Five Elements that Need to be in Your Syllabus
Here is a bonus blog post: as we get ready to start the new semester, it is a good time to double-check that these five elements are in your syllabus. These will help ensure students start strong in your course, with a clear understanding of what they will be learning, what will be expected of them, and what they can expect from you, including ways to find other resources for help.
1. Are your course objectives or outcomes written in clear language that students can understand?
Would a student reading your objectives (who may have no experience with the terms and ideas from this class) be able to read your objectives and state precisely what they are expected to learn? This seems obvious, but it is difficult to design a map of how to get from point A to point B as a student when we don't know the location, description, or features (what the performance looks like) of point B. Ideally the objective also gives some indication of what level of performance on that task will be expected, along with tools or other aids students will be using to achieve that performance. These elements are part of a larger discussion of measurable objectives as they relate to assessment (a discussion that will be its own post later on), and I only mention them here to show that students need to see the end goal or model that they are aiming to achieve. For now, make sure your students would be able to explain in their own words what they are going to learn and do in this course.
2. Does a student understand not just how to reach you but what to expect for the timing of responses?
Just about everyone has office hours and email or phone contact information on their syllabi (it is often institutionally required). What sometimes gets lost in the rush of the start of the semester is letting students know a timetable for your response. When can they expect to hear back from you if they email with a question? Generally speaking, how long will it take for assignments to be graded?
This isn't to say you have to set unrealistic expectations on yourself to turn around emails and grades within a day. But letting students know you will try to respond within one day, or that over weekends it may be two days, is important information. Likewise, telling students you will try to grade assignments within a week, or ten days, or whatever is appropriate to the course design is critical. It does not have to put an undue burden on you; we're all busy professionals. But imagine the student sitting there on the other side of the table (or the computer) who is wondering about their grade or how to do something--we've all been there, and knowing when we can reasonably expect a response helps us to understand if we're simply being impatient or if the email may have been lost in the inbox and it wouldn't hurt to send another reminder. We are all aware of how stressful grades can be, and can understand the worry over whether an assignment was submitted correctly.
Along with this, you'll want to stress (repeatedly) that they need to sign their emails with their full name and include their student number or the course information so that you know who they are and what class they are talking about in their email.
3. Have you explained all the technology or pre-requisite skills/courses that are required for this course?
This is an easy one to overlook or assume students are aware of something when in reality they may not be. And it is absolutely critical for anyone who teaches online courses.
You will want to let students know all the technology/equipment they need to complete the course. Do not overlook including "obvious" things like maintaining their computer or internet connection (or alternative places to access these resources like a computer lab, Barnes and Noble/Starbucks store, or loaner equipment through the university library). If they have to view videos or audio-visual content, be sure to include speakers/headphones in the list, and if you expect them to participate in online chat or post videos list a webcam or camera-enabled smart phone as required equipment.
Definitely be sure to list ALL the software that will be needed in the course--from Adobe .pdf readers (and how to download them free on the web) to the text software or other Office/iWork suite formats you will accept (.doc, .docx, .rtf, .txt, .pdf, .pages?). Increasingly campuses are offering students annual subscriptions to Office 365, and by including the link to instructions for this resources you might be helping students save $100-$200.
Likewise, you will want to include pre-requisite skills students need to complete the course. These can be general or common skills like navigation of the internet or creating and manipulating .pdf files, or they might be specific to your program and discipline (like using ArcGIS to produce data maps). By listing them, students can get help through other campus resources or tutoring to ensure they are prepared rather than finding out halfway through a semester that they need equipment or proficiency in a skill that they do not actually have yet.
4. Did you include links or contact information to additional resources for help on campus?
Best practices (especially for online students, but it benefits everyone) indicates that including how to access campus help resources in the syllabus or in a related section of content in your LMS is beneficial to students. Students may not otherwise have this information all in one place for quick reference, depending on how your campus provides student support. Including links to tutoring and academic resources, the library, technical support, campus counseling and victim/suicide prevention assistance, campus police, student health services, the registrar, and financial aid are a few of the most common resources that can assist students in getting help in a timely manner. Students do not always know the office they need to go for specific issues, especially first-generation students who cannot rely on asking parents or peers--no one in their existing supporting network may know the answer.
You might consider including something as basic as assistance with shelter and food beyond campus housing, like a local domestic abuse helpline or the campus/community food bank. Students are often in very precarious situations beyond their control, with limited money or resources to find their way to existing support structures, and if these small road signs encourage them to ask for help or seek help, then it's well worth the time and effort.
5. Did you include the accessibility statement and privacy statements for all the external software/websites you require students to use?
Yes, we need to think about the external social media, websites, and educational resources that we require students to use--and how those sites respect and protect student identities and student data. Not only should we be aware of students who may be facing harassment or be dealing with stalking when we require students to use Facebook, Twitter, or another public social media account in our courses (accounts they may have protected or closed because of these issues), we have to think about how the textbook companies with their new adaptive learning platforms are storing and using student work and student data. User data is the real economic boon for all of these companies, and we should be aware of the company policies before we require anyone to use them. This means you will have to do some digging on the company site before you assign it in a course, but it is well worth reading the EULA (End User License Agreement) and privacy policy to be sure we are doing all that we can to protect our students.
This applies equally to ensuring everything from the LMS itself to the McGraw Hill add-on and Twitter images we may opt to use have universal accessibility included in their design. Students using screen-readers, those requiring alt-text for images and closed-captioning for audio-visual equipment, or any other accommodation should be able to access course materials and content in equivalent formats. Your campus's accessibility office and technology office can help you check on these things prior to the start of the semester.
