How many of your students actually read the course syllabus?

[Dr. Courtney]

This conversation is uncomfortably close at times to suggesting that instructors are to blame for lazy students who do not even bother to read the most basic course materials.

I'm on the other side of the instructor equation now, mentoring a number of early college students navigating their way through their first few semesters. The syllabus is the essential feature of navigating each course, along with the instructor provided resources on course schedules, assignments, graded events, etc.

When I served as a classroom instructor, I handed out paper copies of the syllabus, spent 5-10 minutes highlighting the most essential features, and then moved on. Helping students grow up sometimes means letting them receive the consequences of negligence. Some years ago, some students got a rude awakening when they figured out near the end of the semester that my grading scale was A, B, C, F at 90%, 80%, and 70%, respectively. There was no D. This scale had been approved at a department meeting as long as it was "clearly communicated on the syllabus." It was mentioned briefly in class also, and all the graded events reflected it as they were returned.

At some point, higher authorities at the college objected and insisted I have Ds as a possible grade, so I added a D range of 68% to 70% to the syllabus.

 

[vela]

Slightly OT but how many people read license agreements when installing software?

That's not really comparable. You can generally use software without reading the EULA, but imagine going into a course where the instructor tells you absolutely nothing about what's expected of you. You don't know what you'll be graded on, when the tests are, when the homework is due, if the homework is due, etc. The syllabus lays these expectations out for the students.

 

[houlahound]

I don't think some here know what a syllabus actually is.

 

[micromass]

I don't think some here know what a syllabus actually is.

Tell us then!

 

[houlahound]

I googled it to check. Seems course overview, assessment calendar, assessment policy, topic overview, curriculum, pedagogy statement... are all used interchangeably these days.

Before this thread I never heard of assessment dates being part of a syllabus.

 

[houlahound]

To clarify, the syllabus (to me) is not determined by the course instructor thankfully.

 

[houlahound]

That's not really comparable. You can generally use software without reading the EULA, but imagine going into a course where the instructor tells you absolutely nothing about what's expected of you. You don't know what you'll be graded on, when the tests are, when the homework is due, if the homework is due, etc. The syllabus lays these expectations out for the students.

I just downloaded, legally, a beast of a software package. The conditions of use were negotiated in the quote. I went to work at an ungodly hour when no other users were on the network to do the install. I went thru the installation wizard blindly clicking yes to everything. It took several hours and if you walked away the installation paused at several points waiting for a yes.

I basically gave up my computer to an external body. I actually got nervous giving up the network and called my unappreciative IT tech guy.

All went well but read the agreements... I think not.

 

[mathwonk]

So amusing to someone who went to college in the 1960's. The only "syllabus" was a reading list. No expectations, no grading formula, no list of legal rights. You were just expected to figure out what was expected and deliver it. Eventually I learned there existed old copies of math exams from prior years, and for philosophy was advised that one would be wise to make ones papers entertaining to the grader, i.e. not just parroted pablum. You learned by experience, starting from your first D, to improve your writing until it passed muster. The first paper in my expos class earned the 40 of us 38 C's, one D and one B. (I got a "C-, lucky it wasn't a D"), My first A- in lit (on James Joyce) was a real source of pride. The first A I got in math was on an exam where I answered all 10 questions on a "answer any 7" exam, and included a proof of the one theorem that had been omitted in class (that a uniform limit of continuous functions is continuous, as I recall, from 55 years ago, on the way to proving the existence theorem for 1st order ode's via the contraction lemma).

Oh yes, and I do read the licensing agreements for software I use, and websites I use. Sometimes you learn something interesting. I advise doing this as well when buying a home, i.e. when agreeing to a mortgage loan.

 

[PeroK]

I don't think some here know what a syllabus actually is.

My dictionary says:

"An outline of a course of studies, text etc."

Not to be confused with:

1) Syllable
2) Syllabub
3) Silly bus

 

[houlahound]

So if you write the syllabus as the instructor do you also choose the content, the scope, the criteria, the purpose, the intent, the rationale, the course structure, the course design, do you set the standard of achievement, quality control the standard you set yourself etc.

What qualifies you to do all this and how do you know you are right?

Something seems amiss to me.

 

[Vanadium 50]

What qualifies you to do all this

As often is the case, Steve Dutch at UWGB says it the best:

"Columbia University said I was an expert when they granted me a doctorate. The State of Wisconsin said I was an expert when they hired me in their University System, gave me tenure, made me a full professor, and made me a Registered Geologist."

