Syllabus Inventory

Course syllabi vary per faculty member, department, and college. Below is a general structure to guide you in your planning.

Basic Information
1. For instructor and TA(s): name, title, office phone number(s), e-mail address, office location, office hours, preferred mode of contact (email, text, phone, and any limits).
2. Course by number, section, title, number of credit hours, semester and year, meeting days and times, room and building.

3. Required course materials or electronic access: texts, supplies, reserve materials at library, course reference lists and locations where they can be found, access to Sakai

4. Prerequisite course(s), knowledge, and skills.

Course Description and Rationale

  1. Course description: What is the nature and structure of the course?
  2. Course rationale: Why do people study in this academic area? What are the benefits and practical applications of this course for the student? How does this course fit into the student's overall course of study, curriculum, or general education requirements?
  3. Conceptual framework: What are the framing questions, theories, concepts, and key terms in this course?
  4. Course goals/expectations/outcomes: What knowledge, competencies, abilities, skills, characteristics, or qualities do you expect students to have at the end of the course?
  5. Teaching philosophy: How do your beliefs about the purposes of education influence your expectations for the learning process?
  6. Learning activities: Will the students be involved in group and individual work, discussions, case study, lectures, labs/studios, performances, community projects?
  7. Course calendar: Planned topics, sequence and anticipated dates, particularly for exams, assignments, and key activities. Why have you arranged the course topics/activities in this order?

Course Requirements, Evaluation, Grading

  1. Course assignments: What is the type and purpose of each assignment/project, suggested/required format, research expected, and criteria for evaluation? How will written assignments be submitted: electronically via email or Dropbox, through Sakai or other web-based site (such as Turnitin), or in paper copy?
  2. Due dates: What are the deadlines for reading assignments, projects, papers, presentations or exams?
  1. Evaluation: How will you assess student progress? Individual or group projects, activities, papers, presentations, exams?
  2. Grading: What are the standards, weight, and criteria for each activity or assessment to be included in the final grade? If class participation/engagement is included in the grade, how is it defined/tracked? See note on letter/numeric grade conversion below.

Course Policies

  1. Attendance and class participation/engagement
  2. Missing and late assignments
  3. Classroom civility and other behaviors: cell phones, text messaging, use of laptops, food/drinks in class, etc.
  4. Credit and Grade information can be found here

SYLLABUS INSERTS

Academic Integrity Statement:
The College is an academic community, which values academic integrity and takes seriously its responsibility for upholding academic honesty. All members of the academic community have an obligation to uphold high intellectual and ethical standards. All forms of dishonesty including cheating and plagiarism are unacceptable. Failure to appropriately cite material used in a paper is plagiarism. The minimum penalty for cheating or plagiarism is a zero for the test or paper in question. Referral to college judiciaries is also possible. For more information on academic integrity and academic dishonesty, please refer to the Student Handbook, the College Catalog and the Code of Student Conduct and Related Policies or ask your instructor.

Religious Observances
Absences that result from participation in approved College activities, documented medical emergencies, death of immediate family members, and other such incidents as determined by the professor on a case-by-case basis, shall be considered excused absences. All other absences will be deemed unexcused absences. The professor may require from the student to establish that an absence is an excused absence including a doctor’s note. Any student, who misses class due to a verifiable family or individual health emergency, may report the absence to the Office of Student Affairs and Campus Life, which will notify the student’s dean’s office, as well as residential life if the student lives on campus. The dean’s office will disseminate the information to the appropriate faculty. Follow-up by the student with his or her professors is imperative. Examples of unexcused absences include, but are not limited to: a) illnesses that are not life threatening or contagious; b) transportation problems (e.g., bad weather, congested traffic, mechanical problems with a vehicle, etc.); c) leaving early for vacation periods (e.g., Fall, Thanksgiving, Winter or Spring Breaks); d) absences resulting from the appearance at court proceedings and to take care of administrative matters (e.g., registering your vehicle or renewing a license); or e) the death or injury of a friend or relative who is not an immediate family member. In accordance with New York State law, students who miss class due to their religious beliefs shall be excused from class or examinations on that day. Such students must notify their course instructors at least one week before any anticipated absence so that proper arrangements may be made to make up any missed work or examination without penalty. Faculty will not schedule examinations or quizzes on designated religious holidays on the calendar day following the designated holidays. Designated holidays are Rosh Hashanah (2 days), Yom Kippur, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.

Americans with Disabilities Act

In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodations will be provided to qualified students with documented disabilities. Students seeking accommodations must register with Student Accessibility Services and provide appropriate documentation before any accommodations can be provided. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive so timely contact with Student Accessibility Services is encouraged.

Accommodations:
The following sentence is an appropriate addition to the syllabus statement for instructors who want to encourage students to meet with them individually:

You are welcome to contact me privately to discuss your academic needs, although I cannot arrange for disability accommodations.

For more information, see Student Accessibility Services.

Mental Health Statement:

Diminished mental health, including significant stress, mood changes, excessive worry, or problems with eating and/or sleeping can interfere with optimal academic performance. The source of symptoms might be related to your course work; if so, please speak with me. However, problems with relationships, family worries, loss, or a personal struggle or crisis can also contribute to decreased academic performance.

Ithaca College provides no-additional-cost mental health services through the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to help you manage personal challenges that threaten your personal or academic well-being.

In the event I suspect you need additional support, expect that I will express to you my concerns and the reasons for them. It is not my intent to know the details of what might be troubling you, but simply to let you know I am concerned and that help (e.g., CAPS, ICare, Health Center, Chaplains, etc...), if needed, is available.

Remember, getting help is a smart and courageous thing to do -- for yourself and for your loved ones.

Title IX Statement

Title IX is a federal act mandating that educational institutions receiving federal funding must provide sex and gender equity. All students thus have the right to a campus atmosphere free of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and gender discrimination. To make a report of sexual assault, sexual harassment or gender discrimination, please contact Tiffani Ziemann, Title IX Coordinator;607-274-7761. Please visit more information.

Please note, that all faculty and staff need to share any disclosures of sexual misconduct with the Title IX Coordinator. The only exceptions are Counseling, Health and Wellness staff and the college Chaplins who are considered confidential resources.