Course Syllabus Template

Syllabus Template
This template was designed by Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) staff to help faculty and graduate students create a syllabus that contains the most useful information to enhance student learning. Instructions for Use: Save this document to your hard drive. Put course-specific information in place of the material within the brackets. You can, of course add other information as desired. For further information about creating a syllabus, contact ctl-consultants@utlists.utexas.edu. *************************************************************

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Course Syllabus Template

[Title of Course] [Course Number] [Class Unique Number] [Interesting quote, motivating information]. [Semester/Year] [Class location] [Class Meeting time(s)] Instructor: Office Hours: TA: [Name and how youd like the students to address you e.g., Dr. Smith] [Office number, e-mail, phone] [scheduled + by appointment? Virtual Office Hours?]

[Name how he/she wants to be addressed] [Office number, e-mail, phone] Office Hours: [scheduled + by appointment? Virtual Office Hours?] Table of Contents (If your syllabus is over 4 pages, having a Table of Contents is extremely helpful)
I. Rationale.1 II. Course Aims and Objectives1 Aims Specific Learning Objectives III. Format and Procedures2 IV. Tentative Course Schedule.....3 Feedback Statement V. My Assumptions..4 VI. Course Requirements.4 Attendance and participation Religious Holy Days Readings/Materials Assignments/Assessments Use of Blackboard VII. Grading Procedures..5 VIII. Academic Integrity..5 UT Honor Code IX. Other University Notices and Policies.6 Use of e-mail Documented Disability Statement Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) Q-drop Policy

I. Rationale:
[Why does this course exist? How does it fit in with the rest of the field/areas curriculum? ]

II. Course Aims and Objectives: Aims

[Thinking from the prospective students point of view, what general outcomes is the course designed to achieve? How will it contribute to them personally/professionally?]

Specific Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course, students will: [List as specifically as possible the learning outcomes the course is intended to produce. It is helpful here to think about the kinds of evidence you will need to assess the students learning as your objectives should drive your assessment and grading schema. (See http://www.utexas.edu/academic/ctl/assessment/iar/students/plan/objectives/ and http://www.utexas.edu/academic/ctl/assessment/iar/students/plan/objectives/bloom.php for information about writing learning objectives.) [Kinds of evidence can be manifest in what students say, do, think and/or feel. What they say (as on an exam, paper, project, homework, etc., or in class discussion) is a reflection of their thinking. Feelings are often neglected in specifying course or class objectives, yet the research on the role of affect (emotions and feelings) in learning has been well documented and has been shown to have a significant influence and integration with cognitive learning. For example, if you were teaching a

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Course Syllabus Template course on ecology it would be difficult to do without addressing human values, which have an affective aspect to them. [If certain psychomotor skills are intended to be developed, the evidence will be in doing (as in a lab course where actions like titration, completing successful essays, collecting meaningful data and analyzing it are regular expectations) they should be articulated as clearly as possible. [A well-stated objective has two components: substance (content/subject matter like osmosis or absorption) and form: what action must the student perform with regards to the substance (compare and contrast, evaluate, analyze, apply, etc.)]

III. Format and Procedures:

[How is the course structured and how will classes be carried out? What behavioral expectations does the instructor have for the students in class? If the course has multiple formats (like lecture & recitation, lab and discussion, group learning projects and/or presentations) these should be explained clearly.]

IV. Tentative Course Schedule: **This syllabus represents my current plans and objectives. As we go
through the semester, those plans may need to change to enhance the class learning opportunity. Such changes, communicated clearly, are not unusual and should be expected.

