Edits to Syllabus Model

Online Syllabus Template

ONLINE COURSE SYLLABUS

Enter Course Prefix, Number and Course Name

Enter Term

Welcome!

Add a personal welcome statement.

Course Description.

Enter course description from the IPFW Undergraduate Bulletin, Program Descriptions. Add instructor description, if not already included in the Welcome! section, such as purpose, overview, why course is relevant to students, relationship to the college or department curriculum, or relationship to Baccalaureate Framework. Entergoal(larger purpose of the course). Mention whether the course fills a general education requirement. Consider adding overview of instructional approach. You may also want to reference the questions and answers about General Education requirements.

Course and Instructor Information.

Instructor’s Name.

Enter name. Consider adding link to instructor web page, if available.

Office Hours.

If using an Online Office at the Blackboard course site, mention it here along with expected turnaround students may expect for responses to their messages. You may also want to add campus office details with office hours.

Online Office.

Students should post questions of general interest any time in the Online Officein Blackboard Learn; replies also will be posted here so that all students can see the answers. But if the nature of the question or concern is more personal or a student is not comfortable having classmates see the message, the student should use another means of communication.

Campus Office.

[List campus location and hours.] Add something like: Students who wish to have a meeting with the instructor at the campus office should request an appointment date and time. When leaving a message at the office phone, students should make sure to also leave a call back number or email contact for the instructor.

Online Communication Tools.

Explain use of Email or Messages tool in Blackboard (or both if both are being used, in which case, state when to use which method). Add phone contact, if this is a method you want to use with your students. Consider adding Department or Program contact. Add statement on how course Announcements and messages in Online Office will be used.

Example for Messages tool:

“Students may use the Messages tool at the Blackboard course site for communicating with the professor and other students in the course. This is similar to e-mail, but this function keeps the messages within the course site where the professor can check the Blackboard Inbox and will respond to messages therein during the week. For this reason, there may be a delayed response on some occasions; however, the Professor will be responding to all messages. If there is a delay of more than three days, the student should repost the message and make the Subject line clear; if urgent, the student should write Urgent as part of the Subject.”

You might also add something to explain how you will use communication tools in the course.

“In addition to announcements made, I may need to contact you periodically, which I'll do through individual and group email messages. You are responsible for any messages, including assignments and schedule changes, I post in my Online Office, make in Announcements, or notify you by electronic messages.”

“The best method and time to contact me is (Blackboard Learn, Email, office phone). In addition to my office phone, you can call the department at …….. I will generally get back to you within “X” days.

Blackboard Learn.

Let students know they may access the course through Blackboard Learn or MyIPFW. Consider elaborating on use of Blackboard Learn.

Example:

“Students have the flexibility to study and participate according to their work and personal schedules within each week of study. However, assignments still must be completed by their required due dates. The challenge is to dedicate the required time and balance personal schedules. This syllabus, including the schedule and due dates, should support students in managing time effectively.

Students are encouraged to study assigned materials and actively participate in all forms of instruction. Students will be expected to submit all assignments through the online course site and to actively post messages and replies in assigned discussion areas. Students are encouraged to monitor the class site frequently, including checking Announcements and periodic check-in at the Online Office to see if any new information has been posted.”

Course Dates and Times.

Enter start date; expected time to spend in Blackboard Learn each week. It may be useful to advise students when the discussions will be scored or graded, too. Consider mentioning amount of study time to plan for the course, such as the following example.

“This course will be taught as a fully online course in the Blackboard Learn course management system. All course materials will be posted at the Blackboard course site, including the syllabus, schedule, assignments, and grades. While students have a lot of flexibility in course study and meeting time, they will be expected to study, including homework assignments, and to participate in the online class, as much as would be expected if the class were meeting in a campus classroom space. This means planning about 2-3 hours of study time per week, and instead of classroom meetings, planning three discussion hours per week.”

Also list recurring deadlines (such as first posting in a discussion due day and time, and the day and time replies are expected).

Learning Support.

Enter name (s) and role(s) of others, if any, supporting this course; for example, a Teaching Assistant or a Librarian for this program area. Describe how to contact each. For example, the Teaching Assistant may also be contacted through the Online Office in the course, but a Librarian may have a linkfor direct contact through the library site.

Online Learning and Library Support.

Explain the expectations for students who take an online course, such as proficiency in the use of computers, browsers, and online searches in the library. List the link to IPFW technology support resources and training tutorials, and to the library. Consider stating the student’s responsibility to possess or develop technology skills.

