Fall 2017 Syllabus Guidelines
Elements of an Effective Course Syllabus
I. Overview
II. Syllabus Checklist
III. Other Elements to Consider
Revised: 5July2017
I. OVERVIEW
MCCCD Administrative Regulation 3.6 Distribution of Course Syllabus
The MCCCD strives to create a productive learning environment for all students. Students will be advised of course content and instructor expectations through a course syllabus. The course syllabus serves as an agreement between the instructor and student.
The instructor must present a course syllabus to students during the first week of a class (before the end of drop/add). A copy of the course syllabus must be submitted to the division/department office at the college no later than the end of the first week of class.
The following items must be included or referenced in the course syllabus:
· College name, Campus or Site
· Instructor’s name and contact information for student support
· Course information
o Title, prefix, course number and section number(s)
o Academic term and year, e.g., Fall 2017
o MCCCD Course Description and/or Overview
o Course format, e.g. Online, Hybrid, Face-to-Face
o Credit Hours
o Instructional Contact Hours and Minimum
Expectations for number of hours spent out-of-class
to complete coursework (See Federal Credit
Hour Definition)
· MCCCD Course Competencies**
· Grading standards and practices
· Attendance requirements
· List of required and recommended texts, materials and technologies.
· Statement of student responsibility for the information in the syllabus.
· Statement of student responsibility for the college policies included in the college catalog and the student handbook
· Information about the availability of services for students that require special accommodations.
· Statements, as applicable, to inform students of the use of third-party learning tools, course-level integrations (LTIS) in the Learning Management System (E.g. Publisher Tools), social networks, combined (cross-listed) sections, proctored/monitored exams and plagiarism detection.
· Statement indicating that information included in the syllabus may be subject to change such as: “Students will be notified by the instructor of any changes in course requirements or policies.”
· An instructor may choose to include additional information, such as expectations for academic work, required format, due dates, penalties for late/missed work, extra credit, etc., as necessary.
**Note: The previous regulation required Course Objectives, which were equivalent to the MCCCD Course Competencies.
*AMENDED through Direct Approval by the Chancellor, January 4, 2017
ADOPTED through the Administrative Regulation approval process, December 8, 2006
https://chancellor.maricopa.edu/public-stewardship/governance/administrative-regulations/3-instruction/3.6-distribution-of-course-syllabus
The following pages present a syllabus checklist with information underlined that is required by the MCCCD Administrative Regulation 3.6 Distribution of Course Syllabus, as well as with information that is highly recommended to be included in your CGCC syllabus. CGCC faculty include additional information in the syllabus that is helpful to establish a college climate and positive tone; achieve effective and efficient communication of instructor expectations; and to avoid potential student/instructor conflicts.
Following the checklist are other elements to consider for your syllabus that serves as an agreement between instructor and students about course policies and procedures.
You may choose to disseminate paper copies of your syllabus and/or post online Canvas site and/or your class webpage.
II. SYLLABUS CHECKLIST
Underlined items per MCCCD A.R. 3.6
Additional information is highly recommended by CGCC
SYLLABUS CHECKLIST¨ College name, campus or site
¨ Instructor’s name and contact information for student support.
Include availability and, if applicable, office and phone number
¨ Course information
List classroom location including building and room
¨ Title, prefix, course number and section number(s)
¨ Academic term and year e. g., Fall 2017
¨ MCCCD Course description and/or overview
(For MCCCD’s official description, see
https://asa.maricopa.edu/departments/center-for-curriculum-transfer-articulation/curriculum/degrees-certificates/course-search?course=&title and enter the course number, submit, and then click on the first course listing)
¨ Course format, e.g. online, hybrid, face-to-face
Statement about instructional methods for in-person, online and/or hybrid courses
¨ Credit hours
¨ Instructional contact hours and minimumexpectations for number of hours spent out-of-class to complete coursework.
