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Designing your MSU Syllabus

Ellie Louson and Makena Neal

April 2025

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Access Statement

This presentation will be virtual, and we have enabled the closed captioning feature. At any time, please feel free to let us know if you need us to speak louder or slower and/or anything else that helps your ability to access this content. We may move around throughout the workshop.

Link to slides: �bit.ly/3WVKitA

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Makena Neal, PhD

Ellie Louson, PhD

she/they/Makena (URL, audio file)

Associate Director of Educator Development

Storyteller, Educator Celebrator, Connector

learn more about me (URL, bio)

she/her/hers

Educational Developer | Teaching Faculty Associate Director of Teaching & Learning, CIRCLE

Energizer, Motivator, Interdisciplinary

learn more about me (URL, bio)

😺

🐤

🍏

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Today’s Plan

Understand the required and recommended components of a syllabus at MSU

Consider the benefits of inclusive and flexible syllabi

Know how to get started on syllabus design and where to go for help

Locate a variety of MSU syllabus resources

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Pathways for Engagement

  • We will have dedicated time for questions during and at the end of the workshop.
  • We have a few activities with pair/small group interaction
  • Feel free to add questions/comments to the monitored chat

Speech bubble icon: brief pause for questions or examples

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One word for wrap of Spring 2025

Chat Waterfall

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  1. Write your word in the chat but don’t send it
  2. When I say “go,” everyone shares their word
  3. Watch the waterfall of words!

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Feelings about the syllabus

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What IS a syllabus?

  • Originally, an index or schedule of texts/topics
  • Practical or structural details about the course
  • Expectations (discipline- or course-specific)
  • Role has expanded to include important policies and resources

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What IS a syllabus?

  • At Michigan State, educators have freedom to create their syllabi within some broad, practical constraints.
    • Must-haves (required components)
    • Highly recommended (policies)
    • Suggested (guidelines and resources)

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Syllabus Must-Haves (Required Components)

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MSU’s Code of Teaching Responsibility

“Instructors [are] responsible for distributing a course syllabus (either in print or electronic form) at the beginning of the semester [that] minimally includes:

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  1. instructional objectives;
  2. instructor contact information and office hours;
  3. grading criteria and methods used to determine final course grades;
  4. date of the final examination and tentative dates of required assignments, quizzes, and tests, if applicable;
  5. attendance policy, if different from the University attendance policy and especially when that attendance policy affects student grades;
  6. required and recommended course materials to be purchased, including textbooks and supplies; and
  7. any required proctoring arrangements to which students must adhere.”

Link to entire Code of Teaching Responsibility

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Religious Accommodation Policy

Faculty must notify students about MSU’s religious observance policy:

  • Refer to policy in syllabi
  • Provide deadline for notifying instructors about any conflicts

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Might influence:

  • Dates of assignment deadlines/exams
  • Exam times of day

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Religious Observance Resources from the Office of the Provost (FAQ)

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Grief Absence Policy

Faculty must notify students about MSU’s grief absence policy:

  • Refer to policy in syllabi
  • Provide deadline for notifying instructors

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Grief Absence Policy examples from MSU courses & colleges

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Making your syllabus accessible

A Provost’s memo on “Digital Content Guidelines” (2019) specifies that:

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“Providing accessible digital content to our students helps us uphold our values of quality, inclusion, and connectivity”

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“The MSU Accessibility Review Committee (ARC) would like to encourage instructors to post digital content, including syllabi, in native creation formats like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint when possible, because these native files are more accessible”

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Making your syllabus accessible

In D2L, Spartan Ally is an easy to use tool that can audit all content for a11y and give guidance on how to remediate.

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PDFs are natively not accessible, and need to be processed through an OCR software to be readable by a screen reader. The MSU library, RCPD, or your unit can help.

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Accessibility links:

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Inclusive Syllabus Template

Link to resources and reflective prompts for inclusive syllabi

�Link to the CTLI’s inclusive and accessible syllabus template

  • You can copy and adapt for your course

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Highly Recommended (Policies)

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AI Guidelines

  • No university-wide policy
  • Educators have different needs and contexts
  • Sample AI statements:
    • Use Encouraged and Permitted
    • Use Required
    • Use Prohibited
  • CTLI’s Guide to incorporating Generative AI in your Syllabus

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Sample Statement: Encouraged and Permitted:

You are welcome to use generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Dall-e, etc.) in this class as doing so aligns with the course learning goal [insert the course learning goal use of AI aligns with]. You are responsible for the information you submit based on an AI query (for instance, that it does not violate intellectual property laws, or contain misinformation or unethical content). Your use of AI tools must be properly documented and cited in order to stay within university policies on academic integrity and the Spartan Code of Honor Academic Pledge. For example, [Insert citation style for your discipline.] Remember, AI is not likely to generate a response that would be seen as quality work and should be modified and improved.

