Creating an Effective Online Syllabus
An Overview of Basic
Content
A Presentation by:
Marj Ashcraft, Towson University
Dr. Joan McMahon, Towson University
An Overview of Basic Content
1
This presentation is designed to provide you with an overview
of the basic components of the course syllabus content.
Specifically, we will take a look at:
 The purpose of the syllabus
 The primary elements of the syllabus along with what constitutes
a Generic syllabus and a Syllabus and Schedule
 Items you might include in an online syllabus*
* Issues of formatting your online syllabus – design/layout – are not addressed in this slide show for Part I
of Station A.10: Creating an Effective Online Syllabus. Rather, they are presented in Part II of the station.
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The Purpose of the Syllabus
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“A good syllabus serves as a
scaffold for the course…”
Simon, 2000, p. 83.
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The purpose of any course syllabus is to provide…

the basic information and guidelines of the course

the expectations of the instructor as well as the department

the foundation for measuring the learning experience
These aims are underscored by the elements contained in the syllabus.
Fullmer-Umari, 2000.
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The Primary Elements of the Syllabus
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The Four
Primary Elements of any syllabus are:
It is from these basic blocks that you build your syllabus.
I.
The Learning
OBJECTIVES
The Learning
CONTENT
Objectives
The learning objectives you wrote in Station A.4. This part of the syllabus
tells what the student is expected to do, learn, know, perform, etc. in
the course. (i.e., “Upon completing the course, students will be able
to…”) It is not what the instructor wants to do, such as “Teach the
basics of… “ or “Sensitize the student to…”
II. Content
Your course content. This tells students what information/ subject
matter they can expect to cover in the course.
III. Activities
The Learning
ACTIVITIES
The learning activities you wrote in Station A.5 as well as any specific
technologies (identified in Station A.7) that you plan to use in support of
these learning activities. This tells students what they can expect to
be doing in the course (i.e., reading assignments, online discussions,
scavenger hunts, lab work…).
IV. Assessments
PROOFS of
the Learning
The assessments you wrote in Station A.6 as well as any specific
technologies (identified in Station A.7) that you plan to use in support
of these assessments. This tells students how they are expected to
demonstrate their learning in the course (i.e., tests, projects,
portfolios…) These mirror the learning objectives above.
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The
Generic Course Syllabus is usually the one
approved by the department and/or the campus curriculum
committee.
Notice that it includes:
Syllabus
Cell Structures & Function
BIOL325.101
The 4 Primary Elements
AS WELL AS
Course Description
common sense items
The official course description listed in the school catalog. This is
important for advising and for acceptance of transfer credits.
such as…
Course Title & Number
Objectives
The learning objectives approved by the department
Content
A Brief Course
Description
Make sure this matches
the official one in the
school catalog.
A simple 10 item outline of the major concepts to be learned.
Activities
Activities
A list of possible activities acceptable for the course, from which an
instructor can choose.
A
Assessments
A list of possible assessments acceptable for the course, from
which an instructor can choose.
A
Common Institutional
Policies
• the institution’s policy on plagiarism
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This
Generic Course Syllabus could be an overlay for your
own course and wouldn’t have to be re-written each semester.
It communicates to the student that you are
Common Syllabus
Cell Structures & Function
teaching to department/campus expectations.
BIOL325.101
Course Description
The official course description listed in the school catalog.
This is important for advising and for acceptance of transfer
credits.
Why is this important?
Objectives
Consider…
The learning objectives approved by the department
• What would happen if 5 faculty wrote a
Content
A simple 10 item outline of the major concepts to be
learned.
completely different syllabus for this same
Activities
course?
A list of possible activities acceptable for the course, from
which an instructor can choose.
• What message would that send to students?
• Have you asked for the approved syllabus
as a place to start your own interpretation?
Assessments
A list of possible assessments acceptable for the course,
from which an instructor can choose.
Campus/Department Policies
Those items such as class attendance, plagiarism, etc.
