Academic Affairs provides Syllabus Templates, please take a moment to download the approved and accessible syllabus template to ensure your syllabus can be read anytime anywhere:
In addition, watch a short video on the features that make the syllabus (and any MS Word document) accessible.
“The most powerful forms of purposefulness arise when students see the ability of their learning to make the world a better place…self-transcendent purpose produced the strongest driver for students to persist through challenging academic tasks.” (Lang, 2016, p.175 Small Teaching)
- Introduce the syllabus on the first day of class to establish the course roadmap for success, climate, and expectations
- Infuse learning with a sense of purpose, activating curiosity – connect to the course purpose: on your syllabus, individual assignments, writing on the board, opening and closing minutes of class
- Connect with students – get to class early, use electronic communications to create community (open the zoom a few minutes early, announcements, discussions, social media)
- Tell great stories, they have a special power to capture and maintain interest (key discoveries in your field, major thinkers, your field experiences, current events, your reading/research)
- Share your enthusiasm and passion, demonstrate how you care about what you’re teaching
- Show compassion, especially in these challenging times, offer responses to student challenges that keep learning happening in your course (we don’t know the challenges they face)
Additional Resources: