Now that you have planned out your course, it is time to create your syllabus.

The syllabus is often the first impression students get of your course. A student-centered and learning-centered syllabus can foster excitement and curiosity about your course while preparing students to successfully meet expectations. The process of writing a syllabus can be reflective; one that invites the instructor to consider what the course is about, why the course is taught, where it is going, and how the course prepares students for future academic or career endeavors.

An effective course syllabus accomplishes several important tasks. It:

communicates what, when, and how students will learn
clarifies for students what they need to do in order to be successful
explicitly conveys student and instructor responsibilities
avoids misunderstandings about course policies.

Motivate!

Your syllabus communicates the purpose of the class, the why of the class, and for students, understanding the purpose is essential for motivation. They need to know what information and what skills and confidence they will get from the course. Emphasize the learning outcomes and the future usefulness of the course. Explain briefly the rationale (such as the testing affect) behind each assessment you assign, especially formative assessments that students might view as “busy work.”

Syllabus Template

CETL has created a template syllabus that includes the required university language as well as suggested language for other important syllabus features.

The template has all the sections required by the Faculty Handbook and others frequently included on syllabi with sample language for each section. Even if you do not want to use the template document itself, you are welcome to copy and use the sample language. Throughout the document you will see bracketed and highlighted notes. They are for your information and should be removed prior to providing the syllabus to students. Be sure to review and revise all the sections or you might find yourself committing to policies you didn’t intend to.

The syllabus document is accessible to screen readers. Therefore, we do not recommend changing heading levels, though you can change the font and font size.

Where Are "You"?

An important caveat to using a syllabus template is that it is designed to sound generic. You must intentionally add "you" to the syllabus to make it your own and give students a sense that this is a unique course with a human teaching it. There are numerous places in the template where you need to add your own information; take full advantage of them to add your own personality to the template. Also, while we suggest language at many points, you can change it to reflect your own style.

Updates

The syllabus template and the information provided on this page and the Student Resources page, which can be found in our course template on the Canvas Commons, will be updated just the week before Fall and Winter semesters and at other times if necessary. Filter by "template" and "Saginaw Valley State University" on Commons to find the Student Resources page. If you notice any mistakes or outdated information, please let us know!

Parts of a Syllabus

Whether you see your syllabus as a "contract" or not, it is a type of agreement between the instructor and student as it sets forth what students can expect to happen during the semester, as well as what they need to do to be successful. The components of an effective syllabus can be broken into 3 sections:

General Course Information

Basic course information (course by number, section, title, semester, meeting times, days, place, format)
Instructor information (name, title, rank, office location, office phone number, e-mail)
Description of the course content
Course student learning outcomes
Required materials (and if they need to be purchased or if they will be provided)
Pre- and co-requisites (including required skills)

Course Policies

Course schedule, including dates
Grading policy
Late assignment policy
Communications policy including netiquette expectations
Attendance policy (for synchronous learning)
Accommodation Policy (SVSU Accessibility Resources)

Policies should be considered very carefully. Many traditionally rigid policies about attendance and late work, for example, have been criticized for making college success more difficult for the students who are most at risk already. Too much flexibility, however, can lead to students falling too far behind to catch up. We'll go into policies in more detail on the next page.

NOTE: Granting accommodations for which a student has an official letter from the Office of Accessibility Resources and Accommodations is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal laws.

The Less Tangible: Setting Expectations and Cultivating a Sense of Belonging

Setting high but reasonable expectations for students and communicating your belief that everyone can succeed encourages students by answering questions they have but do not express: "do I belong here (in this class, in this field, in college)?" "can I succeed in this class?"

Normalizing learning from failure and using support services, and promoting the idea that everyone can learn even if they don't feel naturally "good at" the subject can also make students feel they belong in the class.

Support for Success

While the items in this section are not necessarily required, they can help students become more effective learners. Our Student Success Academy found that one gap in our student support is knowledge about support services. Students are told about the services in their first year, but not regularly after that. Therefore, including the most relevant and in-demand university supports is useful in all syllabi, not just those for general education or first-year students. Parts of this section could include:

Description of course organization
Instructor Philosophy on teaching and/or the discipline
Relationship of the course to students' future academic/career aspirations
Estimate of student workload
Tips and tricks for studying and taking notes.
Links to university and course-specific resources such as writing center, tutoring center, mental health services, and the food bank. The Gerstacker Learning Commons has provided some sample syllabus language for their services.
Statement of Diversity and Inclusivity (Examples from Brown University)

CETL has created a template syllabus that includes the required university language as well as suggested language for other important syllabus features. You can find more information on this page.

Further Resources

"A Motivational Syllabus," episode 61 of the Tea for Teaching podcast.

Harrington, Christine and Melissa Thomas. (2018). Designing a Motivational Syllabus. Routledge.

Next: Setting Effective Course Policies

TOC for The Course Planning Process