Date 8/30

Main Topic(s) Introduction : meet Instructor, TA and

your classmates/ syllabus/childrens lit background/ discuss Reading Experience assignment/ discuss Author Study assignment

Work to do at home
Readings to be completed before class

Evaluation

9/6 9/13 9/20 9/27

Labor Day Holiday No Class Discuss readings Discuss readings Meet in PCL 2.400 Library Orientation to help prepare for research, Adrian Johnson, PCL Librarian Model of Author Study
Discuss authors background and attitude toward childrens writing influencing his/her writing using familiar authors/books Discuss elements of writing (good/bad) using childrens books. Discuss child-oriented and adult-oriented features of childrens books. Show variety of review journals with reviews regarding certain titles and discuss the differences in the approaches

Develop Third Hour Activity schedule

Read Cover to Cover, Introduction & Ch. 1 Read Cover to Cover, Ch. 2 Read Cover to Cover, Ch. 3

Turn in Third Hour Activity Schedule Experience Papers due

10/4

Read Cover to Cover, Ch. 4

10/11 10/18 10/25

Discuss readings Discuss readings Peer editing session (groups of 3 each

person in group will edit 2 papers then turn in for instructor feedback)

Read Cover to Cover, Ch. 5 Read Cover to Cover, Ch. 6

Author Study Rough Draft/ Start Final Copy Read Cover to Cover, Ch. 7 Author Study Rough Draft Due

Feedback Statement (to encourage students to respond to your requests for their feedback) (Sample) During this course I will be asking you to give me feedback on your learning in informal as well as formal ways, including through anonymous surveys about how my teaching strategies are helping or hindering your

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Course Syllabus Template learning. Its very important for me to know your reaction to what were doing in class, so I encourage you to respond to these surveys, ensuring that together we can create an environment effective for teaching and learning.

V. My Assumptions
[This is a section where the instructor can communicate his or her personal assumptions and/or biases regarding the course content to set it off from other similar courses and other instructors. Does the instructor have a unique operational definition for some of the core course concepts? What principles and/or beliefs held by the instructor about either the content or how to effectively learn the content would it be helpful for the students to know up front?]

VI. Course Requirements: 1. Class attendance and participation policy:

(a) Expected classroom behavior (may want to develop this with the students, e.g., What guidelines are appropriate for behavior and participation in a large class? [See last page of this handout for a sample.] (b) Ground Rules for participation in discussions or activities (c) Civility statement and code of conduct (**see A Word about Conduct in a College Classroom on p. 7) Religious Holy Days By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.

2. Course Readings/Materials:
(a) Titles, authors, and editions of textbooks and other materials, required and recommended (b) Cost and location of instructors course packet (c) Supplies needed (calculators, disks, CDs, lab supplies, art supplies, clickers, etc.) (d) Information on how to access e-reserves (e) URL for course website (f) Use of Course info? Download and bring handouts to class? (g) URLs for online resources

3. Assignments, Assessment, and Evaluation

(a) Policy concerning homework (grading, posting, late policy, etc.) (b) Policy concerning make-up exams (c) Policy concerning late assignments (d) Preliminary information on term papers or projects, with due dates (e) List of assignments that will impact the final grade and % weight given each (f) Description in detail of grading processes and criteria (how many quizzes, tests, papers; weighting of each; amount of homework, etc.) (g) Subject-to-change notice (h) List of critical dates for class administration (last day to drop without penalty, exam dates, (i) Date and time of Final Exam (available at http://registrar.utexas.edu/students/exams/ )

4. Use of Blackboard in class

(Sample) In this class I use Blackboarda Web-based course management system with password-protected access at http://courses.utexas.edu to distribute course materials, to communicate and collaborate online, to post grades, to submit assignments, and to give you online quizzes and surveys. You can find support in using Blackboard at the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., so plan accordingly.

VII. Grading Procedures: Grades will be based on: (a) (%) 4

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Course Syllabus Template

(b) (%) (c) (%) (d) (%)

[Keep in mind, as you decide the weighting for the different assignments and tasks you give students it will have a major impact on their effort distribution. For example, if you have many homework assignments and/or quizzes, but not any one of them will count significantly toward the final grade, students may invest less time and commitment to doing them. If a certain percentage of the students grades are based on class participation, what criteria will be used to make that assessment: quantity or quality? If quality, what determines quality? Providing a rubric for grading participation is advised. (See Discussion Participation Rubric) NOTE: For additional information about grading go to http://www.utexas.edu/academic/ctl/assessment/iar/students/plan/method/exams.php on the CTL website.

