COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE SYLLABUS:

A REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS

During the process of creating this syllabus, I came to the realization that it is not just a contract between teacher to students, but it also reflects the core values of the teacher. The design decision of graphics and colors adheres to students with visual needs. The image on the first page was selected as a way to connec to the current generation. Nevertheless, the particular fonts and phrase were selected with the intention of connecting toan older student demographic.

A lot of the items currently placed on the syllabus, such as the text books, one of them is for placement, but Andrea Lunsford's text is one I intend to use. It was selected due to its breakdown of varied projects students can follow and way it can help me as an instructor create for the students. The titles in the outline were "creatively" written to add interest and spark the question, "What's this?". As a learner still, I have been guilty of sometimes breezing through the syllabus and only getting to the dates and assignments section. It is with intention that I want students to dissect or at least carefully read the institutional policies that the class strictly adheres to.

In "THE EXPECTANCY" section, I added the images from Google IMAGES that connects to a colorful brain with the phrase "THE POWER OF CREATIVITY" in order to catch their attention and provide the learner-centeredness of the classroom where students can make decisions on projects as long as they connect to the learning outcomes.

In the course, I added a total of 16 assignments, but one of them is for extra credit involving the STYLUS Magazine publication. These assignments build on each other and add various opportunities for community and collaborative discourses through discussion and writing responses. Furthermore, the content of the assignments not only reflect writing as a process but the sequence of the assignments help students engage in it. In the "2ND CHANCES & LATE WORK" underneath the grading, after receiving feedback, I realized that some of the wording I used, such as "NON NEGOTIABLE" for absent peer reviews, took away from the learner-centered and the agency I want students to develop throughout the course. Furthermore, I had to think about situations where students had partners not present or situations where they needed to be excused from accessible the work online. Hence, the Writing Center became the resource for students to engage in peer feedback and not missed the opportunity to add layers to their project based on community and collaborative engagement.

Throughout the construction of the document, I began using my current experience patterns in seeing the semester or the year in weekly blocks. I began creating weekly breakdowns as placement for sequence of the Quick Writes, project 1 and peer feedback, then into the multimodal project and the 2 peer feedbacks, following the audio reflection response, then the ePortfolio, and ending with the extra credit for a chance at publication in the STYLUS Journal. I wanted to be clear about transitions and the content flow and connections in each week while simultaneously thinking about time for students to research, meet with me about the project in students conferences, and key institution dates (breaks, etc.).

The medium choice of using Canva came with the thought of the design elements I have access to, but I wanted to create a live syllabus where students can provide feedback to changes needing amending as the course progresses. Now, some of the issues is changed to the content and disruption of the layout. One thing I have always been adamant is the ability for students to use translation tools as needed. Unfortunately, Canva only downloads and the document cannot be translated. Overall, I had created a few syllabi in my career, but this process has taught me to think about my word choice, layout, access to key links, and flow of the written design and content.

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