Syllabus Construction

Additional Info:
This book shows college instructors how to communicate their course organization to students in a graphic syllabus—a one-page diagram, flowchart, or concept map of the topical organization—and an outcomes map—a one-page flowchart of the sequence of student learning objectives and outcomes from the foundational through the mediating to the ultimate. It also documents the positive impact that graphics have on student learning and cautions readers about common errors in designing graphic syllabi. (From the Publisher)

Table Of Content:
About the Author
Preface
Acknowledgments

ch. 1 The Limits of a Text Syllabus
ch. 2 How and Why Graphics Enhance Learning
ch. 3 Designing a Graphic Syllabus
ch. 4 Charting an Outcomes Map
ch. 5 How Graphics Benefit Course Organization

Appendix A. More Model Graphic Syllabi for Inspiration
Appendix B. Computer Software for Graphic Syllabi and Outcomes Maps

Bibliography
Index

Additional Info:
From Indiana University: Learning outcomes are user-friendly statements that tell students what they will be able to do at the end of a period of time. They are measurable and quite often observable. Includes: Writing Effective Learning Outcomes; Sample Learning Outcomes; Using Learning Outcomes within Your Class; References

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An online journal publishing original syllabi, assessment instruments, assignments and activities, and articles related to college teaching. "A good syllabus is a piece of original scholarship; a great one is also an art form. A research or theory paper go through peer review process to be recognized and validated; the same process should be available to course materials. This is a small step towards taking college as seriously as we take research."

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Actual students weigh-in on what they like and dislike in how a syllabus is constructed.

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A two-page article by Ken Bains, briefly reviewing elements of a syllabus that can stimulate deeper and more enthusiastic student learning.

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Click Here for Book Review
Abstract: The World Religions Paradigm has been the subject of critique and controversy in Religious Studies for many years. After World Religions provides a rationale for overhauling the World Religions curriculum, as well as a roadmap for doing so. The volume offers concise and practical introductions to cutting-edge Religious Studies method and theory, introducing a wide range of pedagogical situations and innovative solutions. An international team of scholars addresses the challenges presented in their different departmental, institutional, and geographical contexts. Instructors developing syllabi will find supplementary reading lists and specific suggestions to help guide their teaching. Students at all levels will find the book an invaluable entry point into an area of ongoing scholarly debate. (From the Publisher)

Table Of Content:
Preface
List of Contributors
Forward: Before the 'After' in 'After World Religions': Wilfred Cantwell Smith on the Meaning and End of Religion (James L. Cox)

ch. 1 Introduction: The ‘World Religions’ Paradigm in Contemporary Religious Studies (Christopher R. Cotter & David G. Robertson)

Part I: Subservie Pedagogies: Data and Methods
ch. 2 The Problem of ‘Religions’: Teaching Against the Grain with ‘New Age Stuff” (Steven J. Sutcliffe)
ch. 3 Not a Task for Amateurs’: Graduate Instructors and Critical Theory in the World Religions Classroom (Tara Baldrick-Morrone, Michael Graziano and Brad Stoddard)
ch. 4 The Critical Embrace: Teaching the World Religion Paradigm as Data (Steven Ramey)

Part II: Alternative Pedagogies: Power and Politics
ch. 5 Religion as Ideology: Recycled Culture vs. World Religions (Craig Martin)
ch. 6 Doing Things with ‘Religion’: A Discursive Approach in Rethinking the World Religions Paradigm (Teemu Taira)
ch. 7 Looking Back on the End of Religion: Opening Re Marx (Paul-Francois Tremlett)
ch. 8 The Sacred Alternative (Suzanne Owen)

Part III: Innovative Pedagogies: Methods and Media
ch. 9 The Desjardins Diet for World Religions Paradigm Loss (Michel Desjardins)
ch. 10 Narrating the USA’s Religious Pluralism: Escaping World Religions through Media (David W. McConeghy)
ch. 11 Archaeology and the 'World Religions' Paradigm: The European Neolithic, Religion, and Cultural Imperialism (Carole M. Cusack)
ch. 12 Complex Learning and the World Religions Paradigm: Teaching Religion in a Shifting Subject Landscape (Dominic Corrywright)

Afterword: On Utility and Limits (Russell T. McCutcheon)
Notes
Bibliography
Index

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An attempt to create a large-scale online database of university course syllabi as a platform for new research, teaching, and administrative tools. The goal is to improve our understanding of teaching, publishing, and intellectual history on a wide range of fronts.

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How to extract "big picture" open-ended discussion questions (what Understanding by Design calls "Essential Questions") from one's stated learning goals, and to embed them into the syllabus and the course activities.

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We hold students accountable for academic integrity, but rarely offer acknowledgements in our own syllabi. Katherine D. Harris recommends that educators "Develop syllabus citations practices"; "Use Creative Commons licenses on syllabi"; and "Build an archive of remixable syllabi." Many linked examples and resources.

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When it was first published in 1997, The Course Syllabus became the gold standard reference for both new and experienced college faculty. Like the first edition, this book is based on a learner-centered approach. Because faculty members are now deeply committed to engaging students in learning, the syllabus has evolved into a useful, if lengthy, document. Today's syllabus provides details about course objectives, requirements and expectations, and also includes information about teaching philosophies, specific activities and the rationale for their use, and tools essential to student success. (From the Publisher)

Table Of Content:
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments

Part I Focus on Learning
Planning Your Learning-Centered Syllabus: An Overview of the Process
Composing a Learning-Centered Syllabus
Using a Learning-Centered Syllabus

Part II Examples
Checklist
Title Page
Table of Contents
Instructor Information
Letter to the Student
Purpose of the Coarse
Course Description
Course and Unit Objectives
Resources
Readings
Course Calendar
Course Requirements
Evaluation
Grading Procedures
How to Use the Syllabus
How to Study for this Course
Content Information
Learning Tools
Checklist

Part III Resources
Suggested Readings

References
Index

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Recommendations from the literature about what information might be included in your course syllabus – to communicate to one’s students what the course is about, why the course is taught, where it is going, and what will be required of them to succeed.

