A course syllabus is a document that communicates to the students the key content and expected
learning outcomes students might achieve as a result of participating in the course. The syllabus
should be a tool for students to promote their learning and self-assessment as they engage in the
learning process. This document may be used as a template for all course syllabi. Areas indicated
in orange are sections where each instructor adds information pertinent to his or her particular
course. Instructors are NOT limited to using only the information listed below.
Per ABET “The syllabi format should be consistent for each course, must not exceed two pages
per course, and, at a minimum, contain the following information:”

Department, course number, and title of course

Designation as a Required or Elective course

Course (catalog) description

Prerequisites

Textbook(s) and/or other required material

Course learning outcomes (measurable in terms of student performance)

Topics covered

Class/laboratory schedule, i.e., number of sessions each week and duration of each
session

Contribution of course to meeting the requirements of Criterion 5

Relationship of course to Program Outcomes

Person(s) who prepared this description and date of preparation
CoE additional syllabus recommendations
 Course Requirements
 Writing Style and Expectations: (In this section, instructors could indicate how
they want students’ written work formatted and which writing/citation style you
wish students to follow, ie
Writing Center
ASCE
IEEE Style Guidelines
 Computer equipment, access, software, etc.

Grading Policy

Assessment and evaluation of student learning outcomes

Academic Honesty:
http://pubs.wisc.edu/home/archives/gopher/special93/00000136.html

Disability Accommodations: McBurney Disability Resource Center:
http://www.mcburney.wisc.edu/information/scholarships/


Instructor contact information and office hours
Tutoring and Academic Assistance :
http://studentservices.engr.wisc.edu/classes/tutoring/
Sample
(Course Number and Title)
College of Engineering
(Semester and Year)
Can Use CoE Logo
INSTRUCTOR: (Name and title)
E-MAIL ADDRESS: (Insert here)
OFFICE LOCATION: (As appropriate, include building, room number, and phone number)
OFFICE HOURS: (As appropriate, indicate times and days of the week. Courses with online
components should inform students when the best time is to make contact with the instructor. )
COURSE DESCRIPTION: (Instructors should use the official Course Guide description.
Additional information may be added at the instructor’s discretion.)
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES: (Instructors should explain what the student should
know or be able to do at the end of the course. Course objectives should be written in
measurable terms and linked to the course assessment strategy.)
TEXTS: (List each text alphabetically by Author, Title, Publisher, Edition, and Date of
Publication. Listing ISBN numbers is also helpful to students.)
ASSESSMENT and GRADING POLICY: (In this section, students must be able to see how
they will be evaluated during the course. The weight that major assignments count towards the
final grade should be clear. How much an instructor will grade for participation, attendance,
special projects, group work, etc. should also be indicated here. The College of Engineering
uses the following grading scale: A, AB, B, BC, C, CD, D, and F.)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: (Instructors should choose which of the following items apply
to their course and include them under this section. All of these sub-headings are optional.)
Attendance/Participation: (An instructor’s attendance policy could be stated in this
section. Any attendance policy is, of course, the purview of each instructor. For onground courses, a typical attendance policy might be as follows: “Students who miss
more than six class sessions of a Monday-Wednesday-Friday course or four class
sessions of a Tuesday-Thursday course will fail the course.” For online courses, an
instructor’s attendance policy might reflect student participation in discussion threads and
online postings. Instructors with a lateness/tardiness policy could also state it in this
section.)
Writing Style and Expectations: (In this section, instructors could indicate how they
want students’ written work formatted and which writing/citation style you wish students
to follow, ie
ASCE
The Chicago Manual of Style (The University of Chicago Press)
IEEE Style Guidelines
Specific hardware, software, or access to library or CAE resources.
Academic Support: http://studentservices.engr.wisc.edu/classes/tutoring/
INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES: (may link to online resources)
Plagiarism: (All syllabi should include a statement on plagiarism and the consequences
that students face if they plagiarize in the course. The College Catalog includes a
standard statement on plagiarism that could be reprinted in any syllabus.)
Disability Accommodations: in accordance with federal, state, and
CoE guidelines.
CLASS SCHEDULE: (In this section, the instructor decides how much detail to list about
activities and assignments for individual days/weeks/months of the entire term. Even if the
schedule is tentative, a minimum of a week-by-week schedule should appear on all syllabi.
Typically, students are provided chronologically with many specific details regarding when
homework and assignments will be due, what topics will be covered and when, what the dates
are for exams, when there is no class due to breaks or holidays.
This chronology informs much of the substance of the course contract that exists between the
student and the instructor; however, the amount of course detail that is listed in this section is
determined by each individual instructor according to his or her own teaching methods.)