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The Course Syllabus
and Schedule allows a faculty member to
customize his/her interpretation of the Generic Course Syllabus by both
retaining and
andelaborating
elaborating on
on the approved document.
“Retained” items would be…
“Interpretations/Elaborations”
would include such items as…
Instructor’s Name
Contact Information
The course title
and #
Syllabus and Schedule
Cell Structures & Function (BIOL325.101)
Instructor: Dr. Lerna Lott
The
Description
Email:Course
www.URweb.edu
Phone:123-456-7890 FAX:123-456-1111
Office Hours: MWF afternoons from 12:30 - 2 and 3:15 - 4:30
Course Description
This should be a replica of what is printed in the course catalog and not
new information.
Objectives
Your interpretation of the common (generic) syllabus objectives.
They should be closely aligned, if not identical.
Content
The approved course content embellished with your style & schedule.
Activities
Your customized
interpretation of the
course
The approved learning activities imprinted with your style AND
maintaining the intent of the approved activities—clearly supporting
the established learning objectives.
Assessments
The approved learning assessments imprinted with your style AND
maintaining the intent of the approved assessments—clearly
supporting established learning objectives and your learning
activities.
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Other additional customized components include…
Your philosophy
about teaching
and learning
Your Class
Policies
••aabrief
briefoverview
overviewof
ofyour
your online
onlineteaching
teachingphilosophy
philosophy
••how
howyou
youview
viewthe
thestudent’s
student’sonline
onlinerole
role
•• how
how you
you will
will be
be grading
grading students’
students’ work
work
•• how
how late
late assignments
assignments will
will be
be handled
handled
Examples include:
Your Special
Preferences
• how you prefer students to submit their work
(i.e., as email attachments? using the courseware tools?)
• how you prefer students to format their work and files
Training Track B.5: Course Management Strategies contains further
practical suggestions you might wish to consider regarding how you may
prefer to manage your online course.
Fullmer-Umari, 2000; Simon, 2000.
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How you arrange the components in your syllabus is not important at
this step. Making sure you remember to include the components
is the point here!
Syllabus
Cell Structures & Function
Course Title &
Number
Instructor’s
Name
Dr. Lerna Lott
Phone:123-456-7890
BIOL325.101
www.webU.edu
FAX:123-456-1111
Course Description
Objectives
Content
A Brief Course
Description
Class Policies
Activities
Due
Your Special
Preferences
Contact
Information
Class Policies
We will be showing you syllabus design/layout options under Part II:
Adapting Your Syllabus for Effective Use Online of this training station.
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Items You Might Include in an Online
Syllabus
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Consider that…
In the on-ground classroom…
In the online classroom…
Your Syllabus establishes
that crucial first contact…
The tone of the course
is established by your
physical presence
in the first class
meeting.
Your appearance, voice and body
language convey/model the tone.
Thus, it is the syllabus which sets
the tone of the online course.
Fullmer-Umari, 2000, p. 96.
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To put your personal stamp on the course from the outset,
consider adding the following elements to your syllabus:
A biographical sketch
This is your opportunity to introduce yourself to students online,
much as you might do in any “first class” meeting.
You could include:
A brief overview of your professional
experience and education relative to the course
A brief description of your teaching philosophy,
particularly as it relates to online learning
Any hobbies or special interests
A clear, up-to-date photo of you.
Fullmer-Umari, 2000, p. 96.
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Injecting humor is another way of setting the tone and putting your
personal stamp on the course.
