At some of our recent faculty meetings, faculty members mentioned that it would be nice to provide some suggestions on syllabus creation. In particular, some of the more experienced faculty thought that newer faculty might want to know what a useful tool a syllabus can be for anticipating and heading off problems. For example, if you have an attendance policy, it is good to put it in your syllabus so that when students say, “I didn’t know I had to come to class,” you can point to your attendance policy. (Students like to tell you that you UConn doesn’t allow you to have an attendance policy. That’s not true. It does need to be worded a particular way, and I am happy to help you with that wording if you’d like). It is also good to include things like a plagiarism policy (Freshman English’s plagiarism statement is available as a model), expectations of classroom behavior, a breakdown of requirements and grading, make-up exam policy, etc. Basically, the syllabus is a contract between you and the student as to what is required and expected in this class. Any issues that may turn up, like what happens when a student misses an exam, are best covered ahead of time so students know where they stand, and you have a clearly stated policy to lean on.
Anyone else have suggestions and/or questions about syllabi? Why not post them on the Blog.
-Andy
