Syllabus Virtue

¶ … university experience is becoming more dynamic due to many influences around the world. Globalization has caused competition between international institutions in regards to the overall student enrollment. Technology such as the internet has created opportunities for students who need a flexible alternative to learning. Even microeconomic conditions have required individuals to attend universities to advance their overall training and aptitude. All of these influences create tailwinds for institutions of higher learning. With these trends, courses must therefore be catered to a more diverse student population.

The syllabus is tool that can aid within this process. Through the use of the syllabus, students can better plan their study time. They can better ascertain the workload and time commitments needed for a particular class. In addition, the syllabus provides a road map for students to know exactly what they will learn within a particular week. With all of these benefits, many syllabi are simply ignored and taken for granted. As such, there overall benefit to student is eroded through lack of proper preparation of the syllabus.

The syllabus critiques below outline 5 recommendations that will enhance the overall value proposition of a syllabus. Many of these recommendations are simple to implement but will have lasting impacts on the student as it relates to organization. The document concludes with an estimate that incorporates many of the suggestions mentioned throughout this document (Rodgers, 1985). To being, when examining the sample syllabus, many due dates for assignments are omitted. Dates allow students to better plan their overall workload throughout the semester.

By omitting dates of many of the larger work assignments, the syllabus does not provide transparency. In particular, the sample syllabus mentions that discussion forums account for 60% of the overall course evaluation, however the syllabus does not mention when these assignments are due. As the assignments account for 60% of the total available points within the course, it can be assumed that they will have a larger workload requirement than other assignments. It is therefore prudent to include the dates and overall specifications of the actual discussion forums.

The point distribution also seems to be heavily weighted towards only four assignments. With such heavy distribution, more information will be needed. Otherwise, the instructor could lower the weighting of the discussion forums (Schlesinger, 1987). Second, the text book readings section should include the topics being discussed during the weeks. The overall comprehensiveness of the syllabus appears to be lacking. The sample syllabus omits the actual contents of the text book readings on a weekly basis.

This, much like the omission of the due dates, creates confusion on the part of the student. The student may read passages and contents that have no meaning or relevance to the course. In addition, by displaying the topics being covered, students are better able to focus on areas of weakness within the course. For example, if a student recognizes that he is week in quantitative methods, the student could therefore allocate a larger portion of time during the week towards this section of the material.

Through greater transparency, the student is better able to plan their workloads in regards to their overall strength and abilities. Knowledge of assignment difficulty will also allow students to allocate a larger proportion of their time to a particular task. A method is which to effectively accomplish this task is to state the nature and format of the assignments through practical application components. Aspects such as the expected length of readings, and their deadlines should be included as well.

This information although very simple, can provide students with valuable insights into the course, ultimately preparing them for success. Questions such as how the reading assignments relate to the learning objectives for the course also provide clarity. Thirdly, learning outcomes should be included in the text book readings. Students should be able to understand what they will be better able to do after completing a particular reading assignment or discussion forum. Much like the first two critiques mentioned above, this critique provides more transparency and reduces uncertainty within the course.

This two aspects of transparency and uncertainty are particular important.