Overview
The syllabus is a central source of information for students, consider it a roadmap, to successfully navigate the course. The syllabus communicates information about your course to the students. Therefore, it is important for the syllabus to be easy to read, follow, and understand.
Strategies
Set Detailed Explanations
Adding a course schedule that includes a calendar of events, due dates, as well as expectations is important for students to understand when major assignments and assessments occur.
Include Course Policies and Values
What are the university’s policies that need to be included in the syllabus? Visit the UF syllabus webpage for additional information that you can include on your syllabus. Keep in mind that the syllabus policy is updated throughout the year, so make sure you have the most current information in your syllabus.
References
- Center for Teaching Excellence (University of Florida): UF Instructor Guide: Chapter 11: Syllabus
- GatorEvals (University of Florida): GatorEvals Central Website
- GatorEvals (University of Florida): GatorEvals Support
- Use this Netiquette Guide for Online Courses (.docx) as a starting point to clarify your course policies regarding expected student behavior.
- M. Ludy, T. Brackenbury, J.W. Folkins, S.H. Peet, S.J.Langendorfer, & K. Beining (2016): Student impressions of syllabus design: Engaging versus contractual syllabus (.pdf)