The syllabus provides basic information about the course content, activities and assignments planned for the term, and information about how to contact the instructor. The syllabus establishes your expectations, policies, and procedures for the course. It identifies what will be taught and when it will be taught, what assignments and exams the students must complete, how assignments and exams are used to compute grades, your personal rules for handling attendance and participation in class, late assignments, missed exams, cheating and other forms of academic misconduct, and any other matters relevant to the conduct of your class.

A well-organized syllabus sends students the message that the instructor is organized, cares about student learning, and will create effective learning experiences. Faculty also benefit from a well-constructed syllabus. If students are given clear and explicit information about expectations for the course and the consequences of failing to adhere to your course procedures, faculty will be spared the problems with student grievances that can arise when faculty alter their courses mid-term to solve problems “on the fly” and appear arbitrary and capricious to students.

Once you have established your syllabus, you should avoid adding assignments or examinations or otherwise substantially change the elements of the course that are critical for determining student grades. Minor adjustments such as when discussion of assigned readings begins and ends or minor alterations of exam dates or assignment due dates can be made as needed. Some instructors will note that these dates are approximate if they anticipate the need for “wiggle room” on precise dates. Substantial changes should be made in writing as an addendum to the syllabus. An example of such substantive change in a syllabus is the revision syllabi required following the closing of the University for 3 weeks following Hurricane Ivan and the need to revise the semester calendar and adjust the remaining schedule of readings, assignments and exam dates.

The following elements are typically included in a well-documented syllabus:

Course Number and Course Title
Class Meeting Time and Location
Instructor Name(s)

Contact information for instructor(s)

Office Location Office Hours (University policy is that faculty office hours should be consistent with established departmental guidelines and referred to in faculty work assignments. Check with your department chair about policies and expectations within your department.) Telephone, E-mail address, Web site (especially for location of course-related materials)

List of required textbooks

Course description

This is usually the Catalog description, although some instructors will elaborate on a cryptic catalog description by providing their own list of course topics, perhaps under the heading “Purpose of Course” or “Course Topics.”

Student Learning Outcomes

Student Learning Outcomes should be written in active language, describing student behaviors or student work that could be directly measured. See the CUTLA web page for a useful list of action words that will assist you in writing measurable SLOs (http://uwf.edu/cutla/SLO/ActionWords.doc). Student Learning Outcomes should be meaningfully related to the role of the course in meeting some of the SLOs for the degree program. Program SLOs for degree programs are described in the Academic Learning Compact (ALC) for undergraduate programs and Academic Learning Plan (ALP) for graduate programs.

Statement of the University policy on academic conduct

The Student Code of Conduct sets forth the rules, regulations and expected behavior of students enrolled at the University of West Florida. Violations of any rules, regulations, or behavioral expectations may result in a charge of violating the Student Code of Conduct. It is the student’s responsibility to read the Student Code of Conduct and conduct themselves accordingly.  You may access the current Student Code of Conduct at http://www.uwf.edu/judicialaffairs. This site also houses the new Academic Misconduct Policy that went into effect on August 27, 2007.The University of Delaware has some useful suggestions for language that might be used to describe the university policy by different departments. http://www.udel.edu/judicialaffairs/syllabustats.html

Statement about assistance for students with special needs

Faculty should place the following statement on their syllabi for students who require academic accommodations: Students with a documented disability who require specific examination or course related academic accommodations should contact the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) by e-mail at sdrc@uwf.edu or by phone at (850) 474-2387.

Description of evaluation of student work in the course (exams and grading)

Describe the exams and assignments that will be required Describe how these will be evaluated and weighted to compute a final grade in the course Describe your policies for acceptance of late work; permission to make up a missed exam; procedures to request extensions of deadlines or arrange alternate exam dates when conflicts arise with official University functions (e.g., travel for athletes, debate team members, etc.).

Attendance policy

Expectations for classroom decorum/behavior

Schedule of required readings, assignments, exams, etc.

Provide a calendar of dates for exams and other assignments Identify your expectations for when readings will be discussed in class

Other useful syllabus elements:

Descriptions of specific projects or assignments required in the courseAdvice about successful study strategies and specific sources for help with this course (e.g., tutoring available through the department, on-line tutorials available through the textbook publisher, materials on reserve in the library, supplemental materials in the D2L system, etc.)Information about the Writing Lab for courses with large demands on written work. Expectations about the preferred editorial style to use (e.g., APA style, MLA, Chicago Manual of Style, Turabain) if students are expected to use a specific style for written assignments in your course. University deadlines for withdrawal with an automatic W (important for courses that students find especially demanding) – also useful to make sure that you have provided students with meaningful evaluation of their work (an exam or assignment) before this deadline passes so they have objective data on which to make a decision to stay or drop. Handouts that describe the requirements for specific assignments and projects can be effectively embedded in the syllabus. These lengthen the syllabus but they will save you from having to keep track of multiple assignment handouts associated with your course. Grading rubrics for assignments. If you have a clear rubric that describes your expectations and criteria for superior, average, and acceptable work, providing students with this rubric when the assignment is made can enhance the clarity of the assignment instructions and can greatly improve the quality of student work.   Updated 1/15/08