The first page of the syllabus needs to have all the pertinent information regarding the who, what and when of the class. The Course Description section of your syllabus includes:

• Institution Name

• Instructor Name

• Office Hours (virtual and/or face-to-face)

• Contact Information (email, phone, office location)

• Course Name, CRN, section, term

• Course Meeting Times—it is important to identify if there are synchronous parts to the course. Required meetings must be clearly communicated

• Early Warning Dates (if your institution requires them)

• Course Pre-Requisite, Credit Hours, Course Catalog Description

• Course Materials

• Student Learning Outcomes (broad objectives, course objectives using QM language)

Putting this information front and center is an anchor for students, allowing them to have a single place to get that information. However, it is important to reiterate the Early Warning dates throughout the syllabus.

This section is where all of the types of assignments/activities are defined. What are they? What is the 10-second definition? Keeping these concise is important. It is not likely that all students will read this section extensively. However, those students who skim it need to have the nuts and bolts information.

Provide a detail of the grading system. How are the points being broken out? Use a table, pie chart, and interesting graphics if possible. Be specific in whatever method you use. Also, be specific on how the total course points are used to decide letter grades. Students want to know.

If the institution has a policy on Early Grades, it should be included in the Assessment section. The faculty member’s policy on missing and late work needs to also be defined here. This is all part of assessing the course. Remember this is your policy; keep the policy simple or detailed, but be consistent.

In an online class, it is not uncommon for there to be inconsistencies on what is considered attending in an online class. According to the US Department of Education’s Program Integrity Issues Final Ruling, October 2010, activities are divided like this:

Attendance Activities

• Following the schedule of due dates

• Participating in discussion postings

• Completing content quizzes by due date

• Submitting Module Assignments by due date

Nonattendance Activities

• Logging into learning management system

• Emailing classmates

• Reading course material or watching videos

• Participating in academic counseling and advising

Using nationally recognized standards to identify attending or non-attending activities prevents inconsistencies and irregularities across online courses. Including the institution’s policy on extended absences in this section continues to support how the students are assessed regarding attendance in an online course.

Similar to the attending/non-attending definition, it is best to use a nationally recognized standard such as those outlined in Virginia Shea’s book, "Netiquette", for your communication policy. Transitioning out of assessments in the syllabus, it is best to put the details of the Early Warning Program next. This reiterates the dates put on the first page. Within the Early Warning Program, there needs to be information defining Incomplete and Unearned F grades.

The next sections of the syllabus should be the course and institutional policies. Course policies include communication expectations, attendance requirements, the instructor's plan for interacting with students, and the requirement for learner interactions, such as participation in the online discussions. The institutional policies section is a good point to include a link to the Student Handbook. At the end of the policy section it is helpful to include a tentative schedule.

The schedule is the second most important part of the syllabus to students. What needs to be done and when is it due? For the “hard copy” of the syllabus, it is helpful if this can be on a single page or at least start on a new page, so that they can print it out alone. Including the point values near the assignments and due dates is helpful for the adult learner who wants to write down their grades.

This is the content of the syllabus as a document. When creating the document it is important to use the Styles function for each section, format tables with header rows and use color to ensure the 4.5:1 contrast ratio throughout. If all of those guidelines are followed, when the document is saved as a PDF, then it will be fully accessible. This is explained more fully later in this module.

Now that the “hard copy” of the syllabus has been created it is time to put it into D2L, or the learning management system. The syllabus needs to be in the course two ways: the PDF or Word Document and then as HTML content, what will be referred to as “broken apart”. In the image on the side, notice that Syllabus is left justified. It is like that because it is an actual module in D2L. The Sections below are indented because they are sub-modules in D2L.

