Elements of a syllabus from The Course Syllabus: A
Learning-Centered Approach by Judith Grunert. (Bolton, MA:
Anker Press, 1997).
- Title page
- Table of contents--if you have a long syllabus you may need
this
- *Instructor information--Name, email [this is where I
start]
- Letter to the student--introduce yourself and the course [keep
it short!]
- *Purpose of the course--tell what this course is designed to
do, include the objectives
- *Course description--this can be what appears in the
bulletin
- *Course and unit objectives--this is where you present an
outline of the course
- Resources--relevant resources that might be helpful, including
in the library and on the web
- *Readings--readings from the textbook as well as any
supplementary readings
- Course calendar--give dates for assignments, quizzes, exams,
etc.
- *Course requirements--types of assignments including papers,
quizzes, projects, exams, etc.
- Evaluation--how students will be evaluated
- *Grading procedures--how the final grade will be
calculated
- How to use the syllabus--tips on planning the
semester
- How to study for this course--tips on how to organize
study time
- Content information--looking at the overall content for
the course
- Learning tools--things like note taking that might be
helpful to students [you might also want to include your
expectations for behavior in class]
*the most important
components
My syllabus
is a variation on Grunert's plan. For those of you who are starting
out, please remember that it took me years to get this far. And I
still have work to do on it. The important thing is to start. It
will help your students, but it will also help you get organized.
If you want other models, a good place to start is with the George
Mason University Syllabus Finder which
has links to thousands of syllabi in many disciplines.
There are also web resources
available if you want more information on developing a syllabus.
Three good sites are:
Consider Integrating Information Literacy
into Your Course
Information
literacy is defined as a set of abilities that allows
individuals to recognize when information is needed and to locate,
evaluate, and use that information effectively. Every subject
involves the use of these abilities, so you might want to consider
how you would like to enrich your students information
literacy.
Ben Turner of the University Libraries is directing the
University's information literacy efforts, and he would be happy to
offer you assistance. He can be reached at turnerb@stjohns.edu and at
ex. 5562.
If you would like to read more on information literacy, there is
a great article, "
Information Literacy as a Liberal Art," which presents a broad
view of the topic. For a more thorough analysis, you can access the
Information Literacy Competency Standards.
Go to Useful Resources