Reading
https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/syllabus-design/
Dear Unam Teacher of Accounting students
The follow information is an extract from the Harvard University page during 2017 (Riviere,
J., Picard, D., & Coble, R. (2014). Syllabus Design. Vanderbilt University Center for
Teaching. Retrieved 11 March 2021. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/syllabus-
design/.and should be cited if used.
The document is just a guideline for you to understand the syllabus better. The detail given in
the document itself is not all relevant in our syllabi, so let the extract guide you.
FUNCTIONS OF THE SYLLABUS
We recently asked a cohort of undergraduate and graduate students how, in a word or short
phrase, they would define the function(s) of a syllabus. The results were impressive: while
several answers (like "a contract") repeated as one might predict, others (like "a recipe book,"
"a user's guide," or "a provocation") reminded us of just how many audiences—and how
many ends—this genre is meant to serve. Faculty (not to mention job market candidates) often
compose syllabi as much to demonstrate their mastery of a topic to other instructors as they
do to inform their students. (This may be one reason why we so often find ourselves repeating
"it's on the syllabus!" to our students. Is it entirely their fault that they don't know how to
manipulate a document that wasn't written with their own needs in mind?) While there is no
single model of an "optimal" syllabus, there are at least some features which students report
finding especially useful.
Key Functions and Components of a Syllabus
A syllabus has several functions. The first function is to invite students to your course—to
inform them of the objectives of the course and to provide a sense of what the course will be
like. The second function is to provide a kind of contract between instructors and students —
to document expectations for assignments and grade allocations. The third function is to
provide a guiding reference—a resource to which students and instructional staff can refer for
logistical information such as the schedule for the course and office hours, as well as rationale
for the pedagogy and course content.
Generally, a syllabus should include the following information:
1. Learning Objectives. What students will gain or take away from your course. Why
these objectives are the most important skills/knowledge for the course (helpful if
objectives are included for each topic/session).
2. Goal/Rationale. How the course relates to primary concepts and principles of the
discipline (where it fits into the overall intellectual area). Type of knowledge and
abilities that will be emphasized. How and why the course is organized in a particular
sequence.
3. Basic Information. Course name and number, meeting time and place, instructor
name, contact information, office hours, instructional support staff information.
4. Course Content. Schedule, outline, meeting dates and holidays, major topics and
sub-topics preferably with rationale for inclusion.
5. Student Responsibilities. Particulars and rationale for homework, projects, quizzes,
exams, reading requirements, participation, due dates, etc. Policies on lateness, missed
work, extra credit, etc.
6. Grading Method. Clear, explicit statement of assessment process and measurements.
7. Materials and Access. Required texts and readings, course packs. How to get
materials including relevant instructional technologies. Additional resources such as
study groups, etc.
8. Teaching Philosophy. Pedagogical approach including rationale for why students will
benefit from it.
Questions to Ask of Your Syllabus
1. Do the title and preamble clearly state what the course is about, orient and excite
students?
2. Does the preamble clearly identify the theme of the course, or pose questions that
draw students in?
3. Does it challenge or inspire your students? Is there a problem or puzzle to be solved?
4. Does it introduce relevant vocabulary without being confusing?
5. Does it require and mention prerequisites?
6. Does the phrasing set a collaborative tone or sense of common purpose? e.g., “We will
explore...”
7. Are learning objectives stated? e.g., “You will be able to…” “Students will learn…”
8. Does it refer students to the course website, or Internet sources for further detail?
9. Does your syllabus establish a clear contract between you and your students?
10. Does it provide a means of contact (phone; email etc.)?
11. Does it make clear promises regarding due dates, readings, and office hours?
12. Does it establish clear expectations for course blogs, chat rooms or the course
website?
13. Does it make grading policies explicit? e.g., 20% for X; 40% for Y (or something
else)
14. Does your syllabus make provisions for writing and assignment preparation: pre-paper
conferences, review sessions with you or TFs, etc?
15. Are you prepared to eliminate material that cannot be covered (since adding is
problematic)?
16. Is your syllabus coherent? —In the simplest sense a syllabus is a “calendar,” but it
should also have a logic, an order of argument or a story line.
17. Is the logic or story best told in vignettes (one per week or month)? Or is it better
divided into 3 or 4 Acts -- and if so, are they manageable chunks?
18. Does that order or logic follow from your preamble?
19. Are the sections or elements linked to one another, or steps that follow one another
logically?
20. Can the elements be posed as questions that follow in a coherent sequence (at least for
you)?
21. Is the pacing reasonable? Can your students really read X pages a week (or less during
exams)?
22. Are there built in moments of review?
23. Have you checked due dates against the university calendar: vacations/days of
religious observance?
24. Does your syllabus build the appropriate skills or competencies? Does it clearly
motivate stages of learning or have learning outcomes?
25. Is the pitch and degree of difficulty right for the cohort (again, are prerequisites
mentioned)?
26. Is the sequencing of assignments laid out clearly with an eye to developing necessary
skills?
27. Do writing or other assignments coincide with the material they address?
28. Do the assignments (reaction papers, exercises etc.) develop skills that build to a final,
challenging written or other project or exam?
A BASIC SYLLABUS TEMPLATE
HARVARD VPAL'S SYLLABUS EXPLORER
SYLLABUS DESIGN ADVICE (VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY'S CENTER FOR
TEACHING)
A RUBRIC FOR ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COURSE SYLLABI
(UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA'S CENTER FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE)
FINK, L. DEE. SELF-DIRECTED GUIDE TO DESIGNING COURSES FOR
SIGNIFICANT LEARNING. SAN FRANCISCO, CA: JOSSEY-BASS, 2003.
PARKES, J., AND M.B. HARRIS. "THE PURPOSES OF A SYLLABUS." COLLEGE
TEACHING 50.2 (2002): 55–61.
ONLINE RESOURCES
Setting Goals
Designing Your Course
Backward Design
Functions of the Syllabus
Formative and Summative Assessments
