and-paste components of the syllabus into the template.

Use the Rich Text Editor to change the size, font, and color of the text. Click “Save and Close” at the bottom when you are done

Section 2: The Class Schedule

The course schedule can be a part of the syllabus, or it can be a separate document. The schedule often includes a daily or weekly list of class activities, reading materials, assignments, and exams. It may also include a note about the final exam time and out-of-class meetings for clinical and lab sessions. The Faculty Handbook for Online Education provides a Sample Course Calendar in Appendix D.

Class Schedule on D2L

Many instructors upload the Class Schedule as a file in the Course Introduction module. (See sample image above.)

The D2L Template also includes a content page for the course schedule called “Course Calendar” in the Course Information module. The page is setup as a table, and you can enter your class schedule into the table. (Image on the right.)

To add your content, click “Edit HTML." This will enable the text editor. Add your course schedule into the table, and add or remove columns for additional activities in your course, such as clinical or lab sessions.

Use the Rich Text Editor to change the size, font, and color of the text. Click “Save and Close” at the bottom when you are done.

For more information and support, contact Online Learning.

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