By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Welcome to fall and the beginning of courses in most institutions. It is that time of year when we create new or revise old syllabi for the courses we will be teaching. It also may be a chance to review syllabi written by others. This month, I will try to bring a fresh perspective to the principles and practice of honoring the syllabus.

Importance of a Syllabus
Ideally, a syllabus should be a map that explains what students need to do to learn the material and succeed. It should be a guide and a resource for students and also for us as we move through a semester or quarter or unit. Therefore, the more explicit the document, the more helpful it can be to all its audiences that consult it.

There are many roles a syllabus plays in college. It explains the details of the course – title, credits, dates, time, location, and teacher – for students. For institutional purposes, it contains the course description, information about prerequisites and assessment information. For academic leaders, it contains information about reading and other assignments and about the schedule of topics and course policies. It also provides a historic record for registrars, transfer coordinators, and other administrators about what happened in a course taught some time ago and often at a different institution.

Contents of a Syllabus
Although many of us have been using syllabi for years, most have not considered all the parts that should – according to best practices – be included in a syllabus. They include:

• Course details – title, number, number of credits, course description, prerequisites, and special details
• Your teaching philosophy and approach to the course – not something usually included but important information about the structure of the course, the reasons for your organization, and what you expect of students
• Outline of topics – schedule of class meetings with topics for each session and assignments for each class meeting
• Assignments – information about what assignments are required including papers, tests, quizzes, presentations, projects, field trips, group work, etc. that students will be expected to complete for the course as well as information about their due dates
• Evaluation information – grading mix, methods of evaluation, criteria you will apply to each assignment, rubrics, and other assessment details
• Reading materials – both required books and materials as well as recommended reading assignments and bibliography

A good syllabus should provide anyone who reads it with a wide range of information about the purpose and structure of the course and show students how to succeed. Ironically, most of us do not think to explain our attitude toward the subject of the course, our approach to the field, or our teaching philosophy. Often we just write syllabi like we have seen others; however, there are ways to create syllabi more interesting and useful to our students.

Advice About Writing a Syllabus
There are several ways to make more effective syllabi, recognizing that there may be institutional requirements – such as policy statements, ways to purchase books and other materials, and penalties – about what you have to place in your syllabi. However try the following four suggestions, which are aimed at making syllabi more useful for students:

1. Write it out for your students.Think about what they need to know to be successful in the course. Explain assignments that are not self-explanatory, provide more information than you think is necessary, especially if you are teaching first year students or a course that is the first one in a series. Provide reasons for the assignments as well as important details.
2. Write it in the second person point of view as if you are talking quietly with a student. Explaining things from this perspective invites your students to feel more connected, and they can relate to the points you make. Writing in the second person point of view invites their participation and ownership while writing it in the third person point of view – “the student will” – distances most students from feeling that it is their course.
3. Try to be explicit and comprehensive. The more information you provide to students the easier it is for them to understand the requirements of an assignment and the reasons for an assignment. Sometimes, we just assume that they know why we make certain assignments, but often what is clear to us is not so clear to students unless we are careful to write it out and share our thinking. It also helps us remember what role we intended the assignment to play in their learning the material.
4. Revise the syllabus every time you teach the course. Reading it over may show you something that can be clearer, or encourage you to provide some additional information. It also gives you new ideas for restructuring the order of the topics, the particular aspects of the assignments, or the ways in which you will conduct the evaluation. Sometimes, I find a syllabus I thought was complete lacked some critical information since I had thought about it but not written it clearly enough.

Try these ideas remembering that the syllabus is designed for your students and not for your supervisors. It may change your perspective and your attitude about creating a syllabus.

Summary
These ideas may help you write your syllabi and help your students in ways you have not considered. Next month, we will discuss the ways to keep the syllabus alive during the semester. If you have suggestions for other topics or teaching practices you want to share, send them to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I will include them in future Mayo’s Clinics.

Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT, is retired as a clinical professor of hotel and tourism management at New York University. As principal of Mayo Consulting Services, he continues to teach around the globe and is a regular presenter at CAFÉ events nationwide.