How to Write a Syllabus

If you are teaching a class or workshop a syllabus is a necessity. The syllabus allows you to communicate everything your students or participants need to know before the class begins. If you need to write a syllabus but have never before done, keep reading for help.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Determine the objective of the class or workshop. You want to be clear about what is being taught, the goals of the course and what those who take the course will get out of it.

2. Set the dates for the course you are teaching. Be as specific as you can with dates, marking holidays, days off or times class may be canceled.

3. Explain as explicitly as possible what is supposed to be covered each class session. You want to cover all of the main topics that are to be covered on a particular day but also explain the details of those main topics as thoroughly as possible.

4. Provide assignment due dates as well as dates of exams on the syllabus.

5. Explain class expectations in the syllabus. Expectations should be as detailed as possible and include but not limited to, class participation, quality of work and cell phone policy.

6. Set the attendance policy for the course if there is one. Attendance policy should cover how many classes or sessions can be missed and what the penalties are for missing the allotted number of classes or sessions.

7. Add your contact information to the syllabus. Those taking the course need to know how to get in contact with you should anything come up or if they have any questions.

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on 5/9/2009 this seems like a really good how-to for syllabus writing. often times, the schedule for the course may change for various reasons or one might accrue absences but it is always helpful to have a syllabus to look to to stay caught up with course work and find ways to contact the instructor if there are difficulties or concerns.