1	Designing & Improving Your Syllabus: Linking to Learning Lynn Santelmann, Ph.D. Applied Linguistics Focus on Faculty, September 19, 2007
2	Outline of Talk Functions of the Syllabus Elements of a Syllabus Relating your syllabus to teaching Using your syllabus to improve teaching and learning
3	Functions of the syllabus What are some functions of the syllabus?
4	Functions of the syllabus Course planning Describes required materials Describes schedule of events Point of contact between instructor and students Lays out logistics for contact Sets tone for course Contract between students and instructor Establishes expectations Establishes responsibilities
5	Functions of the syllabus Explains available resources Books, library or other campus resources Electronic resources (e.g., Web resources) Resources for students with disabilities Puts course in a larger contexts Communicates your approach to the course Places course in university/department context Tool for reflection on your courses
6	Activity: What’s on your syllabus? Take a look at your syllabus (or my novice syllabus if you don’t have one of your own) What information do you include? What is their function? Do you see any functions “missing”?
7	Elements of a syllabus Basic course information Course name/number, credits Course meeting times/locations Contact information - phone, office, e-mail Office hours for professor (and TAs) Textbooks/Readings to be used Other resources used (e.g., online) Course prerequisites Course description (detailed)
8	Elements of a syllabus Content and Assignments Course Objectives Student Learning Outcomes Description of Assignments Weighting of Assignments Evaluation and Grading Criteria
9	Elements of a syllabus Schedule of Readings and Assignments Make sure you add ‘tentative’ or ‘subject to change’ Policies and Administrative Details Late assignments Student conduct (classroom behavior & plagiarism) Important Dates - drop/add, due dates, exams Statement for students with disabilities Other information specific to your course
10	Sample Participation Policy Participation During the quarter, you will be regularly asked to contribute to the group as a whole. In addition, you will be asked to participate in small group problem-solving or discussions. These activities are important for your learning of the material, so participation and attendance are critical. In addition, these activities will require you to come to class prepared. I monitor participation and note who appears to be prepared or not. Participation will be graded on: a. Regular attendance b. Being prepared you are for the class c. Appropriate contributions to both small and large group discussion, d. Ability to respond appropriately to classmates' questions, comments and discussion. Appropriate contributions includes: a. monitoring the tone and the amount of your own speech b. allowing others a chance to speak and facilitating others' contributions c. plus other definitions we may develop as a class throughout the quarter.
11	Sample Participation Grading Regular attendance and appropriate contribution to only small groups will earn a "C". Regular attendance and appropriate contribution to both large and small groups will earn a "B". To earn a "B" aim for one contribution per large group discussion. Superior participation in both large and small groups will earn an "A". More participation does not guarantee an "A". "A" participation includes monitoring your own and facilitating others' discussion. Irregular attendance and/or failure to participate in discussions will earn a "D" or lower. Consistent inappropriate contributions will be penalized by one letter grade or more. I will inform you in private if I think your contributions are inappropriate before lowering your grade.
12	Sample Late Policy Policy on Late Assignments If you are seriously ill or have a family emergency, you must notify me as soon as you know there might be a problem with meeting a deadline. My voice mail and e-mail both work 24 hours a day, so you can call or send a message at any time. If I know 48 hours ahead of time that you need to be late with an assignment, I can try to be flexible. I will be less flexible after the fact, and apply my late policy strictly (see below). If you miss a deadline due to an emergency, I will need a written confirmation (on letterhead) of what the problem was. The on-line quizzes will only be available for a short period of time (about 3 days). You must take the on-line quiz during this time. No make-ups will be possible, except in cases of emergency as described above. Late exams/papers will be penalized a letter grade per day (i.e. B to B-). Exams or papers more than 4 days late will not be accepted. NOTE: WEEKENDS COUNT AS 2 DAYS. Thus, if an exam is due on Friday and you turn it in on Monday, that essay is 2 days late!
13	Sample Student Disability Statements Sample syllabus statements for students with disabilities: "If you have a disability and are in need of academic accommodations, please notify me (the instructor) immediately to arrange needed supports." "If you are a student with a documented disability and registered with the Disability Resource Center, please contact me (the instructor) immediately to facilitate arranging academic accommodations.“ Disability Resource Center Faculty Resources: http://www.pdx.edu/uasc/drc_faculty_resources.html
14	Relating your syllabus to teaching Course Planning & Design Course Objectives vs. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment & Grading Criteria
15	Course planning & design Develop a rationale for the course Decide what knowledge, skills or ideas students should take from the course Choose limited course content Determine how students will be actively involved in their learning Identify resources, readings Develop a schedule
16	Course planning: Resources Prior syllabi in the department, your experience On-line syllabi from other institutions (e.g., World Lecture Hall, Google) Textbooks
17	Course objectives & student learning outcomes What are Course Objectives? What the instructor wants to achieve Sample: “To become familiar with the major theories of language development and some of the major debates in field”
18	Problems with many course objectives Tend to be teacher-focused Tend to be abstract: How do you know whether students have achieved the course objectives? How do your students know whether they have achieved these objectives?