Good luck with the start of the new school year!
1. Are your course objectives or outcomes written in clear language that students can understand?
Would a student reading your objectives (who may have no experience with the terms and ideas from this class) be able to read your objectives and state precisely what they are expected to learn? This seems obvious, but it is difficult to design a map of how to get from point A to point B as a student when we don't know the location, description, or features (what the performance looks like) of point B. Ideally the objective also gives some indication of what level of performance on that task will be expected, along with tools or other aids students will be using to achieve that performance. These elements are part of a larger discussion of measurable objectives as they relate to assessment (a discussion that will be its own post later on), and I only mention them here to show that students need to see the end goal or model that they are aiming to achieve. For now, make sure your students would be able to explain in their own words what they are going to learn and do in this course.
2. Does a student understand not just how to reach you but what to expect for the timing of responses?
Just about everyone has office hours and email or phone contact information on their syllabi (it is often institutionally required). What sometimes gets lost in the rush of the start of the semester is letting students know a timetable for your response. When can they expect to hear back from you if they email with a question? Generally speaking, how long will it take for assignments to be graded?
This isn't to say you have to set unrealistic expectations on yourself to turn around emails and grades within a day. But letting students know you will try to respond within one day, or that over weekends it may be two days, is important information. Likewise, telling students you will try to grade assignments within a week, or ten days, or whatever is appropriate to the course design is critical. It does not have to put an undue burden on you; we're all busy professionals. But imagine the student sitting there on the other side of the table (or the computer) who is wondering about their grade or how to do something--we've all been there, and knowing when we can reasonably expect a response helps us to understand if we're simply being impatient or if the email may have been lost in the inbox and it wouldn't hurt to send another reminder. We are all aware of how stressful grades can be, and can understand the worry over whether an assignment was submitted correctly.
Along with this, you'll want to stress (repeatedly) that they need to sign their emails with their full name and include their student number or the course information so that you know who they are and what class they are talking about in their email.
3. Have you explained all the technology or pre-requisite skills/courses that are required for this course?
This is an easy one to overlook or assume students are aware of something when in reality they may not be. And it is absolutely critical for anyone who teaches online courses.
You will want to let students know all the technology/equipment they need to complete the course. Do not overlook including "obvious" things like maintaining their computer or internet connection (or alternative places to access these resources like a computer lab, Barnes and Noble/Starbucks store, or loaner equipment through the university library). If they have to view videos or audio-visual content, be sure to include speakers/headphones in the list, and if you expect them to participate in online chat or post videos list a webcam or camera-enabled smart phone as required equipment.
Definitely be sure to list ALL the software that will be needed in the course--from Adobe .pdf readers (and how to download them free on the web) to the text software or other Office/iWork suite formats you will accept (.doc, .docx, .rtf, .txt, .pdf, .pages?). Increasingly campuses are offering students annual subscriptions to Office 365, and by including the link to instructions for this resources you might be helping students save $100-$200.
Likewise, you will want to include pre-requisite skills students need to complete the course. These can be general or common skills like navigation of the internet or creating and manipulating .pdf files, or they might be specific to your program and discipline (like using ArcGIS to produce data maps). By listing them, students can get help through other campus resources or tutoring to ensure they are prepared rather than finding out halfway through a semester that they need equipment or proficiency in a skill that they do not actually have yet.
4. Did you include links or contact information to additional resources for help on campus?
Best practices (especially for online students, but it benefits everyone) indicates that including how to access campus help resources in the syllabus or in a related section of content in your LMS is beneficial to students. Students may not otherwise have this information all in one place for quick reference, depending on how your campus provides student support. Including links to tutoring and academic resources, the library, technical support, campus counseling and victim/suicide prevention assistance, campus police, student health services, the registrar, and financial aid are a few of the most common resources that can assist students in getting help in a timely manner. Students do not always know the office they need to go for specific issues, especially first-generation students who cannot rely on asking parents or peers--no one in their existing supporting network may know the answer.
You might consider including something as basic as assistance with shelter and food beyond campus housing, like a local domestic abuse helpline or the campus/community food bank. Students are often in very precarious situations beyond their control, with limited money or resources to find their way to existing support structures, and if these small road signs encourage them to ask for help or seek help, then it's well worth the time and effort.
5. Did you include the accessibility statement and privacy statements for all the external software/websites you require students to use?
Yes, we need to think about the external social media, websites, and educational resources that we require students to use--and how those sites respect and protect student identities and student data. Not only should we be aware of students who may be facing harassment or be dealing with stalking when we require students to use Facebook, Twitter, or another public social media account in our courses (accounts they may have protected or closed because of these issues), we have to think about how the textbook companies with their new adaptive learning platforms are storing and using student work and student data. User data is the real economic boon for all of these companies, and we should be aware of the company policies before we require anyone to use them. This means you will have to do some digging on the company site before you assign it in a course, but it is well worth reading the EULA (End User License Agreement) and privacy policy to be sure we are doing all that we can to protect our students.
This applies equally to ensuring everything from the LMS itself to the McGraw Hill add-on and Twitter images we may opt to use have universal accessibility included in their design. Students using screen-readers, those requiring alt-text for images and closed-captioning for audio-visual equipment, or any other accommodation should be able to access course materials and content in equivalent formats. Your campus's accessibility office and technology office can help you check on these things prior to the start of the semester.
Good luck with the start of the new school year!
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