Dr. Marie Norman
Teaching Consultant and Research Associate
Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence http://www.cmu.edu/teaching

Objectives
When you leave today, you should be able to:
• Describe audience/purpose/components of a syllabus.
• Identify issues to consider when designing a course.
• Discuss the course design triangle.
• Delineate features of effective learning objectives.

Show of hands
Who has...
• TAed?
• Taught a class?
• Designed a course from scratch?

What’s in a syllabus?
Audience:
Purpose:
Who the syllabus for?
When and how is it used?
Components: What are the parts of a typical syllabus?

Audience
Students
Colleagues
Department
Your future self

Purpose
To provide basic course info.
To generate motivation/curiosity about the subject.
To convey your expectations.
To delineate your own and students’ roles.
To serve as a contract between you and students.
To set the tone for the course.
To help students assess their readiness for the course.
To provide resources and advice for students.

Contents: a checklist
 Course name/number
 Room number
 Class times
 Office hours
 Instructor contact info
 Course description
 Course objectives
 Prerequisites
 Textbooks and readings
 Course requirements
 Breakdown of grades
 Grading policies
 Course policies
 Resources for help/support
 Advice
 Course calendar
Others?

Syllabus analysis
What aspects of these syllabi help to facilitate student learning and motivation?
Ability to generate curiosity/establish relevance
Clear expectations
A logical organizational structure
Approachable, supportive tone

When do you write your syllabus?
At the end of a long process of thoughtful course design!

#1
Determine situational factors
Class size
Length/units
Up/downstream courses
??

#2 Consider your students
Majors
Goals
Prior knowledge
??

#3 Create the 3 basic components

The Course Design Triangle
Where do you want students to get?
How will you know if they get there?
How will you help them get there?

The Course Design Triangle (cont’d)
What students should know or be able to do by the end of the course.
Assignments, problem sets, exams
(high and low stakes)
Lectures, discussions, readings, in-class practice opportunities

To ensure alignment: backward design instruction assessment objectives
Design learning experiences
Determine acceptable evidence
Identify desired results
Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, Understanding By Design (2005)

Everything hinges on course objectives
Effective course objectives are...
• Student-centered
• Active
• Measurable
Why is B preferable to A?
A B
Learn about the French
Revolution
Explain the political, economic, and social factors that led to the French Revolution.

Exercise
What’s wrong with these learning objectives, and how could they be improved?
1. Give students a firm foundation in linear algebra.
2. Understand random vectors.
Understanding is invisible. What should students be able to do that would demonstrate understanding?

#4 Select content
Topics
Themes
Units
Texts

#5 Organize and sequence
How can you organize the material most logically?
How can assignments build from simple to complex?
What scheduling issues must you consider?

#6 Write your syllabus!

Conclusions: When designing a course...
1. Determine situational factors
2. Consider your students
3. Create the three basic components:
4. Select content
5. Organize and sequence
6. Write your syllabus

We can help! The Eberly Center offers:
• Graduate teaching seminars
• One-on-one consultations
• Web resources: www.cmu.edu/teaching

Solve a Teaching Problem tool helps you find appropriate strategies for common teaching problems.
Design and Teach
Your Course is loaded with useful information and examples
Check out our website

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M collectedwisdomFCBC-toprint.pdf 8/7/07 4:42:01 PM
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