Syllabus Redesign FTLA 2013

A learning centered syllabus requires that you shift from what you, The instructor, are going to cover in your course to a concern for what information and tools can provide for your students to promote learning and intellectual development (Diamond, p. xi).

Learning-Centered Syllabus

Define students responsibilities; Define instructors role and responsibilities to students; Provide clear statement of intended goals and student outcomes; Establish standards and procedures for evaluation;

Acquaint students with course logistics; Establish a pattern of communication between instructor and students; Include difficult to obtain materials such as reading, complex charts, and graphs.
(Diamond, p. ix)

Learning-Centered Syllabus

Personal data (name, office number, email address, section number and office hours) Name of your Campus Year Semester Course title, number, credits Time, Dates & Location List Important Campus dates (drop dates, registration dates, etc.) State the Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) Philosophy Statement Purpose of the course Prerequisites to the course Course Objectives Textbooks & Readings

Syllabus Checklist

Course Descriptions:

Tools for Teaching by B. G. Davis (1993)

Classroom Policy (attendance, late assignments, make-ups, extra credit, deadlines, reporting absence, behavior, cell phones, eating, students responsibilities in the learning process) Evaluations Feedback Plagiarism Policy DSPS Grade policy Description of Assignments that include due dates How to succeed in this course: Tools for study and learning Estimate student word load Supplementary Information (e.g. glossary of terms and jargons, hints about how to study and take notes, info about campus resources, such as tutoring, study skills help, or computer labs, copies of past exams if possible, a reference list of more in-depth readings, advanced topics, or remedial refreshers)

Syllabus Checklist

Guided Freewrite
Think back over your teaching career. Describe one of your best teaching experiences. Describe your ideal student in terms of what he/she has learned from your class.

Philosophy Statement

What do you believe about teaching? What do you believe about learning? Why? How is that played out in your classroom? How does student identity and background make a difference in how you teach? What do you still struggle with in terms of teaching and student learning? Reflecting on what you don't like can give you insights about what you do like The first rule of thumb is "to focus not so much on what courses you've taught, but on how it is you go about teaching," he says. "Don't make the mistake of recapitulating what's already in your CV."

Guided Questions Teaching Philosophy

Ground Your Teaching Philosophy in Your Discipline

Go to Canvas Work with the Assigned Individual to work on your Teaching Philosophy You have 20 minutes! Share out

PAIR SHARE

Syllabus Samples: http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/creativ e-approaches-to-the-syllabus/35 . Retrieved on January 13, 2012 Learning-Centered Syllabus Workshop: http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/syllabi. html. Retrieved on January 13, 2012 Davis, B. G. (1993). Tools for Teaching, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Diamond, R. M. (1997). "Forward" in Grunert, J., The Course Syllabus, Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company, Inc

Resources