In a series featuring Teaching Tips from the Faculty Resource Center, Mandi Elder, Professor and Athletic Training Program Director, shares how you can create a learner centered syllabus.
Hear from Elder below.
Teaching Tip #4: Creating a Learner Centered Syllabus
By Mandi Elder, EdD, ATC
Each semester on the first day of class, faculty typically begin by going over the syllabus, the official agreement between the faculty and the students about what is going to happen in the course. However, the syllabus is more than just policies, procedures, and assignments, it introduces the course to the students. Yet, we have all heard about the 52-page syllabus that has every “don’t do” and “shouldn’t do” and “must do” created by every weird situation that has come up since that faculty member started teaching. It has become the contract of threats for how you won’t pass the course, rather than serving as an opportunity to motivate students to learn and engage in the course. That’s where the Learner Centered Syllabus (LCS) comes into play.
A learner centered syllabus serves as a tool to plan the course from the back forward (aka “backwards design”). It creates the ties to the curriculum plan that you will use for the course. The LCS welcomes the student to the course, introduces the course to the student, and demonstrates support for the student and their learning. By creating more positive approaches in the contract with students, the student finds more positive value in the course and subsequently has more motivation to learn. By merely inviting the student to participate in the course, it takes us off our ivory pedestal and places the student on the podium at the end of the race we call class. What does that invitation look like? It can simply be the very first line on your syllabus that says something to the effect of “You are invited on an adventure to unearth the answer to this question: fill in your question here.” By doing so, we are considering what needs to be reconstructed in our “good ‘ole syllabus” that will draw students into greater engagement and learning in our courses.
A learner-centered syllabus can take many forms, but often includes one or more of the following features.
- A rationale for course objectives & assignments: Telling students the purpose of the work helps them to understand that there is a legitimate reason for the work. It also helps faculty identify work that doesn’t really have a purpose and remove it from the course or re-envision it so that it does serve a valid purpose.
- Shared decision-making: Gives students some say in the course when the opportunities arise for it, such as asking them when they would like things to be due, etc.
- Warning of potential pitfalls: You know where students are most likely to fall flat in the course. Point that out ahead of time so students can be forewarned and maybe avoid the pitfall.
- Opportunity for students to set teacher expectations: Letting a group of students identify what they feel is important to them for you to do is very enlightening. Every group will give you different expectations that highlight what they are looking for in the course and helps you aim to live up to the right set of expectations.
- Recommendations for staying on track: You know better than the students what it takes to complete the work assigned in your course. Give them pointers on planning for a successful outcome. Help point out anticipated time of assignments so that students don’t back themselves into a corner because they didn’t realize the time it might take to tackle the project.
Be sure that your syllabus includes these features:
- Course description. Not just the 40-word catalog description, but maybe a lively description that really explains what the course is all about, spark creativity and curiosity, and give some visual appeal with images.
- Course expectations: The learning objectives for the course should indicate what it is that students are expected to know and/or do at the end of the semester. Check out Bloom’s Taxonomy revised edition or L. Dee Fink’s Significant Learning Taxonomy to help build your objectives to improve learning progression and establish your learning environment.
- Assignments: Make sure your assignments are tied to the learning objectives, clearly defined, authentic/related to real-life, offer low and high-stakes opportunities for learning, demonstrate transparent grading practices, and the grading scheme aligned with learning objectives and assessments.
- Office Hours: Beyond posting your availability, indicate why students might want to use your office hours and your willingness to meet them to support their active learning. For example: “Office hours are times set aside for me to clarify course content with the questions you bring with you, how you can be more successful in your engagement with your learning process…”
- Schedule: Use the schedule to help motivate students. Ensure it is logical and easy to follow, including due dates and weekly tasks, and any make-up dates.
- Course Policies & Procedures: Here’s where you can shrink the length of your syllabus. Include an amendment statement (including how much notice you will give for changes), address special needs students, and point to student conduct or other college policies as necessary. Don’t include the prohibition of the one thing one student did 5 years ago. It shouldn’t be a list of rules and prohibitions. It should support successful learning environment, student health/wellness, and learning success. What is included should support the objectives of the course.
The learner centered syllabus can assist you with enhancing student engagement in your course while also helping you to plan your course effectively. There are good resources out there to help hone your syllabus into a learning tool rather than a policing manual, so you don’t have to flounder. Small changes can be highly effective. Go ahead, give it a shot!
Teaching requires time, continuous effort, and support. I encourage you to reach out to your ten Teaching Fellows (Faculty Resource Center Teaching Fellows) for assistance in creating, designing, and/or implementing any of these strategies. We all want to ensure the best learning experience for all our students.
This is the fourth in a series of Teaching Tips the Teaching Fellows will publish. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for future articles at [email protected]. If you would like guidance from a Teaching Fellow, submit a Teaching Ticket today!
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