Federal Credit Hour Definition:A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally-established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than: One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or (2) at least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other activities as established by an institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading toward to the award of credit hours. 34CFR 600.2 (11/1/2010) (Federal Credit Hour Definition)
¨ MCCCD Course Competencies*
MCCCD course competencies are listed at
https://asa.maricopa.edu/departments/center-for-curriculum-transfer-articulation/curriculum/degrees-certificates/course-search?course=&title Enter the course number, submit, and then click on the first course listing
¨ Grading standards and practices
Include policy on late work, and instructor turn-around time for graded assignments
¨ Attendance requirements
Detail your withdrawal policy with consequences of excessive absences
¨ List of required and recommended texts, materials and technologies
Include supplies and fees (if applicable)
¨ Statement of student responsibility for information on syllabus
Include a signature of receipt of understanding indicating student has read the syllabus
¨ Statement of student responsibility for the college policies included in the college catalog and the student handbook
Include a statement concerning plagiarism, including consequences
Include a statement about expectations for student behaviors & civility in the classroom (academic integrity, disruptions, respect for others, cell phones, etc.)
Include link to MCCCD Student Code of Conduct (The purpose of this Code is to help ensure a healthy, comfortable and educationally productive environment for students, employees and visitors.)
https://chancellor.maricopa.edu/public-stewardship/governance/administrative-regulations/2-students/2.5-student-rights-and-responsibilities/2.5.2-student-conduct-code
¨ Information about the availability of services for students that require special accommodations (See information below.)
¨ Statements, as applicable, to inform students of the use of third-party learning tools, course-level integrations (LTIS) in the Learning Management System (E.g. Publisher Tools), social networks, combined (cross-listed) sections, proctored/monitored exams and plagiarism detection.
¨ Statement indicating that information in the syllabus may be subject to change such as: “Students will be notified by the instructor of any changes in course requirements or policies.”
¨ Course outline
Include topics, due dates for assignments and for entire semester, the final exam date/time/location, etc.
¨ Assessment procedures
Include methods of assessment, such as a rubric for written work
¨ Information on the Learning Center (See information below)
¨ Tips for Student Success
Include learning strategies for exams, online resources, etc.
Contact Hours - The following may be used as the Instructional contact hours and minimumexpectations for number of hours spent out-of-class to complete coursework statement:
Here is a recommended syllabus statement for a face-to-face course:
This 3-credit course meets face-to-face for 45 clock hours and students are expected to commit at least 90 additional hours (135 hours total) for reading, writing, research, and completing assignments. If you are not prepared to dedicate at least 135 hours to this course, you should seriously reconsider your enrollment.
Here is a recommended syllabus statement for an online course:
This online course is equivalent to a 3-credit course offered in person. If this course were conducted in person it would be scheduled to meet for 45 clock hours and students would be expected to commit to at least 90 additional hours (135 hours total) for research, writing, and completing assignments. If you are not prepared to dedicate at least 135 hours to this course—whether offered in a 5-week or 7.5-week format—you should seriously reconsider your enrollment.
Accommodations - The following may be used as the statement of availability of services for students that require special accommodations:
Information for Students with Academic Adjustment Needs:
- If you have a documented disability (as protected by The Americans with Disability Act Amendment Act), please contact Disability Resources & Services Office.
- If you are pregnant or parenting (as protected under Title IX) and would like to discuss possible academic adjustments, please contact Disability Resources & Services Office.
- If you are experiencing difficulty accessing course materials because of a disability, please contact your instructor and the Disability Resources & Services Office. All students should have equal access to course materials and technology.
Information Regarding Disability Services
It is the student’s responsibility to self-identify, and apply for Disability Resources & Services (DRS) by utilizing the new DRS CONNECT Student System. Accessing the DRS webpage:
http://www.cgc.maricopa.edu/Students/DisabilityServices/Pages/Home.aspx will give students a direct connection to DRS CONNECT. If you have concerns or need immediate assistance call 480-857-5188. The DRS Office is located at Pecos Campus in BRD101. All DRS processes must be followed for academic accommodations to be implemented.
Information Regarding Counseling Services
Counseling Services at CGCC offers students free, confidential individual counseling for academic, career, and personal issues. Services are offered at the Pecos and Williams campus locations. Connections with community resources and referrals are also available. For contact information, please refer to our website at http://www.cgc.edu/counselingservices, or call us at 480-732-7158 (Pecos), or 480-988-8001 (Williams).
Learning Center - The following provides condensed option or more detailed option of the general CGCC Learning Center (Tutoring) information:
Learning Center (Tutoring)
The Learning Center provides free tutoring, workshops, and other resourcesfor many CGCC courses, by drop-in, by appointment, and online, at both Pecos(Library 2nd floor) and Williams (Bridget Hall).For more information, please visitwww.cgc.edu/lcorcall480-732-7231.