 

[late347]

I don't think some here know what a syllabus actually is.

We did not have a written clearcut syllabus at all in our last physics class.. we did have deadlines online for some programming oriented physics homework. But the thing that annoyed me was that each of our teachers (in the same period) specified different policies for the purpose of returning homework for review in such cases when the student is unable to be present at homework review day (but the said student still wants homework credit).

Our school website had perfectly adequate functionality already for the purrpose of returning homework so I just don't get why some teachers want that homework returned into their email address and some specifically want homework into the online return bin on the school website...

But in the beginning lesson I think our teacher did say that the thursday classes are for the purpose of lectures an fridays are for the purpose of homework reviewing and maybe asking abouy unclear situations in physics broadly speaking.

What I would have liked to have was some commitment from our teacher that he could upload course material in advance into our school online site. Therefore the students could have read in advance of lecture class, what we would be doing in the lecture class.

Becausr we did not even have official textbook or ebook in the course. But I think that the teacher made PDFs from some of his old lecture materials which acted as a resource.

I will surelyy pass that as a comment to my teacher for future reference. Becausr I think it helps classroom engagement a little bit when students review some material in advance of a class, like that. Certainly that style is often used in math classes that students are encouriged to review relevant pages from textbook before lecture.

 

[jtbell]

I don't think some here know what a syllabus actually is.

I think Mark44's comment upstream aptly summarizes the purpose of the "syllabus", in the sense used at colleges and universities in the US, although he didn't specifically use that word.

Many colleges in the U.S. have established rules that the professor has to provide basic information about the course, including grading procedures, office hours, and a lot of other mundane stuff within the first week or so of the term. Part of the reasoning is to reduce the liability of possible lawsuits from students over the misrepresentation of the course, and so on. We're a very litigious bunch here in the states, so it pays to CYA, or at least that's the thinking amongst college administrators.

To clarify, the syllabus (to me) is not determined by the course instructor thankfully.

In the US, the syllabus for a course is indeed usually determined by the instructor, generally subject to approval by his/her department. We have a great deal of latitude in grading (marking) and other class-management policies, provided that they are clearly stated in the syllabus.

 

[Mark44]

think Mark44's comment upstream aptly summarizes the purpose of the "syllabus", in the sense used at colleges and universities in the US, although he didn't specifically use that word.

Yes, that's exactly what I was saying.

 

[mathwonk]

This idea of defining your grade scale went through my mind this morning when we served pancakes and the syrup bottle says "grade A, dark, robust flavor". As anyone knows from a previous generation, dark maple syrup was always called grade "B", and grade "A" means light syrup. But now no one wants a B on his syrup, even if it connotes the dark robust syrup they prefer, it has to be A. Some bottles now even say "grade A dark (formerly grade B)". I guess those qualifying statements on the label are meant as the syllabus for the consumer.

 

[vela]

So if you write the syllabus as the instructor do you also choose the content, the scope, the criteria, the purpose, the intent, the rationale, the course structure, the course design, do you set the standard of achievement, quality control the standard you set yourself etc.

We have a separate document called a course outline of record that sets out many of the requirements for a course. These requirements are decided on by the departments, and an instructor is supposed to teach a course that satisfies them.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

This idea of defining your grade scale went through my mind this morning when we served pancakes and the syrup bottle says "grade A, dark, robust flavor". As anyone knows from a previous generation, dark maple syrup was always called grade "B", and grade "A" means light syrup. But now no one wants a B on his syrup, even if it connotes the dark robust syrup they prefer, it has to be A. Some bottles now even say "grade A dark (formerly grade B)". I guess those qualifying statements on the label are meant as the syllabus for the consumer.

I see what you did there.

 

[houlahound]

I think better outcomes would be if experts in their field that instruct learners teamed with professional educators trained in course design and pegagogy.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

I think better outcomes would be if experts in their field that instruct learners teamed with professional educators trained in course design and pegagogy.

Perhaps, but the bottom line is that it's up to the individual departments rather than you.

At the Air Force Academy (and West Point), they made use of course directors who designed the syllabus, all the lessons, tests, grading rubrics, etc. The faculty all underwent training for the big courses (freshman Calc, Physics, etc.) under the leadership of the course director who had even more training with professional educators regarding course design and pedagogy.