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Suggested

(aka: Nice to Have)

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Suggested course-specific policies

You can organize the following into sections or create a separate “policies” document:

  • provide an accessibility statement, link to the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities
  • explain the technologies students will be required or asked to use (including online camera policy)
  • describe your communication preferences or instructions for scheduling office hour appointments
  • include other course- or college-relevant policies

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Suggested MSU policies

You can organize the following into sections or create a separate “policies” document:

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Consider Inclusion

and Flexibility

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CTLI Syllabus Playlist

“While what to include in your syllabus is flexible, we encourage educators to keep students’ needs in mind and think about how your syllabus can contribute to their learning [...] We encourage you to be flexible and empathic with students, and to act consistently and equitably.”

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Link to CTLI’s Syllabus Resources

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Flexibility and Inclusion: Why

  • Circumstances may require that we change our lesson plans (if possible) or modify our syllabus.​
  • A flexible syllabus is an asset for being able to respond to circumstances or make changes in the semester
  • Students have variable experiences navigating the institution (hidden curriculum)
  • Some students experience greater barriers to participation / success
  • One size does not fit all

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Flexibility and Inclusion: How

  • Communicate expectations and consequences
  • Try to avoid “no exceptions” policies
  • Build “buffers” into your course plan
    • Give students some agency within a scaffolded plan
    • Choices about which / how many of each assessment type
    • Formative and low-stakes assessments
    • Optional “dropped” items from grade categories
  • This does not need to reduce rigor!
    • Students still demonstrate learning, with greater engagement

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“Choose your own adventure”

Student choice within scaffolding

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Individual Prompt

What is one way you have tried building flexibility or inclusion into your syllabus?

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What is one suggestion you might try adding to a course?

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How students can interact with your syllabus

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Example: Annotated Syllabus Assignment

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Example: Small-Group Syllabus Review

Split class into small groups (3-5)

Break out learners into small groups - consider using tactics mix up folx who might know each other.

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Give time to share introductions, learning and life backgrounds, and some informal chat.

  • Warms up the learning space
  • Helps build student-student relationships
  • Sets the tone for group engagement

Assign segments of Syllabus

Break up components of the syllabus into as many segments as you have groups.

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Think this through in advance and print copies of each segment. It’s helpful for groups to have something they can write on.

  • Centers group on specific, manageable task
  • Increases familiarity with section of syllabus

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Groups discuss and synthesize segment

Ask each group to note their questions and highlights from their section.

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Actually writing these down/denoting them in some way is important (for you and them).

  • This is an opportunity for you to collect formative feedback on your course design & syllabus

Report out highlights

One representative from each group, in the order of the full syllabus from start to finish, share out their highlights and questions.

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If you had to assign multiple groups to a single section, let them each build upon the others’ reports.

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  • Sets the tone for participation and sharing
  • Gives other students “learner-perspective highlights”
  • You can fill in any gaps

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Tips for Getting Started

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Getting Started

If you are creating a new course or new to teaching at MSU:

  • Talk to your Dean or Associate Dean for Teaching about syllabus expectations
  • Ask colleagues to share syllabi from past versions of the course you're teaching or even adjacent courses
  • Learn about general and discipline-specific expectations within your department
  • Some colleges offer useful syllabus templates
  • Reach out to the CTLI for a consultation

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Getting Started: MSU Resources

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Recap

  • Think about your syllabus as a learning tool AND an agreement within your classroom community.
  • Some components are must-haves; others are nice-to-haves (try not to overwhelm!)
  • Consider inclusion and flexibility
  • MSU and departments / colleges have many resources available to help support you build your syllabus

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What questions do you have?

Ellie Louson

(book a consultation)

lousonel@msu.edu

Makena Neal

(book a consultation)

mneal@msu.edu

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Monday, Aug. 19

Instructor Jumpstart: Part 1 (10-11:30)

Setting the Tone from the Start (1-2)

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Tuesday, Aug. 20

Instructor Jumpstart: Part 2 (10-11:30)

Managing Overwhelm: Balance in

Stressful Times (12:30-1:30)

Introduction to Inclusive Pedagogy (2:30-4)

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Wednesday, Aug. 21

New Faculty & Academic Staff Orientation Info Fair

Understanding AI in Your Pedagogical Practice (2-3:30)

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Thursday, Aug. 22

Student-Centered Approach to Grading (10:30-11:30)

Advising/Tutoring Appointment Systems Training (11-12)

Creating a Student-Centered Course Hub: What, Why and

How of Learning Management Systems (2:30-3:30)

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Friday, Aug. 23

CTLI Open House (11-3)

Please stop by W206 in the Main Library to meet the team, explore our space, ask questions, and enjoy refreshments!

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For more information on these events, visit https://teachingcenter.msu.edu/important-dates

or scan the QR code below:

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Find even more resources for

MSU educators at iTeach.MSU.edu

Join Us for More Fall 2024

Semester Start-Up Events!

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Think, Pair, Share: Your AI Policy

1. Spend a few minutes looking over the decision trees and possible syllabi language.

2. Consider your course and its learning objectives. Does GenAI have a place in your course? If yes, in what ways? Will assignments need to be revised to include GenAI’s use or mitigation?

3. Pair up and discuss with a peer about how you plan to address GenAI in your course

Decision Trees:

Additional examples of GenAI Syllabi Language: