Thinking about the syllabus

In the winding down of one semester into the next, the subject of syllabi has occupied my thoughts. I have been encountering other blog posts and the research they contain on the choices we can make to develop more learner-centered syllabi.

The topic has been a focus of mine since our university adopted the policy of syllabi being made available on our learning management site two weeks prior to the start of the semester. As a result, the syllabus has become an enduring introduction of me to my students: it is their first encounter. This first impression will set the tone and impact both students' continued enrollment during the Add/Drop period and their persistence in the course.

A useful schema for determining the qualities of a learner-centered syllabus can be found in Richmond, Slattery, Mitchell, Morgan and Becknell's (2016) work in student perceptions of teachers. the researchers found students who encountered the learner-centered variety perceived the professor to be more "creative, caring, happy, and enthusiastic" (p. 165).

It can follow that projecting these qualities from the start can lead students to consider me as more approachable. This, in turn, can foster persistence and success.

As I prepare my syllabus for the next semester, I am reviewing the moments when language, tone, and organization can be adjusted to make the students' first encounter with me and the course a cause for excitement to engage.

References

Richmond, A.S., Slattery, J.M., Mitchell, N., Morgan, R.K., & Becknell, J. (2016). Can a learner-centered syllabus change students’ perceptions of student–professor rapport and master teacher behaviors? Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 2(3), 159-168.