Refresh and revise your syllabus for Spring semester!

[jamiepopeauthor]

The wrap up of fall semester and plans for spring semester often begins with an update of your course syllabus.   A few years ago I attended a workshop in which we examined and revised our syllabi with some best practices in mind.   Beyond changing dates and logistics, read your syllabi with a student lens.   The syllabi serves a contract between instructor and student, not only expectations for students performance and engagement, but what students can expect to learn and the pathway to achieve the overall learning goals for the course.   

As most syllabi are now posted rather than printed, consider where you can include links to course and supplementary resources.   The past semesters I have recorded a video with screen share of the syllabus that I posted along with the document itself to highlight and review content pertinent to student success - and what they can expect from me.   This works well for online and face-to-face courses and supplements the briefer overview when orienting your class to the course.   It is also useful for students who may join the course after the first meeting or two.   I urge students to view as it helps provide a vision for the course and minimizes surprises ("I didn't know I was expected to do that...")

My department provided a syllabi template with content related to accommodations, honor code, and other policies and processes.   I incorporated policies for late work, expectations on attendance, and the like.   I'd be happy to share a copy of my syllabi (not that mine is the model) as designed for face-to-face classes and when taught online - just email me at jamie.pope@vanderbilt.edu.   

Here's a link to Vanderbilt's Center for Teaching helpful and informative guide to syllabus design https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/syllabus-design/