Here's a snippet of the training I had before writing a syllabus at the Air Force Academy:

United States Air Force Supervisor's Course, 2010, Maxwell AFB United States
Air Force Civilian Personnel Management Course, 2010, Maxwell AFB
USAFA Center for Excellence in Education Course Administrators Workshop, 2010
USAFA Department of Mathematical Sciences Course Directors Training, 2010
USAFA Department of Mathematical Sciences New Instructor Training, 2009

It worked pretty well, better in my opinion, than the "academic freedom" many profs have at other institutions to roll their own courses regardless of qualifications or experience. But the bottom line is, however it is done, the method employed has the oversight and approval of the departments.

 

[houlahound]

My highest credentialed undergraduate lecturer a significant academic in pioneering NMR really struggled with basic course organization and presentation. I reworked some of his badly presented notes written in the 70's on transparencies with hand written scrawl nobody could read, smudges on them, always out of order, mistakes, missing pages etc.

Great academic and person but he was never trained in public speaking or instruction giving. This stuff is not natural for many people and needs to be learned.

Today's student are more complex, more diverse and departments want to see student numbers in one end and out the other.

There should support for instructors to cope with modern teaching demands. a great publication record in specialist literature does not always prepare someone to teach effectively.

 

[Mark44]

My highest credentialed undergraduate lecturer a significant academic in pioneering NMR really struggled with basic course organization and presentation. I reworked some of his badly presented notes written in the 70's on transparencies with hand written scrawl nobody could read, smudges on them, always out of order, mistakes, missing pages etc.

Great academic and person but he was never trained in public speaking or instruction giving. This stuff is not natural for many people and needs to be learned.

You're highlighting some of the big differences between research universities and teaching universities. I taught in a community college for 18 years (equivalent to the first two years of college if this term is unfamiliar to you). Our focus was completely on teaching. When new teachers were hired, they went through a three-year tenure process in which a tenure committee frequently observed the new teacher and his/her class presentation, speaking ability, organization, and student reviews at the end of the term. When I was there (I left in '97) about a third of our students were transferring to four-year institutions, and many of the students in my more advanced classes were pursuing engineering degrees. I had many whom I talked to after they transferred who felt they got a solid foundation while they were at my college.

Today's student are more complex, more diverse and departments want to see student numbers in one end and out the other.

Granted that student populations are more diverse, but can you back up your claim that students are more complex now? During the time I taught at the college, I saw the number of remedial math classes we offered continually increase. One term towards the time I left teaching, we were offering 25 different sections of remedial math, in basic arithmetic or pre-algebra. These were classes that the students ostensibly had in about 8th and 9th grades.

Regarding the "throughput" of students, there's a huge conflict between pushing students through the pipeline and maintaining standards.

There should support for instructors to cope with modern teaching demands. a great publication record in specialist literature does not always prepare someone to teach effectively.

For a research institution, having a record of published papers is a priority -- less so in teaching institutions.

 

[houlahound]

I can only offer that contemporary students are more complex because the world they live in is more complex, more uncertain, more demanding, faster, less forgiving.

They having almost infinite, instant choices and distractions continually thrown at them doesn't help.

 

[Mark44]

I can only offer that contemporary students are more complex because the world they live in is more complex, more uncertain, more demanding, faster, less forgiving.

This is a myopic view, IMO, and one that seemingly is ignorant of history. My parents lived through the Great Depression, in which unemployment in the U.S. hit 25%. Many of the safety nets that are in place now did not exist. Then there was WW II, which came only 21 years after the end of the previous World War. Talk about uncertain times...

They having almost infinite, instant choices and distractions continually thrown at them doesn't help.

But they can choose to disconnect from these choices and distractions.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

I can only offer that contemporary students are more complex because the world they live in is more complex, more uncertain, more demanding, faster, less forgiving.

They having almost infinite, instant choices and distractions continually thrown at them doesn't help.

Since those distractions do not end at graduation, there is some usefulness is sorting out the students who can do what they are supposed to do in spite of the distractions from those who cannot. Part of effective teaching is not passing students who cannot manage to be responsible for learning.

 

[Apple_Mango]

This conversation is uncomfortably close at times to suggesting that instructors are to blame for lazy students who do not even bother to read the most basic course materials.