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Journal Issue.

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A 4 page annotated list of what should be included in a course syllabus, (according to the literature of learning in higher education) if a syllabus is to effectively communicate what the course is about, why the course is taught, where it is going, and what will be required. IDEA Paper no. 27, from the series developed by the Center for Faculty Evaluation and Development, Kansas State University.

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This web page from the University of Michigan offers suggestions on creating a syllabus “students will appreciate and respond positively to.” Included are ideas on setting learning goals, what to include in your syllabus, course policies and schedule/weekly calendar/assignments.

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An online “workshop” from Iowa State University that offers tips and suggestions on creating a learner-centered syllabus.

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This web page from Drexel University contains suggestions to help you development a learning-centered syllabus, as well as links to sample syllabi and additional readings.

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Chapter 3 of Florida State University’s Guide to Teaching & Learning Practices contains suggestions for creating a syllabus. Especially useful is the section with examples of writing policy and rule statements, and the sample syllabus.

Additional Info:
Chapter 3 of Florida State University’s Guide to Teaching & Learning Practices contains suggestions for creating a syllabus. Especially useful is the section with examples of writing policy and rule statements, and the sample syllabus.

Additional Info:
Chapter 3 of Florida State University’s Guide to Teaching & Learning Practices contains suggestions for creating a syllabus. Especially useful is the section with examples of writing policy and rule statements, and the sample syllabus.

Additional Info:
Chapter 3 of Florida State University’s Guide to Teaching & Learning Practices contains suggestions for creating a syllabus. Especially useful is the section with examples of writing policy and rule statements, and the sample syllabus.

Additional Info:
Chapter 3 of Florida State University’s Guide to Teaching & Learning Practices contains suggestions for creating a syllabus. Especially useful is the section with examples of writing policy and rule statements, and the sample syllabus.

Additional Info:
Chapter 3 of Florida State University’s Guide to Teaching & Learning Practices contains suggestions for creating a syllabus. Especially useful is the section with examples of writing policy and rule statements, and the sample syllabus.

Additional Info:
Chapter 3 of Florida State University’s Guide to Teaching & Learning Practices contains suggestions for creating a syllabus. Especially useful is the section with examples of writing policy and rule statements, and the sample syllabus.

Additional Info:
Chapter 3 of Florida State University’s Guide to Teaching & Learning Practices contains suggestions for creating a syllabus. Especially useful is the section with examples of writing policy and rule statements, and the sample syllabus.

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From Texas Tech University, this 8-page document provides general strategies and tips for developing a syllabus. Starting with an explanation of the goal and function of a syllabus, it then provides advice on each of the required and optional sections of a syllabus, and ends with a list of online and paper-based resources.

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Provides guidelines for the creation, distribution, and modification of syllabi at the University of Louisville, provided as a model for the creation of syllabi generally.

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A 40 page article covering basics of course construction and syllabus preparation, by The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning at Brown University.

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A learning-centered syllabus focuses on the needs of the students and their learning process. This post provides resources for creating the best syllabus for your course.

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Hampton University General Counsel Faye Hardy-Lucas, writing for the Center for Teaching Excellence, offers advice concerning the construction of legally sound syllabi. For example, "Insert disclaimers in your course syllabus regarding your right to modify the class schedule when necessary and your freedom to cover course topics as you wish.

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Click Here for Book Review
A thoughtfully constructed syllabus can be transformative for your students’ learning, communicating the path they can take to succeed.

This book demonstrates how, rather than being a mundane document to convey policies, you can construct your syllabus to be a motivating resource that conveys a clear sense of your course’s learning goals, how students can achieve those goals, and makes evident your teaching philosophy and why you have adopted the teaching strategies you will use, such as discussion or group activities.

Developing or revising a syllabus also presents you with a perfect opportunity to review the learning possibilities for the semester. Well-designed, it can help you stay focused on achieving the learning outcomes, as well as determine if the class is on track and whether adjustments to the schedule are needed.

The authors show how, by adopting a welcoming tone and clearly stating learning outcomes, your syllabus can engage students by explaining the relevance of your course to their studies, create an all-important positive first impression of you as an instructor, and guide students through the resources you will be using, the assignments ahead, as well as clear guidance on how they will be assessed. Referred to frequently as the course progresses, an effective syllabus will keep students engaged and on task.

Christine Harrington and Melissa Thomas lead you through all the elements of a syllabus to help you identify how to present key messages and information about your course, think through the impressions you want to create, and, equally importantly, suggest how you can use layout and elements such as images and charts to make your syllabus visually appealing and easy to navigate. (From the Publisher)

Table Of Content:
Foreword by Kathleen F. Gabriel

Series Preface by Todd Zakrajsek

Ch 1. History, Value, and Purpose of the Syllabus
Ch 2. Applying Course Design Principles to the Syllabus
Ch 3. Core Components
Ch 4. Policies and Resources
Ch 5. Design Considerations
Ch 6. Evaluating the Syllabus
Ch 7. Using the Syllabus

Appendix: Sample Syllabus

About the Authors

Index

Additional Info:
Lehigh University’s five-page template “captures some best practices in syllabus construction” and permits you to create your own best-practices syllabus.