1. Syllabus Design and Resources, Part 1
Professional Development
Self-Study By
Aaron Kurdle
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

2. Preface Not all syllabi are created equal and not all syllabi
serve the same purpose.
“The Student Syllabus is the students, colleges,
and instructors guarantee and guide of course quality
and student learning outcomes”
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

3. Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College
Course Objectives
State the purpose of a Master Syllabus
Define the elements of a beginning Student Syllabus
Compare and contrast the difference between a Master Syllabus and a Student Syllabus
Pass, with at least an 80%, a quiz on this professional development
Write and submit an electronic Student Syllabus to meet, at least, the minimum (beginning) college standards
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

4. Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College
Introduction
Syllabus Design and Resources, Part 1, is a Professional Development (PD) that is mandatory for all instructors. Its purpose is to advise and inform instructors of the college’s minimum requirements in creating their course’s Student Syllabus and to differentiate it from a Master Syllabus.
The syllabus is a fixture in American Higher Education. It has evolved from the basic course, instructor, classroom, and meeting time to be a method and means of defining the educational process in the classroom at every level. At Wentworth College (WMAC) we use two types of syllabus’:
The Master Syllabus; and.
The Student Syllabus.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

5. Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College
Master Syllabus
Where the Master Syllabus is short (usually one page) and describes the course design, the Student Syllabus is usually two or more pages and more descriptive of each element of the course. Specifically, it is detailed with the student’s requirements and responsibilities in the classroom to successfully complete the course.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

6. Master Syllabus (cont’d)
The Master Syllabus is the starting point of any course. It defines the design and framework to which the course is to be offered and for the college credit to be awarded. It is the College’s minimum expectation of what you the instructor need to accomplish with your student in the course. For the purposes of this professional development (PD), we will only work with Master Syllabus’ for established classes. The process for course creation is beyond the scope of this PD.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

7. Master Syllabus (cont’d)
The Master Syllabus is never satisfactory to use as a Student Syllabus.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

8. Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College
Student Syllabus
For all courses, the Student Syllabus is the guide and control of course quality. It should tell the student:
What they will learn;
How they will learn; and,
How they will be assessed.
It should also achieve the Master Syllabus’ stated objectives and translate them into learning outcomes.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

9. Student Syllabus (cont’d)
It is a mandatory requirement of the college that an updated electronic copy of your student syllabus be submitted for every course in every semester. Additionally, the Student Syllabus is due before the first day of class.
There are two exceptions to this policy:
If you are teaching multiple sections of the same course, one Student Syllabus is satisfactory for all sections.
If you are a Dual Credit/Enrollment instructor in a High School based program, your Student Syllabus is due on or before the Friday at the end of the third week of classes at your school. (This is because this type of Student Syllabus must also contain the requirements to be met for High School credit and must usually also be approved locally. )
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

10. Master Syllabus Defined
At Wentworth, the Master Syllabus contains important information for the course you are teaching. Additionally, this information describes what the course is and is meant to achieve. It is the product of the college’s process for developing a course, defining a course, and specifying elements of the course that may not be changed.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

11. Elements of the Master Syllabus
Course prefix and number
Course Title
Credit hours
Catalog Description
Prerequisites/ Co-requisites
Text
Course Objectives
Topical Outline
Each element is defined more thoroughly in the companion Adobe pdf document, page 3, available on the web-site. This resource is a written version of this slide show. In all cases, to effectively write a Student Syllabus, you must have and review the Master Syllabus for the course you are instructing. It is highly recommended that you review all resource documents for any professional development.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

12. Student Syllabus Defined
The Student Syllabus is not as easily defined as the Master Syllabus. This is because there are literally hundreds of ways an effective student syllabus can be achieved. Using the principals of the Center for Teaching Excellence, at Carnegie Melon University, we will outline the minimum requirements for a Student Syllabus. The requirements will be illustrated in the context of the Syllabus Evaluation Rubric (SER) and a Generic Sample Syllabus (both available for download at the web page for professional development).
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

13. Student Syllabus Defined (cont’d)
When writing a Student Syllabus, the instructor should consider how it will be used by the student. In many cases, this may be even more basic: How you the instructor want the student to use it. You must consider that freshman level students may not know what a syllabus is or how to use it. This then becomes a high impact teaching opportunity for you on the first day of class and a learning opportunity for the student. This is also considered a Freshman Competency.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

