Creating a Syllabus

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Creating a Syllabus

• Graduate Student Teaching Seminar

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The Syllabus

• Helps set the tone for the semester
• Serves as a contract between student and
  instructor
• And should be treated as such a warning to both
  student and instructor
• Helps the student know what to do
• Helps the instructor plan the semester

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The Syllabus

• Most of you will have course coordinators that
  will provide you with a template for a syllabus

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Syllabus feedback

• To get feedback on your syllabus, have a friend
  look at it (doesnt need to be a math person)
• Have another TA for that class look at it
• Have your course coordinator look at it
• Each semester you will get feedback from you
  class directly or indirectly and can modify it
  from there

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Components of the syllabus

• Basic course and instructor info
• Goals for student learning
• Course graded components
• Course calendar
• Course policies
• Expectations
• Accommodations
• How to succeed/helpful resources

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Basic course and instructor info

• Your Name
• Course, Section, Time, Days, Place
• Your contact info Office Location, E-mail
  address
• Office hours Time, Day, Place
• Website or Blackboard information
• Text and other materials needed Software,
  Calculator
• Course Description, Goals for Student Learning

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Goals for student learning

• Provides a motivation for the class why they
  should be interested
• Why you are giving the assignments that you give
• Why you are giving the tests that you give
• Why you require from them the level that you do
• (And helps you as well plan activities for the
  semester)

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Goals for student learning

• Look at course coordinators syllabus for ideas or
  talk to your course coordinator about the
  department goals
• See if there are any classes that your class is a
  prerequisite for
• Look at course description in undergraduate
  catalog
• Look at the quantitative reasoning description in
  the undergraduate catalog

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Course graded components

• Percentage or Points breakdown
• Tests
• Homework
• Group Work
• Participation
• Presentations or Projects
• Quizzes
• Exam
• Final

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Course graded components

• How you going to structure each of those
  components
• How you are going to grade each of those
  components
• You may need to hand out a separate sheet that
  goes into more detail than the syllabus

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Course calendar

• Even a rough course calendar is better than none
  at all
• Can add the famous adage I reserve the right
  to modify this syllabus during the semester as
  needed to adjust the course to suit the needs of
  the students
• Calendar may include
• Sections covered
• Key dates
• Problems assigned/suggested

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Course policies

• Late homework
• Make-up exams
• Attendance (if not already included in discussion
  of participation credit)
• Academic Dishonesty
• Look to coordinator syllabus
• References to Hilltopics
• May also include repercussions for violations of
  this policy
• Student behavior

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Expectations

• Student Behavior cell phones, talking in class,
  rustling of bags before class is really over
• If you respect me, then I will respect you
• You as the instructor should take this advice to
  heart, and thing about respecting your students
• Student participation in class activities,
  attendance (if not already discussed above)

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Accommodations

• All instructors are encouraged to include in
  their syllabus, a statement inviting students
  with disabilities to meet with them in a
  confidential environment to discuss making
  arrangements for accommodations.
• Statement both normalizes the accommodation
  process, creates a positive and welcoming
  environment for students with disabilities.
• Statement creates a collaborative vehicle for
  making legally mandated accommodations.
• Serves as a reminder to students who need the
  accommodations that these arrangements need to be
  made.
• Example Any student who feels s/he may need an
  accommodation based on the impact of a disability
  should contact me privately to discuss your
  specific needs. Please contact the Office of
  Disability Services at 865-974-6087 in Hoskins
  Library to coordinate reasonable accommodations
  for students with documented disabilities.

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How to succeed/helpful resources

• You may want to outline a weeks preparation for
  class and remind them that you should be spending
  up to 9 hours outside of the classroom on the
  class
• Can include some resources for when they get
  stuck
• Math Tutorial Center Links and/or hours
• Black Cultural Center Tutoring
• Private Fee Tutoring