Learning Center (Tutoring)
The Learning Center provides free tutoring and resources to assist students to achieve academic success. While the emphasis is on providing writing, mathematics, and science support, services are available for a wide range of academic courses at CGCC. Tutoring services are available on a drop-in basis, by appointment, and online. In addition to tutoring, academic support resources include interactive workshops focusing on a variety of topics, and also include textbooks, handouts, calculators, science models, and other assistive tools.
Students must be enrolled at CGCC in the class for which they are seeking assistance. At the Pecos Campus, the Learning Center is located on the second floor of the Library and at Williams Campus, the Learning Center is located in Bridget Hall. For more information, visitwww.cgc.edu/lcorcall480-732-7231.
The following provides CGCC Learning Center Online Tutoring information:
Online Tutoring
The Learning Center provides students enrolled in CGCC online and/or hybrid courses access to online tutoring via Smarthinking. Students are encouraged to take advantage of face to face tutoring as well. For information on how to access Smarthinking, visit our website athttp://www.cgc.edu/lc/onlinetutoring.
General Statement for Use of Web-Based 3rd Party Tools - Maricopa’s Canvas Instructure Learning Management System employs Learning Tools Interoperability (“LTI”) standards to enhance the learning experience. Examples of learning applications that use LTI specifications to connect to Canvas include simple communication apps (e.g., “Chat”), learning environments for complex subjects like math or science (e.g., Pearson MyLabs), plagiarism detection apps (e.g., TurnItIn), and other integration tools that may route users to another (vendor) website. MCCCD provides links to these sites. Please be aware that when you use these links, you are leaving the Canvas environment and the protections MCCCD has built in to assure compliance with Maricopa’s Data Privacy and Security Standards and other legal compliance. At present, MCCCD has been unable to verify that the vendors' software and systems conform to Maricopa standards in this or any other regard. There is, therefore, some risk that individuals electing to use the products and services made available by these LTI vendors may place any student information shared with the vendor at a risk of disclosure that would concern MCCCD.
Here is a recommended syllabus statement for faculty who use web-based party tools:
In this course we will use [LIST ALL THAT APPLY] as a web-based 3rd party tool(s) to complete or participate in assignments, activities and/or access course materials. Students may be required to establish a user name or password, submit work and/or download information from these tools. There is, therefore, some risk that individuals electing to use the products and services made available by these tools may place any student information shared with the tool vendor at a risk of disclosure.
Terms of Usage - [PROVIDE LINKS]
Accessibility Statements - [PROVIDE LINKS]
III. OTHER ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER
If applicable, information about class projects, co-curricular events, service-learning, extra credit
Cross-Listing - Cross-listing is the same as merging different sections of the same course. You will then be able to manage all students that are learning the same material, even though they are in different sections (and may meet on different days of the week).
Here is a recommended syllabus statement for faculty who cross-list courses:
I have combined multiple sections of this course on Canvas. You may be interacting online with students from another class. If you have questions, please contact me.
Computer Lab - The following provides CGCC Computer Lab information:
Computer Lab
The CGCC Computer Lab is open extended hours to ALL currently enrolled CGCC students. The lab has Windows and Mac computers and staff provide FREE one-on-one walk-in or appointment based assistance upon request.
Labs are at both campuses Pecos (Bradshaw123) and Williams (Bridget Hall 116). For more information, please visit www.cgc.edu/computerlab
or call 480-732-7221.
Veterans - Veteran Services information from the Office of Student Veteran Services,
Student video/audio recording of your class; see MCCCD Administrative Regulation 3.4 Taping of Faculty Lectures for important information about this:
https://chancellor.maricopa.edu/public-stewardship/governance/administrative-regulations/3-instruction/3.4-taping-of-faculty-lectures
Assessment - Statement Regarding Outcomes and Assessment
The faculty and programs at CGCC are dedicated to effective teaching and successful learning with emphasis in the following general education outcomes: communication, critical thinking, literacy, and personal development. Periodically, students will participate in formal and informal assessment activities that will help faculty improve programs and teaching strategies. These are designed to facilitate student success in whatever combination of the above outcomes applies to a course.