14. Student Syllabus Defined (cont’d)
The Syllabus Evaluation Rubric (SER), classifies Student Syllabus as Beginning, Emerging, and Exemplary. This PD, Syllabus and Design and Resources, Part One, uses only those parts of the SER that address the minimum college requirements for a beginning Student Syllabus. Syllabus and Design and Resources, Part Two, address’ the entire SER and is an optional PD.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

15. Student Syllabus Defined (cont’d)
The Syllabus Evaluation Rubric (SER) presented in this training is based on the rubric published by the Center for Teaching Excellence and will be the model we use to inform and suggest how to write your syllabus. Rows will specify a syllabus component and columns the level of achievement (the learning outcome if you will). A syllabus may exceed all minimum standards. The college’s minimum standard includes both Beginning and Emerging criterion. The following criterion are excerpted from the SER. The full SER is a downloadable resource.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

16. SER Criterion (College minimum Standards)
Course Description
Emerging
Instructor Name, contact Information, class time, class location, and course description
Also, the required textbook and materials, as well as any optional material, should be stated.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

17. SER Criterion (College minimum Standards)
Course Outcomes
Emerging
As a minimum, the list of course objectives from the Master Syllabus must be included.
Some sample action verbs for student learning outcomes, are: analyzes, applies, compares, computes, concludes, creates, critiques, describes, evaluates, explains, and relates
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

18. SER Criterion (College minimum Standards)
Class Schedule
Beginning
A schedule that outlines the semester dates by which book section(s) or topic is scheduled to be covered that week
This is an opportunity to include the expected learning outcomes, you the instructor, wish to achieve (Course Outcomes- Emerging to Exemplary). It is also an opportunity to outline the Assignments Required- Beginning to Exemplary. (See full SER for more details)
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

19. SER Criterion (College minimum Standards)
Academic Policies and Procedures
Beginning
The college requires that you include the Mission Statement, college Plagiarism statement, and the instructor’s attendance policy.
These are available in the Generic Sample Syllabus provided by the college in this PD’s resources.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

20. SER Criterion (College minimum Standards)
Assessment of Students’ Learning
Beginning
The College Grading Scale must be included.
The college uses a straight A, B, C, D, and F grading scale conforming to the 4.0 grading scale. The traditional 90% and above score is an A, etc..
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

21. SER Criterion (College minimum Standards)
Assessment of Students’ Learning (Continued)
Beginning
Additionally, the instructor’s Final Exam policy (that conforms to the college policy) must also be stated.
The college final exam policy is that every student is required to take a Final Exam, regardless of their grade in the course, and it should be worth at least 15% but no more than 25% of their final course grade.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

22. SER Criterion (College minimum Standards)
Assessment of Students’ Learning (Continued)
Beginning
If the course is a Site or Dual Credit course, a statement that a Final Exam Insert (FEI), provided by WMAC, will be part of the exam and the percentage value assigned to it
For Dual Credit and Site based courses, a Final Exam Insert will be provided. It must count as a minimum of 20% but no more than 25% of the Final Exam score.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

23. SER Criterion (College minimum Standards)
Opportunities for Students to provide evaluative course input
Beginning
A statement that the students will be given the opportunity to fill out the “End of Course Survey”
All courses in all sections (including Dual Credit) in every semester must give the “End of Course Survey” within the last 3 weeks of class.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

24. Finishing this Professional Development and Resources
The resources available for this PD, available at , are:
Resource
Description
1. Syllabus Evaluation Rubric (SER)
Center for Teaching Excellence, at Carnegie Melon University , Adobe pdf document
2. Generic Sample Student Syllabus
A word document that is a rough outline of the minimum requirements for a Student Syllabus.
3. MA 111 College Algebra, Beginning Student Syllabus
An actual sample course syllabus that meets the colleges minimum standards.
4. MA 111 College Algebra, Beginning Student Syllabus for Dual Credit courses
An actual sample syllabus that meets minimum college standards and integrates common dual credit requirements.
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College

25. Finishing this Professional Development and Resources
To finish this Professional Development, accomplish the following 2 steps:
Click the Take Quiz link at , for this PD. When you click submit, the results are automatically ed to the college. It is open note and open book.
Write a Student Syllabus for your course that satisfies at least the minimum college requirements, and an electronic copy to: Instructors on the Lexington campus, ; If a Site or On-line instructor or, If a Dual Credit instructor .
Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College