Creating a Syllabus

A syllabus provides students with a road map to your course. It describes the course content, calendar, assignments, and required readings, as well as the knowledge and skills you expect the students to acquire, and where they can turn for assistance.

Note that a syllabus is increasingly regarded, by students and the courts, as a binding contract.

Your syllabus should contain:

1. The course name and number, as well as the semester and year.

2. Your contact information: Your name, email address, campus telephone number, office address, and your office hours.

3. The course description, including the course objectives or learning outcomes: that is, the knowledge you expect the students to acquire and the skills they will develop.

4. The URL to the course website or to supplementary materials available online.

5. Course policies regarding attendance, participation in discussion, late papers, missed tests, and academic dishonesty. You should also include a statement on accommodations for students with disabilities or for students who require an accommodation for religious or other reasons.

6.. Grading criteria, including the weight that you attach to each assignment, as well as a statement about your policy on make-up exams, incompletes, and withdrawal from the class

7. Required and recommended reading, as well as any other required supplies, such as the brand and model number of a calculator or lab supplies.

8. A list of course requirements, including papers, projects, lab reports, quizzes, and exams.

9. A course calendar that specifies due dates for papers, projects, or lab reports, and dates of quizzes and exams.

In addition, your syllabus might include:

• A guide to student support services, including the Office of Disability Services, tutoring services, and the writing center.
• Advice on taking notes and writing papers or lab reports.
• Study questions.