Christian A. Johnson Institute for Effective Teaching

SYLLABUS ELEMENTS

Course title and number________________________________________

REQUIRED BY FACULTY HANDBOOK

Professor, office number, office hours, phone, fax, email_____________
Course description and rationale_________________________________
Course goals__________________________________________________
Types of assessment procedures__________________________________
Required texts and readings______________________________________
Assignments, due dates, accountability measures_____________________
Evaluation Criteria______________________________________________
Grading procedures_____________________________________________
Absence and tardiness policies____________________________________
GOOD PRACTICES:
Meeting time and place_________________________________________
Rationale for types of learning experiences_________________________
Study suggestions______________________________________________
Supplementary sources__________________________________________
Course structure and calendar____________________________________
Project instructions_____________________________________________
Academic honesty policies________________________________________
What are Course Goals?
- statements of what students will be able to do when they have successfully completed the instructional activities of the course.

What are Learning Objectives?
- specific performance statements for each class or instructional unit that are based on skills and abilities identified in the Course Goals

Why are Course Goals and Learning Objectives important?

They are guides to:
1) selection of content
2/ development of an instructional strategy
3) development and selection of instructional materials
4) construction of tests and other instruments for assessing student learning outcomes

When should Course Goals and Learning Objectives be written?
-after you determine WHAT CONTENT is to be taught and what the students should
ALREADY KNOW from previous learning experiences

What are the major components of Course Goals and Learning Objectives?

1) a description of the observable behavior the student will be able to perform (action verb)
2) the conditions under which the student will perform the task (tools, references. aids)
3) the criteria for evaluating the student’s performance (how well, which cognitive level)

How do you write Course Goals and Learning Objectives?

1) start each statement with an active verb
2) focus on student performance, not teacher performance
3) focus on product, not process
4) focus on terminal behavior, not subject matter

What are some examples?

COURSE GOAL: Given a set of data, the student will be able to conduct an appropriate
statistical analysis to test a given hypothesis

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Given a set of data, the student will be able to compute the
standard deviation accurately.

What are SMART goals and objectives?

Specific
Measurable
Action-oriented
Realistic
Time-limited

ACTIVE VERBS FOR GOAL STATEMENTS:

Analyze, annotate, apply, appraise, arrange, assess, calculate, change, choose, classify,
Collect, combine, compare, compose, contrast, convert, create, criticize, deduce, define, demonstrate, derive, design, determine, differentiate, discriminate, dissect, distinguish, draw, earn, employ, estimate, evaluate, exercise, exert, expand, extrapolate, interpret, judge, justify, label, list, locate, make, manipulate, match, modify, name, negotiate, offer, operate, perform, plan, point, predict, produce, project, propose, qualify, quantify, quote, rate, read, recite, repeat, reproduce, restate, reveal, revise, select, separate, show, sketch, transfer, transform, translate, use, weigh, write

QUESTIONS TO GUIDE YOUR PLANNING:

1. Why is it important for students to take this course? What should they be certain to learn? What is the essence, mission statement, or rationale for this course? How does it fit in the major or General Education requirements?

2. What specific concepts, attitudes, and cognitive abilities should be evident in students as a result of this course? When a student has successfully completed this course, what can we be sure he/she has gained?

3. Given your answer to the first two questions, what are your goals (usually 5 or 6) for this course?

4. What kinds of teaching methodologies, learning experiences, materials and assignments are most appropriate for these course goals? How can students learn best?

5. How will the goals for this course be assessed? In other words, how will you know that the students have achieved the goals and that your teaching strategies have been effective? What does the student have to do to prove to you that he/she has met these goals?