Guidelines for Developing a Syllabus

These essential elements of a syllabus are:

• Focus of the course
• Learning objectives
• Course schedule and teaching methods to be employed
• Assignments
• Student Assessment
• Lecture Outline
• Faculty Information
• Special References/Resources (including copyrighted material)

The remainder of this document describes these in detail.

• What is the role of this course in the curriculum?
• Where are we going? (what is the focus of this course?)
• How will we get there? (schedule of all learning activities)
• How will we know if we have arrived? (student assessment and course evaluation)

These questions can be answered by describing the following components of the course:

Focus of the Course

• How does this course fit into the curriculum? (For example, the Endocrinology Course is designed to teach the pathophysiology of this organ system.)
• How does the content of this course relate to the courses being taught either in the same, previous or subsequent year?
• Should students review course notes from a prerequisite course?

The idea here is to provide brief and helpful advanced organizers for the learners.

Learning Objectives

Objectives are useful to students in guiding their work and to faculty in planning and evaluating the course. Objectives are really outcome statements describing what the learner should be able to do upon satisfactory completion of the course.

There are two things to remember:

1. Objectives do NOT have to be in extremely specific behavioral form to be useful but it is helpful if objectives are written in measurable/observable terms so that student knowledge/performance can be assessed and
2. It is easier to write objectives for a component of a course than for the entire course.

Course Schedule, Teaching Methods to be Employed

Given the tight schedule with which students are confronted and the advanced notice required for scheduling changes, it is essential that students receive times, dates and locations for course-related activities (faculty colleagues appreciate a master schedule as well.)

Instructional Mode: Because each student has a preference for a particular instructional mode (e.g., problem-based learning, computer-based learning, lecture, laboratory), it will aid the student to know, for each segment of the course, what the mode of instruction will be.

Location: The location for each instructional activity should be noted and the amount of time allocated for each session should be clear.

Presentation Titles: Titles of presentations and names of lecturers/facilitators should be designated for each class session.

Assignments

These are the procedures or activities you will require of students in the course.

Preparation: It is important to give specific information about what will be required to prepare for each class. Such information will assist students in planning study time and in focusing their learning on areas, topics, and readings you consider important.

Small Group Roles: If you are directing a problem-based learning course/session, it is important that students understand their role as small group members and that grades are derived from participation and product.

Student Assessment

How will students’ knowledge, skills or achievement be assessed? It is essential to state how a learner grade will be determined. If there will be a mid-term and a final examination—state the relative weight of each examination. If the students’ participation in small groups will be assessed, say so.

Dates: Dates for tests, labs, and practicums should be included on the course schedule.

Grading Policy: A faculty member’s policy regarding the scoring of examinations should also be stated. For example, if students are being assessed on multiple objective (multiple choice, true/false, matching) examinations, small group participation, and completion of a computer simulation, the syllabus should indicate the contribution of each component toward the course grade.

Lecture Outline

It is helpful for faculty to provide a topical outline for each lecture. This should not be a word by word transcript of the lecture; rather, it should represent the major topics covered by the lecture. This will serve as an outline for notes, fill in the gaps for students who missed a lecture, and provide a road map and time management tool for the lecturer. While outlines may vary in terms in format and spacing, it is helpful if all outlines within a course follow a similar format.

Faculty Information

It is important that learners be able to contact faculty. Telephone numbers, email addresses, office location and office hours should be included in the syllabus. Often, students want to get better acquainted with faculty teaching content that has piqued their interest.

Special References/Resources (including copyrighted material)

If it is important for you to provide access to articles or information not easily available to learners, include these materials in the syllabus.

Caution: do not include every interesting article and include only those articles essential to the course and to which every student should have access.

These materials usually include information not yet available in texts.

Electronic Syllabus: If an electronic syllabus is available, it is helpful to make such materials available on the web. Articles of peripheral interest to only a few students should be listed in bibliographic form. Whether articles are provided in electronic or written form, follow the guidelines for obtaining permission to reprint references (available from MSTL). ETG provides assistance with developing an electronic syllabus. Visit their website to find out more. Click on the link to "electronic syllabus."

The following components are helpful and should be included as appropriate.

Biographies: (Autobiographies) of Faculty Information about faculty members can enhance attainment of course goals. For example, brief biographical sketches might augment general student interest in the course, help make the instructional process more personalized for faculty and students, and encourage students to contact faculty members in a discipline or specialty area in which they are considering a career. Sketches should highlight primary research or a clinical interest--brevity is desirable; don’t attach a complete CV!

Old Tests: If included, these can provide a summary of the course content in vivid detail; they can also exemplify the format of course tests. Learners can also use these materials for formative self-assessment. If the course is using the Assessment & Item Management System (AIMS), interactive tests can be available online.

Additional Learning Resources for Specific Topics: Listing additional learning resources that have been developed/identified for content that has generally proven difficult is helpful. The electronic syllabus can provide direct links to such resources.