Creating a Course Syllabus

Access resources and guidance to apply the Stevens syllabus template in your course.

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The following information was adapted from Syllabus Design Guide

Your syllabus is so much more than a course contract. It serves many functions in a class. In The Course Syllabus: A Learning Centered Approach (2008, 2nd Ed.), Judith Grunert O’Brien, Barbara J. Millis, and Margaret W. Cohen indicate that a well-designed syllabus can:

serve as a learning contract
set the tone for the course
communicate your expectations to your students
outline all of the topics you plan to teach in your course
guide students through their learning
inform students of the logistics of the course
tell students how to succeed in your course
include supplemental resources
provide available student support resources

Stevens Syllabus Template

The Stevens syllabus template can help you to create a course syllabus that serves all the purposes above. The Stevens syllabus template is based on best practices in higher education and was developed with input from faculty, students, academic administrators, and instructional designers from within and outside Stevens. The template includes all of relevant institutional policies, procedures, and resources that faculty are required to include in their syllabi. 

University policy requires that all instructors provide students with a syllabus that conforms to the Steven syllabus template and make that syllabus available to students through Canvas no later than the first day of classes. You can access the Stevens syllabus template directly through Canvas.

Check out this step-by-step video tutorial on how to upload and publish your syllabus in Canvas.

Supplemental Resources

Bart, M. (2017, June 24). A Learner-Centered Syllabus Helps Set the Tone for Learning. Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-classroom-management/a-learner-centered-syllabus-helps-set-the-tone-for-learning/
Weimer, M. (2011). What Does Your Syllabus Say About You and Your Course? Faculty Focus. http://info.magnapubs.com/blog/articles/teaching-professor-blog/what-does-your-syllabus-say-about-you-and-your-course/

References

Doolittle., P., & Danielle L. (2007). The effects of institutional classification and gender on faculty inclusion of syllabus components. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 7, 62-78.
Riviere, J., Picard, D. R., & Coble, R. (2016) Syllabus design guide. Vanderbilt University. http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/syllabus-design/
Wasley, P. (2008). The syllabus becomes a repository of legalese. The Chronicle of Higher Education. 54(27), A1.

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