Back to Basics: Engaging Students With Your Syllabus

Concurrent Session 3

Brief Abstract

In a recent Chronicle article, the question was raised about "How to Solve the Student-Disengagement Crisis." One featured expert drew our attention to the founding document of any course--the syllabus. This session offers hands-on strategies and deliverables to combat disengagement and promote inclusion and interaction. While the entire world looks to gamification and technology, this session hones in on the back-to-basics strategies that are available for any type or level of instructor to utilize in their syllabus (and other course documents). 

 

Presenters

Extended Abstract

In a recent Chronicle article, the question was raised about "How to Solve the Student-Disengagement Crisis." One featured expert drew our attention to the founding document of any course--the syllabus. This session offers hands-on strategies and deliverables to combat disengagement and promote inclusion and interaction. While the entire world looks to gamification and technology, this session hones in on the back-to-basics strategies that are available for any type or level of instructor to utilize in their syllabus (and other course documents). 

The strategies include, but are not limited to: 

  • using inclusive language (how to make a syllabus sound inclusive without losing your authority)
  • creating a descriptive and real-world-focused course description
  • writing learning objectives that don't sound like a textbook
  • developing specific syllabus sections that speak to students and the importance of mental health
  • showcasing vulnerability within syllabi policies
  • road-mapping how to succeed
  • being "real" about the outcomes of a course (i.e., this course is not meant to make you an expert in accounting, but rather teach you how to make manager-level decisions in your career)
  • formatting your syllabus for accessibility

While many of these topics seem basic, many syllabi lack anything other than "contract" language. Students don't read syllabi because we do not make them readable. If we are going to re-engage students, we must be willing to engage them with our requirements, our writing style, our policies, and our expectations. 

This session will showcase a breadth of syllabi, including documentation around policies that work for both large and small enrollment courses. And the deliverables handed to attendees will be:

  • accessible syllabus templates (on a Google drive)
  • sample course descriptions that promote inclusivity and diversity
  • strategies to follow to make your own syllabus more engaging
  • suggested policies, success stories, and recommendations to promote student interaction
  • how-to, one page handouts to take home on key strategies and recommendations

As a long-term teacher in online education and director of a teaching center, I've seen the trends of disengagement that started even before the pandemic. And I don't think all of our problems with attendance, interaction, and engagement will be solved via technology and video. At the end of the day, our syllabi are our first impressions. So why not work harder to engage students from the start? To set their expectations from the beginning? And, to show them that we care about where they are, who they are, how they learn, and how they succeed. We must shift our perspective on how and why we use syllabi in our courses. Engaging ourselves is the first step in solving the student disengagement crisis.