1. Lara Lomicka, The University of South Carolina
(lomicka@sc.edu)
Gillian Lord, The University of Florida
(glord@ufl.edu)
ACTFL 2013

2. Does this sound familiar?

3. Session goals
Understand potential benefits of creative
syllabus redesign
Identify tools to assist in the visual redesign of
course syllabi
Develop a plan for redesigning one or more of
your own syllabi

4. 1. Understand potential benefits of
creative syllabus redesign

5. Do your students…
Read the syllabus at the beginning of the term?
Refer to the syllabus throughout the term?
Use the syllabus as their guidance for the important
aspects of your course?
Do you wish they would??

6. Why don’t they?
“These days syllabi are
looking more and more like
those Terms of Service that
pop up when we use
software. You know, the
long documents in fine print
with a scrollbar that we click
through so we can move
on…. But the most striking
thing about TOS is that they
are full of rules – and very
few people read them.”
“The trouble is the
syllabus-as-contract is not
only tiresome to read, it’s
not inspiring. You must,
you can’t, you ought –
that’s not an itinerary for
a trip to someplace new
and exciting.”
B. Fisher, “The Syllabus as TOS.”
Inside Higher Ed 8/25/11

7. Why don’t they?
“And even as the syllabus
has bloated beyond all
recognition, its basic format
has been basically
unchanged”
J.B.. Jones, “Creative Approaches to
the Syllabus” Chronicle of Higher
Education 8/26/11
We may have
required elements
of a syllabus, and
there may be
aspects of it that we
cannot change…
But there are also
aspects that we can
change, using
assorted tools and
technologies.

8. Does your syllabus look like this?
Text
heavy!
Dry!
Boring!
Long!

9. What if it could look like this …
Colorful!
Fun!
Engaging!
Succinct!

10. … or this …

11. … or this?

12. Would students be more
inclined to notice, read and hold
on to or bookmark the syllabus?

13. We propose that
course syllabi need to …
…have added pizzazz
…look visually appealing
…provide a quick reference and support
services
…promote your course
…be engaging and approachable from
students’ perspectives
…be media friendly for easy access/reading
on smart phones, tablets, webpages, etc.
Which is why they need an extreme tech-over!

14. Extreme Tech-Over Benefits
More Creativity
More Visual impact
Less text-based
Less linear
More visually engaging
More appealing to students

15. 2. Identify tools to assist in the
visual redesign of course syllabi

16. Tools for the teched-over syllabus:
Layout and Design
1. Prezi
2. Piktochart
3. Templates in word processing programs

17. Tools for the teched-over syllabus:
Layout and Design
Prezi (http://www.prezi.com)
Prezi is a cloud-based presentation software and story-telling
tool for presenting ideas on a virtual canvas; employs
a Zooming User Interface

18. Tools for the teched-over syllabus:
Layout and Design
Piktochart
(http://piktochart.com)
Pictochart is an easy to use web app
that allows users to create and
customize infographics/digital posters.

19. Tools for the teched-over syllabus:
Layout and Design
Brochure/Newsletter templates
Templates allow users to create professionallooking documents with predetermined layouts

20. Tools for the teched-over syllabus:
Content
Word clouds
QR codes
Picture sharing
Screen captures
Graphics

21. Word / Tag clouds
A tag cloud is a visual representation for text
data, typically used to depict key words or to
visualize free form text. Tags are usually single
words, and the importance of each tag is shown
with font size or color.
• Wordle
www.wordle.com
• Tagxedo
www.tagxedo.com
• Tagul
www.tagul.com
• WordItOut
www.worditout.com

22. QR Codes
A QR code is a machine-readable code consisting of an array of black and white
squares, typically used for storing URLs or other information for reading by the
camera on a smartphone.
QR stuff: http://www.qrstuff.com/
Kaywa: http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

23. Photosharing
Photo sharing is the publishing or transfer of a user's digital photos online, thus
enabling the user to share them with others. This function is provided through
both websites and applications that facilitate the upload and display of images.
Flickr (www.flickr.com)
imgur (www.imgur.com)
Instagram (www.instagram.com)
Picasa (www://picasa.google.com)
SmugMug (www.smugmug.com)

