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Crafting Your Syllabus

Josh Eyler

Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning

Clinical Assistant Professor of Teacher Education

University of Mississippi

jreyler@olemiss.edu

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A syllabus is a/an/the _________________ .

(Waterfall: fill in the blank)

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A syllabus is an invitation.

A syllabus is an intellectual provocation.

A syllabus is an articulation of your teaching philosophy.

A syllabus is an expression of care.

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A syllabus is a promise but is *not* a contract.

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Thanks to Rissa Sorensen-Unruh from the College of New Mexico for sharing this slide with me.

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--In your experience, what makes a syllabus effective?(1 minute)

--What do you want to communicate to students through your syllabus? (2 minutes)

--Thinking beyond the catalogue description: how can you hook students on the exciting work of your course at the beginning of the syllabus? (2 minutes)

--How will your syllabus communicate to students that their work as learners is supported? (2 minutes)

--What do you want students to remember about your course beyond the content? How can your syllabus set the foundation for that? (2 minutes)

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A syllabus is a reflection of your course design.

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From Wiggins and McTighe, Understanding by Design

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The CETL Syllabus Template

https://olemiss.edu/departments/university-programs/excellence-teaching-learning/resources/

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Other things to consider:

--If you’re worried about “syllabus bloat” you can always move the policy sections to an appendix or to Blackboard.

--Consider one or more of the following activities related to the syllabus:

Ask students to annotate the syllabus using Google docs, Perusall, or another tool.
Design a syllabus scavenger hunt that asks students to find key information.
Save the syllabus for the 2^nd day of class and spend time the first day getting to know your students and introducing them to the exciting work for the course.

--Don’t forget to submit your syllabus either through Blackboard on on MyOleMiss.

--Consider the trees! Will you need printed versions of the syllabus or can you go paper-free?

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Questions?

Continue the conversation:

jreyler@olemiss.edu