1. Write the Syllabus
Syllabi serve several important purposes, the most basic of which is to communicate the
instructor’s course design (e.g., goals, organization, policies, expectations, requirements) to
students. Other functions commonly served by a syllabus include:
• To convey our enthusiasm for the topic and our expectations for the course
• To show how this course fits into a broader context ("the big picture")
• To establish a contract with students by publicly stating policies, requirements, and
procedures for the course
• To set the tone for the course, and convey how we perceive our role as the teacher and
their role as students
• To help students assess their readiness for the course by identifying prerequisite areas of
knowledge
• To help students manage their learning by identifying outside resources and/or providing
advice
• To communicate our course goals and content to colleagues
What’s in a syllabus?
A syllabus usually includes the following components:
COMPONENT
DESCRIPTION
(Labels link to components of real
(See also samples of whole syllabi.)
syllabi.)
Course number and title, semester and year, number
of units, meeting times and location, instructor and TA
Title page
information (e.g., name, office, office hours, contact
information)
A brief introduction to the course: scope, purpose and
Course description
relevance of the material.
Course objectives Skills and knowledge you want students to gain.
Course organization Explanation of the topical organization of the course
Required (and/or optional) books (with authors and
editions), reserve readings, course readers, software,
Materials
and supplies with information about where they can
be obtained

2. Courses students need to have taken before yours (or
at the same time); prerequisite skill sets (e.g.,
programming languages, familiarity with software).
Prerequisites and co-requisites
Provide advice on what students should do if they lack
these skills (e.g., drop the course; get outside help;
study supplementary material you will provide)
What students will have to do in the course:
assignments, exams, projects, performances,
attendance, participation, etc. Describe the nature
Course requirements
and format of assignments and the expected length of
written work. Provide due dates for assignments and
dates for exams.
What will the final grade be based on? Provide a
breakdown of components and an explanation of your
Evaluation and grading policy grading policies (e.g., weighting of grades, curves,
extra-credit options, the possibility of dropping the
lowest grade)
Policies concerning attendance, participation,
tardiness, academic integrity, missing homework,
missed exams, recording classroom activities, food in
class, laptop use, etc. Describe your expectations for
Course policies and expectations student behavior (e.g., respectful consideration of one
another’s perspectives, open-mindedness, creative
risk-taking). Let students know what they can expect
from you (e.g., your availability for meetings or e-mail
communication).
A day-to-day breakdown of topics and assignments
Course calendar
(readings, homework, project due-dates)
How to use the syllabus; how to study for the course
(how to read efficiently and effectively, whether
Advice readings are to be done before or after the class they
pertain to, when to start assignments, approved forms
of collaboration, etc.); how to seek help.

3. When should you write your syllabus?
Writing your syllabus should come late in the process of course design, after the course is
essentially planned, but well before the first day of class. You’ll notice that of Fink’s 12
questions to ask oneself when designing a course (below), the question pertaining to the
syllabus comes in #11! (Fink, 2003)
o Where are you? (situational constraints)
o Where do you want to go? (learning objectives)
o How will you know if students get there? (assessments)
o How are you going to get there? (learning activities)
o Who and what can help? (resources)
o What are the major topics in this course? (organization)
o What will the students need to do? (specific learning activities)
o What is the overall scheme of learning activities (integrating instructional strategy with
course structure)
o How are you going to grade?
o What could go wrong? (debugging design)
o How will you let students know what you are planning? (syllabus)
o How will you know how the course is going, and how it went? (planning feedback)
General advice on writing a syllabus:
o If you are new to teaching, or to a department, look at the syllabus of a colleague –
preferably someone known to be an excellent instructor -- as a rough model of format
and style. Syllabi vary according to disciplinary and departmental conventions, and while
there is plenty of room for individual variation and creativity in syllabus design, it’s a
good idea to see what the norm is before you begin.
o Anticipate student questions and concerns and try to address them in your syllabus.
Research indicates that the pressing concerns for students when beginning a course are:
 Will I be able to do the work?
 Will I like the professor?
 Will the subject matter interest me? Is it relevant to what I want to do?
 Do I have the prerequisite skills and knowledge to succeed?
 Can I handle the workload?

4.  Is it possible for me to get a good grade?
 What sorts of policies does this instructor have regarding attendance, late work,
participation, etc.?
(loosely adapted from Davis, 1993)
Addressing student concerns will help them to align their expectations with yours, give
them a sense of your teaching styles and priorities, and allow them to make more
informed decisions about whether or not to take the course.
o Distribute the syllabus on the first day of class and go over key points with students.
Make it clear to them that they are responsible for everything in the syllabus, and
reference the syllabus in class periodically to remind them of its content. To encourage
students to read the syllabus carefully, some instructors actually give students a short
quiz via an on-line course management system on course policies, instructor
expectations, requirements, etc.
o Maintain some flexibility in your syllabus: As the semester progresses, you may find that
your course design was over-ambitious and that you have to scale back, or that you
have to rearrange the calendar to accommodate unanticipated events. Leave yourself
room to maneuver by indicating on your syllabus that it is subject to revision or by
building in a few “overflow” days to catch up if you fall behind.
o If you alter your syllabus, be fair to students: Be sure to give them sufficient advance
warning so they can plan accordingly. Also, do not increase the course requirements in
any significant way once the semester begins: students view the syllabus as a contract
and make their add/drop decisions on the basis of what the syllabus indicates.
Substantial changes once the semester begins are likely to perceived as an unfair “bait
and switch”.
Creative syllabi:
Syllabi do not have to be simple, typed documents, but can incorporate graphics (photos,
comics, designs) and other creative elements. Some instructors design creative syllabi to
embody course goals; for instance, the syllabus for a typography class might itself reflect
design elements that are part of the course content. Some instructors develop graphic
syllabi, which represent the organization of the course in graphic rather than text form.
As long as your syllabus serves the functions you intend, have some fun with it!
References
Fink, L. D. (2003)
Creating Significant Learning Experiences. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Davis, B. G. (1993)
Tools for Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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