Questions to Ask about a Syllabus

Components of a Syllabus

Using the handout "Components of a Course Syllabus," and a rating scale where 1 = incipient, 2= proficient, and 3= exemplary, how well does the syllabus address each of these components, as appropriate?

Basic Information

Course Description

Materials

Requirements

Policies

Schedule

Resources

Statement on Accommodation

Rights

Evaluation of the Course

Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Disclaimer

Content of a Syllabus: Research Assignments

Questions about Research Assignments/Projects
(adapted from Von Hoene, L. Syllabus Evaluation, Mellon Summer Institute, 2003)

  1. What research assignments are part of the course?  How well do the assignments represent the sequence of steps in the research process?

  2. What are the objectives of the research assignments both in terms of content and research skills development?

  3. What is the relationship of the research assignments and their objectives to the overarching course goals?

  4. What skills do students need in order to undertake these research assignments?

  5. To what extent do students possess research skills prior to the start of the class?  How is that known?

  6. What specific tools and assignments can be put in place to help students develop skills through each step of the research process?

  7. How does the syllabus represent the steps involved in the research process?

  8. Are students given sufficient information in the syllabus to prepare them effectively to complete the research assignments?

 

Content of a Syllabus: General

General Questions
(adapted from Bain, K. Teaching as Scholarship; retrieved 6-01-04 from http://www.nyu.edu/cte/Scholars.html)

  1. How does the course begin? Why does it begin where it does?

  2. What do the students do as the course unfolds?

  3. In what ways does the course teach students how scholars work in the discipline (the methods and values that shape how knowledge claims are made and adjudicated within the field)?

  4. In what ways does the course teach students how scholars in the field reason from evidence?

  5. What big questions will the course help students answer?

  6. What intellectual abilities (or qualities) will the course help students develop?

  7. In what ways, if any, will this course connect with experiences students have had in other courses?

  8. What will students find most engaging or fascinating about the course?

  9. Where will students encounter their greatest difficulties of either understanding or motivation?

  10. How does the course end? Why does it end as it does?

  11. At the end of the course what should students come away with? Or question?

Barbara Gross Davis, UC Berkeley, 2005