24. Screen Captures
Screen captures are images taken by the computer user to record the visible items
displayed on the monitor, television, or another visual output device. They are
usually used to demonstrate a program, a particular problem a user might be
having, or generally when display output needs to be shown to others or archived
Screen Hunter (free) [search for downloads]
Gadwin PrintScreen (http://www.gadwin.com/printscreen/)
PicPick (www.picpick.org)
Snip It (Microsoft; free download for IE) [search]

25. Graphics
Graphics can be easily created
from MS Word or Excel. They
can be found under charts,
smartart and shapes. They can
help to display output visually.
Grade Components
Tests/quizzes
Homework
Projects
4th Qtr

26. 3. Develop a plan for redesigning
one or more of your own syllabi

27. How would you describe your
current syllabus?
Which of these
adjectives would
you use to
describe your
current typical
syllabus? 
Boring
Creative
Eye-catching
Fun
Instructor- /institution- centered
Long
Student-centered
Text-heavy
Traditional
Useful
Required
Detailed

28. Redesigning your syllabus
Think about a current or recent syllabus that
you wrote that you now think would benefit
from being redesigned or teched-over.
What follows are a series of steps to
undertake this revision.
Based on information from Mike Brown’s handout (see references)

29. 1. Determine the content
Start with the text
What HAS to be there (e.g., Department or
College requirements)?
What do students NEED?
What do you WANT?
Where can you replace text with web links or
visuals?

30. 2. Choose your layout
Use templates where possible.
What catches your eye?
What's appropriate?
Can your syllabus be digital or does it have to
be printed?

31. 3. Plan your content
Explore possible ways to lay out your
information
Group similar information
Highlight critical information

32. 4. Edit your syllabus
Be flexible!
Modify text as needed - it's not written in
stone
Add visuals that accentuate but don’t detract
Try to predict how your students will
approach the document

33. P.S. Know your copyright rules!
Use available clip art in your software
Look for material on your publisher's site
Morguefile.com
Flickr.com: Search  Advanced Search  Use Creative Commons
Use your own graphics/pictures
Stay organized with a Picture folder!
Use Windows Snipping Tool or Mac Grab for web images.
Create an image bibliography at the end of your syllabus show your students proper reference format!

34. In sum…
Consider your audience, and the purpose of the class.
Welcome learners with your opening paragraph - it sets the
tone for the course
It's not all about graphics - use them to accentuate! Think
of other innovations you can include.
Plan to keep it simple - you may need to modify it later.
Institution requirements may be reducible to web links
Think quick reference and easy access.
For Word docs, always post online as a .pdf file
Using copyrighted graphics? Add a properly formatted
bibliography
Get student feedback!

35. Examples of teched-over and
redesigned syllabi
Your turn!
 How would you rate these redesigns?
 What suggestions do you have for improvement?
 What technological/visual elements are used well?

36. Example 1

37. Example 2

38. Example 3

39. Example 4

40. Example 5

41. Additional Resources
Creative Approaches to the Syllabus: http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/creativeapproaches-to-the-syllabus/35621
Extreme Makeover syllabus Edition:
http://www.tonahangen.com/2011/01/syllabus-makeover/
A Educator’s Guide to a 21st century syllabus:
https://app.box.com/shared/evlrq8or3d
5 Steps to a Good Syllabus:
http://sc.edu/cte/guide/syllabus/index.shtml
Language Syllabi examples:
http://creativelanguageclass.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/and-the-most-excitingsyllabus-goes-to/
Syllabus Development:
http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/syllabus/index.html
Finding Free Pictures Online:
http://www.doncrowther.com/social-media/how-to-findpictures-online
Brown, M. (2012). Spark up that Syllabus! Presentation at the BEST Institute.
Columbia, SC.

42. Thank you.
http://www.slideshare.net/
glord/extreme-tech-oversyllabus