Notice that the sections of the sub-modules identified above correspond to the sections of the syllabus and they are similar to the requirements of the Quality Matters Rubric. So why does this matter? There are several reasons. First, students can now go specifically to the section of the syllabus they need. Second, the faculty member only has certain parts of the syllabus that require updating from semester to semester. Lastly, using the Class Progress tool in D2L, faculty can actually see if a student has visited a portion of the syllabus. This is helpful when a student claims they were not aware of a policy, assignment or reading. The faculty member can see if the student has accessed it or not. This option allows the faculty member to have more information to assist the student.

The Start Here Module can begin with a video of the instructor navigating the course as a student. It allows the faculty member to show students exactly what they will see. Do not do this video logged into the class as a faculty member: use a sample student account instead so that you can show them how the Assignments area and Gradebook appears from a student perspective. Additionally, it is helpful if the Start Here Module contains information that students need about:

• Catalog Course Description, Prerequisites, and a Course Overview

• Course Objectives

• Grading Policies and Grading Criteria

• Instructor's Interaction Plan: plan for interacting with learners and descriptions of learner-required interactions

• Required Technology and Skills

• Learner Support: technical and student services

• Accessibility and Privacy Statements

• Instructor Introduction

As can be seen below in the accordion drop-down area, twenty of the Quality Matters Specific Review Standards, including all of General Standard 1 and most of General Standard 7, can be met by providing students with the information they need to be successful in their online course in the Start Here module. Your institution's online department or Center for Teaching and Learning may have a module that you can copy into your course so that you don't need to recreate the wheel. See the Quality Matters Rubric Workbook for a complete annotation.

It is also helpful include a section on D2L help in this module if your institution does not already provide this instruction elsewhere (if so, provide a link to this training). While you could create these demonstrations yourself, you can also direct them to D2L YouTube videos, the D2L site for students, or copy the D2L Getting Started module included in this course.

A quiz on this material can be included at the end of the module to ensure students understand the information provided.

While it can be helpful for faculty to set the course up where students cannot access the rest of the material until a minimum grade on the Start Here quiz is completed, using these activities as the Attending/Non-Attending reporting for your institutions Early Warning Program also creates an opportunity of dialog with students at the beginning of the term.

1.1 Instructions make clear where to get started and where to find various course components.

1.2 Learners are introduced to the purpose and the structure of the course.

1.3 Communication expectations for the online discussions, email, and other forms of interaction are clearly stated.

1.4 Course and institutional policies with which the learner is expected to comply are clearly stated within the course, or a link to current policies is provided.

1.5 Minimum technology requirements for the course are clearly stated, and information on how to obtain the technologies is provided.

1.6 Computer skills and digital information literacy skills expected of the learner are clearly stated.

1.7 Expectations for prerequisite knowledge in the discipline and/or any required competencies are clearly stated.

1.8 The self-introduction by the instructor is professional and available online.

1.9 Learners are asked to introduce themselves to the class.

2.1 The course learning objectives, or course/program competencies, describe outcomes that are measurable.

2.3 Learning objectives or competencies are stated clearly, are written from the learner’s perspective, and are prominently located in the course.

3.2 The course grading policy is stated clearly at the beginning of the course.

3.3 Specific and descriptive criteria for the evaluation of the learner’s work and their connection to the course grading policy is clearly explained.

5.3 The instructor’s plan for interacting with learners during the course is clearly stated.

5.4 The requirements for learner interaction are clearly stated.

6.4 The course provides learners with information on protecting their data and privacy. (Note: A list of privacy statements for commonly used integration with D2L is provided here by UWG Online. You can provide this link to students or copy and share the statements for technology used in your course.).

7.1 The course instructions articulate or link to a clear description of the technical support offered and how to obtain it.

7.2 Course instructions articulate or link to the institution's accessibility policies and services.

7.3 Course instructions articulate or link to the institution’s academic support services and resources that can help learners succeed in the course.

7.4 Course instructions articulate or link to the institution’s student services and resources that can help learners succeed.

8.6 Vendor accessibility statements are provided for all technologies required in the course. (Note: A list of vendor statements for third-party tools often integrated with D2L can be found here courtesy of UWG Online.)