Syllabus Supplement

Purpose: To communicate important, yet additional, information that supports and corresponds to the university-approved course syllabus. In my experience, I have found that providing this supplemental information improves students' understanding of the course and the requirements I have set, reduces the number of student questions regarding their responsibilities and expectations, and provides clarity of assessment and grading.

Excerpts from:

Dr. Adkin - Syllabus Supplement

Course Policies, grading rubrics, style guide, and tools for studying and learning

Course policies:

Discussion and Debate: All students are expected to engage in course discussions and debates. Students can do so by: (1) asking a question, (2) responding to a question or statement made by the instructor, a classmate, or a guest speaker, and/or (3) by making a comment or observation. Successfully contributions to the discussion/debate require students to: (1) be attentive to the discussion and think critically before raising your hand to contribute, (2) listen and then respond without interrupting, (3) demonstrate respect for differing opinions and points-of-view, (4) adhere to the topic at hand without leading the conversation toward an unrelated topic, and (5) address the whole class with your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and/or follow-up questions rather than starting a side conversation with another class member. Students who interrupt others, raise their voice, demean a peer (or their opinion) are not respecting the openness of the learning environment and may be asked to leave or at the very least apologize. These rules of civility are especially important when discussing controversial topics and students must be vigilant to respect the free exchange of ideas and information. Finally, no one in the classroom can read minds; if a student has a question or comment, the student needs to raise their hand and contribute to the discussion.

Email communication: Students may email the instructor at any time to arrange meetings, note their absence, seek clarification, or for a multitude of other reasons. The instructor will always try to respond within 48 hours. Emails that arrive after business hours (9a-5p) and over the weekend are addressed the next business day. Students are expected to write professional, yet casual, emails. Messages using text-language (ex., “I need 2 c u”) will not receive a response.

Grading errors/discrepancies: The instructor makes a full effort to grade work fairly and accurately. Students should ensure that quizzes, exams, and projects are graded correctly. If there are any errors, discrepancies, or concerns please speak to the instructor immediately - don’t wait until the end of the semester. Students are entitled to appeal grades; however, appealing a grade is not ‘pleading for points’ but a formal request to address a particular issue. Students may be requested to write a statement detailing how and why their work should be reassessed.

Style guide:

Abbreviations and acronyms

• Avoid excessive use of abbreviations and acronyms.
• Form the plural of acronyms by adding an “s” without an apostrophe.
  • Ex.: “NGOs,” “CPCs.”
• Spell out the name of an organization, institution, or specific program the first time it is used in the text. Show the abbreviation in parentheses immediately following the first use. If the name is not used again in the text, do not present the abbreviation in parentheses.
  • Ex.: “United States Government (USG),” “Economic Growth Office (EGO).”
• Provide the whole four-digit calendar year.
  • Ex.: “2017” not “‘17,” “1918-1976.”

Tools for Studying and learning:

Study Group: To aid student learning, especially for the course exams, students may want to develop a study group with friends and peers. This is a completely optional arrangement for those involved and not required for the course. Groups can choose to meet as often as they like - weekly, bi-weekly, or before the course exams. For courses that do not assess students’ memorization or recall of information, but rather assesses students’ critical thinking skills, a study group can be useful. Group participants should be prepared to: help peers understand the course concepts, review reading materials, and further discuss and debate materials. If done at regular intervals, study groups can help improve the retention of knowledge and assessment scores.

Additional Resources: Students may need to seek out additional resources during the semester to aid their course learning. Books, journals, wikis, and reputable/reliable websites may improve a student’s understanding of course concepts, define key words and phrases, and visually represent topics with images or videos. If additional resources are used to complete projects and assignments they should be cited properly (using correct citation formatting) to avoid penalties for plagiarism. It is up to the student to confirm the legitimacy and accuracy of additional resources.

Grading rubrics:

Note: Full syllabus supplement can be provided upon request.