Office of the Provost - 2004 June 18
All faculty should provide a written syllabus for each of their courses. Departments must maintain current syllabi for all classes on file for at least six years.
The syllabus should include the following elements:
1) The instructor’s name and contact information, including office location; office hours; office phone; and office email address.
2) A schedule of class meetings and readings. Depending on the nature of the course, the department’s policy, and the instructor’s judgment, this schedule may be summary or detailed. Changes may of course occur; these should be communicated frequently to the class.
3) The dates and times of course examinations, including the final. If there may be unannounced tests, this should be stated.
4) Information on assignments and due dates. If late assignments will be accepted, this should be stated, including possible consequences such as lower grades.
5) A quantitative description of how students will be evaluated. It is important that your expectations about student evaluations be clear, as a frequent basis for student grade appeals is lack of clarity in evaluation criteria. A simple sentence stating the criteria to be used (e.g., midterm exams, term paper, final exam, and class participation), and the relative weight of each, may suffice.
In general, attendance may not be used in evaluating students, except in such cases as studio art and activity courses, laboratories, and practica, for which departments or individual instructors may have specific policies. However, class participation is normally a valid criterion. Students who are absent cannot contribute to or benefit from class discussions, presentations, and other activities. The consequences of non-participation should be stated.
The syllabus also should state any additional requirements departments may have, based on their academic programs. It may remind students of policies on academic integrity, including such issues as cheating and plagiarism.
See these examples of syllabi.