I'm on the other side of the instructor equation now, mentoring a number of early college students navigating their way through their first few semesters. The syllabus is the essential feature of navigating each course, along with the instructor provided resources on course schedules, assignments, graded events, etc.

When I served as a classroom instructor, I handed out paper copies of the syllabus, spent 5-10 minutes highlighting the most essential features, and then moved on. Helping students grow up sometimes means letting them receive the consequences of negligence. Some years ago, some students got a rude awakening when they figured out near the end of the semester that my grading scale was A, B, C, F at 90%, 80%, and 70%, respectively. There was no D. This scale had been approved at a department meeting as long as it was "clearly communicated on the syllabus." It was mentioned briefly in class also, and all the graded events reflected it as they were returned.

At some point, higher authorities at the college objected and insisted I have Ds as a possible grade, so I added a D range of 68% to 70% to the syllabus.

Why didn't you give out Ds? How very strange. I never heard of a teacher doing this.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Why didn't you give out Ds? How very strange. I never heard of a teacher doing this.

Over the course of several semesters, several facts had become clear to me:

1. Students aiming for Ds would learn very little physics and never complete the homework.
2. Most students at the 2 year school were intending to transfer to STEM majors at a 4 year school. The course credit would not transfer for students who had earned Ds.
3. Ds were a false comfort: they gave the appearance of passing the course, but didn't apply for bachelor's degree credit, and didn't represent real learning that course credit should signify.
4. The intent (and outcome) of the policy was that most students who would otherwise be satisfied with a D would work harder, learn quite a bit of physics, and earn a C - thus securing both useful knowledge as well as credit that would transfer.
5. Students who fell into the classic D percentage range (60-69%) were not prepared for any of the courses for which the intro physics course was a prerequisite. Failure rates in subsequent courses were very high.
6. An F at midterm was a much more effective wake up call than a D.

 

[Apple_Mango]

Over the course of several semesters, several facts had become clear to me:

1. Students aiming for Ds would learn very little physics and never complete the homework.
2. Most students at the 2 year school were intending to transfer to STEM majors at a 4 year school. The course credit would not transfer for students who had earned Ds.
3. Ds were a false comfort: they gave the appearance of passing the course, but didn't apply for bachelor's degree credit, and didn't represent real learning that course credit should signify.
4. The intent (and outcome) of the policy was that most students who would otherwise be satisfied with a D would work harder, learn quite a bit of physics, and earn a C - thus securing both useful knowledge as well as credit that would transfer.
5. Students who fell into the classic D percentage range (60-69%) were not prepared for any of the courses for which the intro physics course was a prerequisite. Failure rates in subsequent courses were very high.
6. An F at midterm was a much more effective wake up call than a D.

Ok, I see.

 

[symbolipoint]

Over the course of several semesters, several facts had become clear to me:

1. Students aiming for Ds would learn very little physics and never complete the homework.
2. Most students at the 2 year school were intending to transfer to STEM majors at a 4 year school. The course credit would not transfer for students who had earned Ds.
3. Ds were a false comfort: they gave the appearance of passing the course, but didn't apply for bachelor's degree credit, and didn't represent real learning that course credit should signify.
4. The intent (and outcome) of the policy was that most students who would otherwise be satisfied with a D would work harder, learn quite a bit of physics, and earn a C - thus securing both useful knowledge as well as credit that would transfer.
5. Students who fell into the classic D percentage range (60-69%) were not prepared for any of the courses for which the intro physics course was a prerequisite. Failure rates in subsequent courses were very high.
6. An F at midterm was a much more effective wake up call than a D.

Ok, I see.

Understandable.

Important is that the C should represent some useful learning. D or F are not much different from each other, since either or both represent inadequate learning.

 

[Apple_Mango]

All of my professors have gone over the syllabus which takes up to 20 minutes. Don't you guys do that? I usually read the syllabus three times myself just to be on the safe side. The syllabus has incredibly important like how many points do exams have or attendance policy.

I cringe whenever my professors have rules like how students aren't allowed to bring children. Like seriously? You didn't need to have that rule in there.

 

[Mark44]

I cringe whenever my professors have rules like how students aren't allowed to bring children. Like seriously? You didn't need to have that rule in there.

I doubt that there are many class syllabi with this restriction. If it's something you saw, however, it is probably there because students in a previous class did exactly that, causing a disruption in the class.