IF this is part of your teaching style and the kind of tone you want to
set for your online class, you might want to include :
Some clipart
graphics to
lighten the mood
Assignments
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Many online instructors also like to include: Links to helpful websites
These can include:
• sites offering students useful tips for improving their basic study/writing skills.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/8866/
Includes web search information, how to write/
format research papers in MLA style, tips for
doing presentations, etc.
http://www.ohiou.edu/esl/help/index.html
Ohio University site with tutorials on technology
(web pages, email, etc.) as well as how to find/
evaluate/cite research on the web
• sites related to the specific course subject/discipline
http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/intro.html
A site devoted entirely to the life and writings of William
Faulkner, developed by a graduate instructor
& Ph.D. candidate from the University of Mississippi
http://vlib.org/Science/Cell_Biology/
The WWW Virtual Library of Cell
Biology, with myriad links to
databases & informational sites
relating to all aspects of cell biology
from apoptosis (programmed cell
death) to signal transduction in cell
growth.
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Many online instructors also like to include:
FAQ
pages for
students
These can include Frequently Asked Questions
about the courseware and support technology
as well as common questions about the course
itself.
FAQ
about
the
technology
FAQ
about
this
course
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As your experience with online instruction increases,
so, too, will your…
• knowledge of…
• effectiveness in…
• confidence in…
…determining exactly what items to include
in your online syllabi.
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To sum up…
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Summary
The purpose of the syllabus is to provide:
• the basic information and guidelines of the course
• the expectations of the instructor as well as department
• the foundation for measuring the learning experience
These aims are underscored by the elements contained in the syllabus.
The 4 primary elements of the syllabus are:
The Learning
OBJECTIVES
+
The Learning
CONTENTS
+
The Learning
ACTIVITIES
An Overview of Basic Content
+
PROOFS of the
Learning
21
Summary
The Generic Syllabus…
• is usually the one approved by the department and/or campus curriculum committee
• includes the 4 primary elements -- the learning objectives… the learning content…
the learning activities… proofs of the learning
• includes common sense items such as…
 the course title & number
 a BRIEF description matching the catalog
 common institutional policies (such as plagiarism)
• communicates to students that you are teaching to the expectations of both the
department and campus.
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22
Summary
The Course Syllabus and Schedule…
allows a faculty member to customize his/her interpretation of the Generic
Course Syllabus by retaining & elaborating on the approved document.
Generic Syllabus
Cell Structures & Function
BIOL325.101
Instructor: Dr. Lerna Lott
“Retained Items” include …
 the course name and number
Email: www.URweb.edu Phone:123-456-7890
FAX:123-456-1111 Office Hours: MWF 12:30 - 2 and 3:15 - 4:30
 the course description
Course Description
“Interpretations/Elaborations” include such items as…
 your (the instructor’s) name and contact information
 your customized interpretation of the course,
including:
 the learning objectives
 the content
The official course description listed in the school catalog.
This is important for advising and for acceptance of transfer
credits.
Objectives
Objectives
Your
interpretation
of the
learning
objectives
approved
The learning
objectives
approved
by the
department
by the department/campus. They should be aligned with
if not identical to the approved (Generic) syllabus.
Content
Content
A
simple
10 item
outline of thecourse
major concepts
to be
The
approved
embellished
content and
schedule
learned.
that flows with your style.
Activities
A list of possible activities acceptable for the course, from
which an instructor can choose.
Assessments
A list of possible assessments acceptable for the course,
from which an instructor can choose.
Campus/Department Policies
Those items such as class attendance, plagiarism, etc.
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Summary
Other additional customized components include…
Your philosophy about teaching and learning
i.e., your online teaching philosophy….how you view the student’s role online
Your Class Policies
i.e., how you grade…how you handle late assignments, etc.
Your Special Preferences
i.e., how you prefer students to submit their work, save their work and files, etc.
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Summary
And…
Because the online syllabus:
You might also include:
Establishes the first
A biographical sketch of
crucial contact with
yourself with an up-to-date
your online students
photo
Some graphics to
Thereby…
lighten the mood
Setting the tone of your
Links to helpful sites
online course…
FAQs re the technology as
well as the course itself.
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Conclusion
And remember:
As your experience with online instruction increases, so, too, will your
knowledge, confidence and effectiveness at determining the items to include
in your online syllabi.
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