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This phrase expresses our frustration when students asking for information you have painstakingly provided in the designated course document. But let’s admit it: we are in a habit of glossing over long documents filled with policy language. So how can students be held accountable to the content and understand its value to their success? Using a syllabus quiz has become a popular strategy, but there are additional authentic ways to make students adept syllabus navigators.

How to Help Students Use the Syllabus

1. Write strategic syllabus quiz questions.

A multiple-choice syllabus quiz at least guarantees additional contact with syllabus text, but ask questions that require more than a keyword search. Get students to think about situations for consulting the syllabus. Use questions to give students a preview of what they will learn. Here are a few examples:

• What happens if I am out of class for more than a week due to illness?
• How many class sessions will be held online?
• Are we having class on the day before Thanksgiving?
• During which week will we start conducting primary research?
• How do I turn in assignments? 
• If campus is closed due to weather, what happens next?

2. Create a guided annotated syllabus activity.

Alternative to a quiz, you can ask students to upload their own annotated version of the syllabus, taking note of what is most relevant to them. With this activity provide guided questions that draw their attention to common challenges and motivators in the course specific to your course and modality. See a sample syllabus review activity from my asynchronous WRT 1060 course, a required writing foundations course at OU.

3. Invite students to express concerns.

As a convenient way to hear from students early in the semester, end the course orientation quiz by asking a yes/no question like, “Based on the syllabus content and activity questions, how might you address your concerns about  succeeding in the course (if any)?” Whether or not students add detail, I follow up with each student who expresses a concern, as we can often quell these concerns from Week 1. For faculty with larger courses, I recommend following up with students with a stock message inviting them to visit you during office hours, consult their academic adviser, or email you.  

4. Start (or end) each week with the syllabus.

It can be challenging to consult the syllabus continually. Start each week with the question “Where are we in the syllabus?” This gives students plenty of practice with the syllabus’ organization and reinforces that class activities are planned within the larger design of the course.

5. Ask students to link class activities to course learning outcomes.

Course learning outcomes appear early in the syllabus, but are often glossed over. Connecting individual activities to learning outcomes shows students how they are building their observable skills, which makes them more invested in giving each activity their best effort. 

6. Invite directed student feedback on the syllabus.

This works best at the beginning of the semester, but can be done at any point. To avoid being met with blank stares, use a survey or notecards in class to ask students 1-3 pointed questions:

• What do you most appreciate about this course’s syllabus design?
• What seems to be missing? What extra information would be helpful to include in the syllabus?
• Should any of these policies be reconsidered? Why?
• What would make this syllabus easier to use?

Whenever students provide feedback, follow up by explaining how you have considered the feedback.

7. Refer to the syllabus in class and homework activities.

Show students that the syllabus is also your roadmap. By referring to the syllabus explicitly, you communicate its value and relevance beyond Day 1.

Syllabus Resources at OU

For more syllabus design considerations, visit CETL’s Syllabus Resources page.

Written and designed by Christina Moore, Associate Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at OU. Others may share and adapt under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC.

Can a syllabus get students excited for your course? What will keep students coming back to it? These seven design elements can help students get the most out of your syllabus, prepare them for the course, and focus the class on the learning goals ahead. The Engaging Syllabus Design: OU Example illustrates all of these design elements.

Write an introductory message with a personable explanation of the syllabus’ layout.

An official welcome to the course can be your “pitch” for the course--why they should read on and be excited about what lays ahead of them. Bain (2004) promotes a “promising” tone in the syllabus, which states what students have to gain from your course in broad and specific terms. From there, use a paragraph or two to simplify the navigation of the syllabus: explain which sections explain what materials they need to be ready, how they can plan ahead with the course schedule, and what a typical class session will look like. Explain how policies and “ground rules” are meant to support students and make sure they achieve their goals.

Humanize yourself in the “Professor Information” section.

Along with the logistical information students need to contact you, use this section as an opportunity to help students understand who is leading them through this learning environment.

• With your name, explain how you should be addressed. Many higher-ed op-eds have been dedicated to the topic of how students should address you, and students feel a tension around this topic, as they are told different things by different faculty. Help students navigate this etiquette by explaining directly how they should address you.

• Include an identifying image, whether a profile photo, avatar, or different image that represents you. Use this image in your Moodle and email profiles as well.

• Share a brief bio. Explain your work and academic experience to give students an idea of how you arrived to the front of their classroom. Share your talents outside of course content, hobbies, and other relatable info about yourself.

• Express your goals and values as it relates to their success. This can be done in a couple of brief sentences and can enforce that you can work with them beyond speaking from the pulpit. Express if you are most passionate about promoting undergraduate research, service learning, internships, and other student success opportunities that extend beyond tests and homework.

Condense policy “legalese,” and link out as needed.

While policies get bogged down with fine print, they serve important purposes for students. We want students to feel safe, supported, respected, and responsible. We want students to know the “ground rules” well ahead of time so that they avoid unpleasant situations later on. Yet the more text we include in these policies, the less likely students are to benefit from them. Therefore, consider how you can condense policies to the main points students need to know, and provide students links to more information as they need it. 

Articulate protocol in positives rather than negatives.

Without altering course policies, how can you emphasize positive opportunities rather than penalties? For example, if late assignments receive half credit, explain that these assignments can “earn up to half credit” rather than “lose half credit.” It can also help to briefly explain the rationale for these rules.

Explain learning expectations, with concrete ways to meet them.

All of the information on our syllabi can still leave students wondering how much time they should expect to dedicate to a course. If students repeatedly seem to misunderstand what is expected of them in and out of class, consider explicitly stating some of these expectations. Here are a few examples.

• Modes for asking questions. When should students email you with a question? What other options are available to them? 
• Technology backup plan. Explain how students should use cloud storage and plan on alternative ways to access internet to prevent losing their digital work.
• Frequency of Moodle and email access. How often should students check their email for class updates? How often should they be monitoring their grades? 

Identify opportunities for the class to personalize their syllabus.

• Design the banner image that should go at the top of the syllabus
• Define “ground rules” for respect and civility (e.g. how to facilitate controversial discussions, technology use).
• Suggest policies and resources that should be added.

Use heading styles and links in an electronic version of the syllabus.

As you create your syllabus in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, use the headings styles to organize sections of the document. This creates a clickable outline that allows students (and you) to easily navigate the syllabus. Consider sharing this Word or Google Docs version of the syllabus as well so that students can take advantage of this clickable document. Sharing an electronic version also allows you to link out to additional resources and OU websites without further bogging down the syllabus. e-LIS’ Help Doc on Digitally Accessible Documents explains and illustrates heading styles.

Syllabus Resources at OU

For more syllabus design considerations, visit CETL’s Syllabus Resources page.

Save and adapt a Google Doc version of this teaching tip.

Written and designed by Christina Moore, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Oakland University. Updated November 20, 2020. Others may share and adapt under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC.

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