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In this section, you will read about benefits of a learning-centered syllabus and schedule. We will introduce you to our Online Course Syllabus Template and how it relates to Quality Matters standards.
The syllabus and schedule provide a big-picture view of the course for your students. Together they are perhaps the most important documents you can create for your online students, primarily because they describe and chart what the course is about, how you will teach it, and what students will do to learn.
So far we have covered objectives, assessments, activities, and instructional materials for your course. Just as adding time estimates to activities and assessments has a clarifying effect when designing a module, working on the syllabus has a positive effect on faculty conceptualization of a course.
Creating a Learning-Centered Syllabus
The course syllabus essentially defines your expectations for students and their responsibilities. An effective syllabus is unambiguous, comprehensive, and detailed.
The most effective syllabi for online courses focus on the student perspective. Diamond (2008) offers a clear definition of a learning-centered syllabus as a document that “… requires that you shift from what you, the instructor, are going to cover in your course to a concern for what information and tools you can provide for your students to promote learning and intellectual development” (p. xi). Diamond (2008, p. ix) goes on to say that an effective learning-centered syllabus should accomplish the following:
- Define students’ responsibilities
- Define instructor’s role and responsibility to students
- Provide a clear statement of intended goals and student outcomes
- Establish standards and procedures for evaluation
- Acquaint students with course logistics
- Establish a pattern of communication between instructor and students
- Include difficult-to-obtain materials such as readings, complex charts, and graphs
We would add the following to Diamond’s list for the online environment: Provide clear information and encouragement about using any technical equipment required, such as Blackboard Collaborate. Still, you must be wary of a fine line between “dumping” too much into the syllabus and ensuring that you have all your bases covered and have clearly communicated expectations. As you ponder where to draw the line, consider the value to students of finding everything they need in one place, versus hunting through a discussion board or posting and emailing questions to help them identify your expectations for a particular task.
The book Teaching Online: A Practical Guide by Ko and Rossen uses examples and scenarios to communicate the impact of an effective online syllabus and schedule on your course. The following chapter offers timely examples and a checklist to help you as you prepare to develop your online syllabus:
Creating an Effective Online Syllabus PDF (10-20 min.)
In the following video, Boise State Health Studies professor Jeff Anderson