Many
instructors struggle with students floating through degree programs without
understanding how any assignments or exams fit into their courses or curricula.
Further, administrators struggle to account for the time that faculty spend
developing syllabi and mapping coursework to specified learning outcomes.
Preparing students for their post graduate lives is rooted in sharing an
understanding of expectations. These expectations reach back to their
elementary questions – why do I need to know this? when am I ever going to use
this? Similarly, potential employers want to understand what students are
learning and if their skill sets will align with industry needs. Other
stakeholders including accrediting bodies and prospective students seek answers
to these questions as well. The most appropriate medium to answer these
questions, organize instructional tools, and account for course development is
the course syllabus. That’s it – the answer is in the syllabus – but that can
only be the solution if the syllabus is a living and accessible document.
We
have discussed the idea of the syllabus as a contract between students and
instructors to describe the expectations of both parties (April, 2011, http://aefis.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-are-we-assessing.html).
We were excited to see this perspective articulated by the Syllabus Institute
in its tenants of the Modern Syllabus.
It summarizes three main roles of the syllabus: contractual, assessment, and
marketing. As a contract, the syllabus outlines objectives, assignments,
policies and other general expectations. In assessment and accreditation
processes, the syllabus supports continuous review of outcomes, consistency in
practices across the institution, and ensures curricular excellence. With nearly
unlimited options in the higher education spaces, prospective students can base
decisions on exciting, changing, and unique course offerings – which can be
marketed with the syllabus. Similarly current students can be better prepared
for coursework and make more informed class selections if they have access to
syllabi.
Syllabi
are the vehicle for the content of a course and the dissemination of
instructors’ ideas to students, institutions, and potentially the public. Think about ways to use them, share them, and engage
audiences to appreciate them through web-based platforms - online availability is the first step in this streamlined dissemination. Let us know what you
are doing with your syllabi and ideas for moving them forward…
Becky Yannes, AEFIS Team
