Look forward

Look backwardToday’s topic:

CommunicatingThe course

Activity: Review your present

Syllabus with a Checklist

Activity: Checklist for finalTeaching portfolio Activity:

Plan for what needsTo be done over

The next three months

Activity: With a partner,

Brainstorm alternativeMethods of communication

Re-Presenting Your Course

Syllabus, Calendar, Text, Materials

Course Redesign

Course redesign is the process of restructuring the way the content of a course is delivered. It generally involves the redesign of an entire course (rather than individual classes or sections) to achieve better learning outcomes.

5 Principles of Course Redesign

Principle #1: Redesign the whole course. Principle #2: Encourage active learning. Principle #3: Provide students with

individualized assistance. Principle #4: Build in ongoing assessment

and prompt (automated) feedback. Principle #5: Ensure sufficient time on task

and monitor student progress.

Essential Elements

Goals, Objectives, Outcomes Activities Feedback Assessment Materials (Reading, Viewing,

Interacting, Experimenting)

Communication with Students

Verbal Syllabus Web site

Three strong beliefs associated with a course syllabus

The syllabus is the key tangible evidence of planning from instructor to the world.

The planning manifested through the syllabus can reduce, before a class even meets, about half the work for teaching a course.

The syllabus serves as a communication device and contract to shift the responsibility for learning to the student.

Performance Instruction: Planning, Delivering, Evaluating, by Daniel E. Vogler, 1991.

Purposes of the Syllabus

Offer students a clear and concise statement of what your course is about;

Tell them how you are going to teach the material to them and why;

Provide all the logistical information they need to engage you and the course materials easily;

Explain to them exactly what is required of them, when and why;

Lay out for them the essential elements of the social contract that you and they are entering into.

Motivation:  a warm tone and inclusive, accessible writing motivate students to engage with the course; positive presuppositions expressed about students facilitates in them a positive self-fulfilling prophecy.

3 Functions of Syllabi

Slattery, J. M. and Carlson, J. F.(2005).Preparing an effective

syllabus: current best practices. College Teaching, 53, pp. 159-165. http://www.ctl.csus.edu/EffectiveSyllabi.html

Structure: a clear map of topics and related assignments and due dates facilitates proper student planning. Writing a clear syllabus helps us, as faculty, grasp the plan and purpose of the course deeply.

3 Functions of Syllabi

Evidence: in case of disputes regarding the course, the syllabus is often used by administrators or mediators to resolve them; in tenure and promotion cycles, syllabi are important documents as evidence of currency, innovation and mastery of course material; students need well-designed syllabi to facilitate transfer of credits between departments or institutions.

3 Functions of Syllabi

How Blackboard Influences Communication

http://blackboard.uc.edu

Essential Elements of a Syllabus

Course Name Instructor Contact Information Class Meeting Days, Times, and Locations as

appropriate Course Overview/Introduction Course Motivational statement Course Goals Student Performance Objectives Course alignment Content outline Course schedule

Essential Elements of a Syllabus

Text(s) and Readings Student Performance Assessments

Project/Papers/Products Tests/Examinations

Basic Classroom Management Policies Attendance/Tardy Policy Late Submissions

Other responsibilities (lab work, field work etc.) Grading "Academic dishonesty" statement

The syllabus as a legal document

http://www.hamptonu.edu/administration/provost/cte/whitepapers/legally_sound.htm

Design issues

Font White space Graphics

Samples of Syllabi from Carnegie Mellon

http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/syllabus/samples-creative/index.html