Handing out a detailed course syllabus on the first day of class is one way to ensure that your course gets off to a great start. An effective syllabus can take many forms, but traditionally it has served to satisfy a few key purposes. A syllabus, first and foremost, serves to inform the students of the "nuts and bolts" information regarding a course. The course title, instructor's name and contact information, dates and times for class meetings, location of class meetings, required texts, and pre-requisite knowledge required are all examples of such information.

The syllabus also serves (intentionally or otherwise) to establish parameters of power and control for the course. Traditionally, power and control in courses is heavily skewed toward the instructor while the student is relegated to being a passive recipient of information and follower of rules, policies, and procedures.

An effective syllabus should serve as a cognitive road map for the student to be able to visualize how the course will progress over the course of the semester. Sections such as a course overview, course schedule, assignment descriptions with rationale for each assignment, and a tentative course schedule are among the elements which contribute to creating this cognitive map.

Finally, the syllabus serves to archive your course for you, the student, and the institution. For you, this record is helpful in evaluating and revising your instructional practices and course format. For students, this record allows them to quickly reflect back on the content included and what they learned in a given course which could prove helpful in subsequent courses which build on previously learned material. For the institution, the syllabus serves as a record for administration and other committees when evaluating current programs, planning new programs, and when engaging with accrediting agencies such as SACSCOC.

The learner-centered syllabus is very similar to the traditional syllabus in terms of the type of information included. Basic information such as course overview, course objectives, required text(s), grading policy, etc. should always be included in any syllabus. One of the biggest differences between a traditional and learner-centered syllabus is the way in which the information contained in the syllabus is communicated to the student. The learner-centered syllabus generally utilizes a more warm and friendly tone than that of a traditional syllabus in order to foster a more engaging and shared learning environment. Of course, there are some elements included in the learner-centered syllabus that one would not likely find in a traditional syllabus. Cullen and Harris (2009) provide an excellent rubric for determining the extent to which a syllabus is learner-centered. This rubric can be used as a framework for transforming a traditional syllabus. The main areas of focus included in the rubric are: building community, power and control, and assessment and evaluation.

Check out this Guide to Creating a Learner-Centered Syllabus from Houston Community College in Missouri.

The syllabus is your first opportunity to make an impression on students regarding what kind of instructor you are. This is especially true in online courses in which instructors do not have the benefit of face-to-face interaction. This makes the information included in your syllabus and the tone used to convey that information all the more important. Cullen and Harris (2009) suggest that instructors can (and should) begin building a community of learning within the syllabus by including specific elements: accessibility of the teacher, learning rationale, and required collaboration. Examples of learner-centered statements regarding accessibility and learning rationale are provided below (Richmond, 2016). Collaboration has been shown to increase attendance, student engagement, and overall academic performance. Thus, it is important to not only encourage but require collaboration in your course whenever possible. Collaboration is more applicable in certain contents and contexts, but can be incorporated in some way in any class setting. Perhaps you are already doing much to promote and build community in your courses. If so, review your current syllabus and ensure that this desire to build community is effectively communicated to your students.

Recent research (Hudd, 2003; Cullen & Harris, 2009) points out the value of allowing students to have control over specific aspects of a course. For example, allowing students to choose the types of assignments they will complete, the due dates for assignments, developing a rubric or criteria for grading, and/or creating classroom policies/routines. Hudd (2003) allows students to determine the type, weight, and due dates for the majority of assignments for the course. Frequently, the assignments generated by the students mimic what the instructor would have assigned in the first place. However, relinquishing this control allows students to take ownership of their assignments and become more personally invested in the learning process. Said one student, "It was like giving us the power which was a different thing. Instead of just walking into class and receiving an agenda, we made our own" (Hudd, 2003, p. 200).

Weimer (2013) suggests four things instructors can do to create a better balance of power between teacher and student:

1. Include a philosophy of teaching.

2. Discuss your teaching philosophy with your students and explain why you are teaching this way.

3. Model this philosophy throughout the syllabus.

4. Include a description of both student and teacher expectations. See example below (Richmond, 2016)

Course and module learning objectives should themselves be learner-centered and explicitly stated in your syllabus. Further, these objectives should be explicitly linked to the assessment(s) that will be used to determine mastery. See example below (Richmond, 2016). It is also important to explicitly communicate to your students how and why they are being assessed. Will you administer tests and quizzes or will the course be more discussion based with essays and other writing assignments? If you will be using tests and quizzes, how often and will all of them be graded?

Note: SLO = Student Learning Outcome

Feedback is essential to the learning process. Without it, students have little to no way of knowing if the work they are doing is correct or at what point in a process a mistake has been made. Feedback should be provided frequently throughout the semester both in the form of formative and summative evaluations. In short, formative evaluations asses how a student is doing at the moment and provide both the student and teacher with information that can be used to make adjustments moving forward. This is sometimes referred to as assessment for learning. Alternatively, summative evaluations are administered at the end of a unit of instruction and indicate whether or not a student has mastered specific learning objectives. This is sometimes referred to as assessment of learning. Learner-centered courses should provide a healthy dose and combination of both summative and formative assessment. These assessments and the types of feedback which will accompany them should be explicitly stated in the syllabus.

Weimer (2013) offers the following suggestions for a more learner-centered syllabus/course:

1. Allow time for students to debrief after assessments experiences and to write their own suggestions for improvements.

2. Debrief the exam in ways the promote learning and discuss and debate it. Possibly offer some points for these exercises.

3. Allow students to choose the best scores on assessments. For example, ten of the highest quiz scores out of twelve.

4. Have students assess their own work before submission.

Cullen, R., & Harris, M. (2009). Assessing learner-centredness through course syllabi. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 34(1), 115–125.

Hudd, S. (2003). Syllabus under construction: Involving students in the creation of class assignments. Teaching Sociology 31(1), 195-202.

Richmond, A.S. (2016). Constructing a learner-centered syllabus: One instructor’s journey. IDEA paper #60.

Weimer, M. (2013). Learner-centered teaching: Five key changes to practice. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.