19	Student learning outcomes What’s the difference between course objectives and student learning outcomes? Student learning outcomes = operationalized course objectives Student learning outcomes can be measured
20	How to create student learning outcomes? Course planning What knowledge or skills will students demonstrate after taking this course? How will I assess this knowledge? Taxonomies of learning, e.g., Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive of Cognitive Levels Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc.
21	Bloom’s Taxonomy Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation
22	Bloom’s Taxonomy: Key verbs Knowledge define, identify, list, label, match, name, state, write Comprehension describe, explain, give examples, illustrate, paraphrase, summarize Application apply, compute, construct, demonstrate, solve, use Analysis analyze, categorize, compare, contrast, separate Synthesize create, design, develop, hypothesize, plans, invent Evaluate argue, critique, evaluate, judge, justify, rank, recommend
23	Student learning outcomes Course objective: “To become familiar with the major theories of language development and some of the major debates in field.” Related student learning outcomes: Describe the underlying assumptions and aims of 3 current theories of child language acquisition. (Comprehension) Compare and contrast different theories of child language acquisition. (Analysis)
24	Activity: Create your own outcomes 5 minutes Take one of your course objectives, and create one or two student learning outcomes for that objective. Keep in mind what student will have to demonstrate to show that they have achieved it (see verbs on handout)
25	Using syllabus to improve your course Relating content to objectives & outcomes Planning course for variety of learning styles, activities
26	Improving your course: Linking outcomes to content delivery
27	Improving your course What activities encourage active learning? How do my activities fit with different learning styles? How do my activities and my course structure fit with my educational/course philosophy?
28	Improving your course: Linking outcomes to assessment
29	Improving your course: Adding grading criteria Grading Criteria: Explicit guidelines telling students how their work will be evaluated Adding grading criteria to the syllabus helps: Links assessment to learning outcomes Clarify assignments for you and students Focus instruction and class time on what you consider important
30	Resistance to adding grading criteria to a syllabus My students complete qualitative work, I can’t come up with a specific criteria What do they want, me to spoonfeed the students? I shouldn’t have to tell my students how they’re being graded. I know an “A” paper when I see one That will just foster “teaching to the test”
31	Why I added grading criteria Student evaluations consistently rated “grading criteria clearly defined” lower than other aspects of my teaching. Dissatisfaction with grades I was giving. “Why is this a B paper?”
32	Sample Grading Criteria
33	Sample Grading Criteria Homework assignments and exam questions involving problems will be graded on a point scale. An A or A- will fall between 91-100% of the points, a B+, B, or B- will fall between 90-81% of the points, a C, C+, or C- will fall between 80% and 71% . Note: Students in 511 must receive 83% or better to satisfy the syntax requirement for the MA degree. For homework and exams that require problem solving, points are assigned according to the following criteria: 1. Difficulty of problem (more difficult problems will be worth more points) 2. Demonstrating all steps involved in the problem solving process. 3. Accuracy of answers for each step. 4. Accuracy of final answer.
34	What I discovered by adding grading criteria I can more accurately identify what's 'missing' from papers or what's 'good' I uncovered several implicit criteria, e.g., discussing and comparing theories We spent little or no classroom time discussing or comparing theories Student work improved
35	Improving your syllabus and your course Your syllabus is a living document: A tool for reflecting on your teaching and revising your course Should be constantly changing Doesn’t need to change overnight – you can implement changes as you’re able
36	Summary A syllabus is more than a ‘contract’ or list of expectations and assignments Clear expectations, criteria and plans improve the course for students & instructor A syllabus is a tool for course planning, implementation and assessment Linking syllabus to specific student learning outcomes and grading criteria can improve your course
37	Selected web sites and resources Resources for Planning, Teaching & Assessing your Teaching, Center for Academic Excellence, Portland State University http://www.pdx.edu/cae/teaching_learning_resources.html Learning-Centered Syllabi Workshop, Center for Excellence in Learning & Teaching, University of Iowa http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/syllabi.html Syllabus/Course Design, Center for Excellence in Teaching, USC http://www.usc.edu/programs/cet/resources/creating_syllabi/ Designing a Learning-Centered Syllabus, Center for Teaching Effectiveness, University of Delaware http://cte.udel.edu/syllabus.htm Creating a Syllabus for the Learner-Centered Classroom, Teaching Effectiveness Program, University of Oregon http://tep.uoregon.edu/workshops/teachertraining/learnercentered/syllabus/syllabus.html Community Based Learning Course Syllabus Design, Center for Academic Excellence, Portland State University http://www.pdx.edu/cae/syllabi.html World Lecture Hall, University of Texas at Austin http://web.austin.utexas.edu/wlh/