It may be useful to addcommonly listed resources in the syllabus, as in the following list, (or in a “Start Here” section of a course). There may be more, such as a handbook for a particular program.

Online Learning Expectations

Online Learning;

Online Learning FAQ;

Online Learning Technical Troubleshooting;

Blackboard and Computer Training

Welcome to Blackboard Help for Students!;

Lynda.com (Web Training Link);

STEPS Computer Workshops (STEPS = Student Technology Education ProgramS).

Help and Troubleshooting

Information Technology Services;

Email IT Services Help Desk;

ITServices Help Desk.

Helmke Library Services

Helmke Library;

Helmke Library Services Orientation;

Helmke Library Service Desk;

Ask a Librarian;

Find Your Librarian.

Course Goal.

If not previously given, as in the course description or elsewhere, you may want to add the course goal here. Examples:

“This course will prepare you to understand the physical laws that govern the movements of stars and the energy production in the stars.”

“This course is an introduction to the discipline of comparative politics.”

“In this course students will learn the facts and concepts of personal financial management practices.”

“Students will understand how theories of psychology apply to strategies for resolving contemporary social problems.”

Learning Objectives.

Enter objectives for the students to achieve (the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudesthey are to develop in this course). Begin objectives (or expected outcomes) with an introductory statement, and then list the objectives using active verbs, such as the ones listed below.

At the end of this course, the successful student will be able to accomplish the following objectives.

Objective 1. Compare and contrast the theories that influence twentieth century psychology.

Objective 2. Explain the limits of using each of these theories for different types of problems.

Objective 3. Identify differences in probable outcomes when each theory is applied to sample case studies.

It is a best practice to show how the learning objectives relate to one or more program goals or objectives. If the course fulfills a general education requirement, also include that information here.

An excellent reference for writing learning objectives is Chapter 12 of Blueprint for Learning by Laurie Richlin, which is distributed in new faculty orientation and is available in the CELT Library. Some online resources include:

A Model for Learning Objectives (Iowa State University).
Reading and Composition (University of California, Berkeley).
How to Write Learning Objectives (Instructables).
Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes (College of Business, California State University, Chico).

Requirements:

Required Study Materials.

If using textbooks, give book title(s) in preferred style such as APA, ALA, MLA, or other used in your discipline. Add ISBN(s). Mention any supplemental resources, such as online resources from publisher and how to access them.

If using electronic textbooks (eBooks), give similar information and how to access them.

List any readings placed on reserve in the library and, if used, give link to Helmke Reserves Express.

Mention any required resources located in the Blackboard Learn course site.

Highly Recommended Resources.

If using books, list title(s) in preferred style, and ISBN(s).

Add readings and other highly recommended, but not required materials (if any).

Additional, Materials, Equipment or Skills.

Add any specialized materials such as lab or safety equipment, art supplies, calculators, computers, drafting materials, MS Word, Excel, iPads, other mobile devices or other items or particular skills needed for the course.

Software and Technical Programs.

List software and technical programs students will need to access and use materials at the course site. For best practice, course documents are prepared in Word .doc or .docx with Microsoft Word Styles, then saved as PDF and it is the PDF file that is uploaded into Blackboard Learn., Most courses should now have PDF files as these files open easily in Blackboard Learn. For some applications, students may need to be reminded that they will need a certain Adobe program downloaded to use a particular type of file. If uncertain of what to list here, check with IT Services.

Example of a particular requirement to share with students:

Mozilla Firefox works well with Blackboard Learn for most applications, especially for videos. Internet Explorer sometimes will be better for viewing a certain file. Sometimes Chrome and Safari are better. Students should be able to usethese browsers when needed.

Discussion Focus.

Explain frequency and type of discussionsand what students are expected to do in the discussions. If the emphasis is critical thinking, for example, your description can explain what you mean. Similarly, if the focus is problem based learning or case analysis, this focus can be explained to set the students’ learning expectations.

Assignments.

List assignments and deadlines. State the nature and format of the assignments, the expected length of essays, and their deadlines. Give examination dates and briefly describe the nature of the tests (multiple choice, essay, short-answer, take-home tests). How do the assignments relate to the learning objectives for the course? What are your expectations for written work?In setting up the syllabus, try to keep the workload balanced throughout the term. Remind students that all course Assignments must be submitted through the Blackboard Learn course site according to the directions posted for each assignment. These assignments could be posted with the Tasks and Calendar Tools in Blackboard Learn; they also could be a separate file of assignments.

A sample accessible way to list assignments could be:

Assignment 1: [name of assignment]