IX. Academic Integrity

University of Texas Honor Code The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community .

The text below is an EXAMPLE of what else you might include in this section. [Each student in this course is expected to abide by the University of Texas Honor Code. [See the UT Honor Code above.] Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own work. [Optional: For this course, collaboration is allowed in the following instances: list instances.] [You are encouraged to study together and to discuss information and concepts covered in lecture and the sections with other students. You can give "consulting" help to or receive "consulting" help from such students. However, this permissible cooperation should never involve one student having possession of a copy of all or part of work done by someone else, in the form of an e-mail, an e-mail attachment file, a diskette, or a hard copy. [Should copying occur, both the student who copied work from another student and the student who gave material to be copied will both automatically receive a zero for the assignment. Penalty for violation of this Code can also be extended to include failure of the course and University disciplinary action. [During examinations, you must do your own work. Talking or discussion is not permitted during the examinations, nor may you compare papers, copy from others, or collaborate in any way. Any collaborative behavior during the examinations will result in failure of the exam, and may lead to failure of the course and University disciplinary action.]

X. Other University Notices and Policies

Use of E-mail for Official Correspondence to Students

All students should become familiar with the University's official e-mail student notification policy. It is the
student's responsibility to keep the University informed as to changes in his or her e-mail address. Students are expected to check e-mail on a frequent and regular basis in order to stay current with University-related communications, recognizing that certain communications may be time-critical. It is recommended that e-mail be checked daily, but at a minimum, twice per week. The complete text of this policy and instructions for updating your e-mail address are available at
http://www.utexas.edu/its/help/utmail/1564 .

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Course Syllabus Template

Documented Disability Statement

Any student with a documented disability who requires academic accommodations should contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at (512) 471 !25" (voice) or 1 #!! $2" $"#! (video %hone)& 'aculty are not required to %rovide accommodations without an official accommodation letter from SSD& (Note to Faculty: Details of a students disability are confidential. Faculty should not ask questions related to a students condition or diagnosis when recei ing an official acco!!odation letter." (lease notify me as quic)ly as %ossible if the material bein* %resented in class is not accessible (e&*&+ instructional videos need ca%tionin*+ course %ac)ets are not readable for %ro%er alternative te,t conversion+ etc&)& (lease notify me as early in the semester as %ossible if disability related accommodations for field tri%s are required& Advanced notice will %ermit the arran*ement of accommodations on the *iven day (e&*&+ trans%ortation+ site accessibility+ etc&)& -ontact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471 !25" (voice) or 1 #!! $2" $"#! (video %hone) or reference SSD.s website for more disability related information/ htt%/00www&ute,as&edu0diversity0ddce0ssd0for1cstudents&%h%

Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns Advice Line to discuss by phone your concerns about another individuals behavior. This service is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512-2325050 or visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal. Q drop Policy 2he State of 2e,as has enacted a law that limits the number of course dro%s for academic reasons to si, (!)& As stated in Senate 3ill 12$1/ 43e*innin* with the fall 2557 academic term+ an institution of hi*her education may not %ermit an under*raduate student a total of more than si, dro%%ed courses+ includin* any course a transfer student has dro%%ed at another institution of hi*her education+ unless the student shows *ood cause for dro%%in* more than that number&6 Emergency Evacuation Policy Occupants of buildings on the UT Austin campus are required to evacuate and assemble outside when a fire alarm is activated or an announcement is made. Please be aware of the following policies regarding evacuation: Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of the classroom and the building. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when you entered the building. If you require assistance to evacuate, inform me in writing during the first week of class. In the event of an evacuation, follow my instructions or those of class instructors. Do not re-enter a building unless youre given instructions by the Austin Fire Department, the UT Austin Police Department, or the Fire Prevention Services office .

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