A Student-Centered Approach

As an educator, I believe in the importance of a student-centered approach to teaching and learning. This philosophy informs my syllabus, which is specifically designed to engage students. This includes the use of a visually appealing design that is formatted in a way that is easy to read and understand. It is written in “you” language and includes activities and personal reflections for students to activate when we review the syllabus during the first class session.

Overall, my approach to the syllabus focuses on providing a clear and manageable understanding of course expectations while also fostering student engagement and self-reflection. Below, you will find my syllabus, followed by my insights on how I customized it to prioritize student needs. I hope that these ideas can inspire you to revise your own syllabi and create a more student-focused learning experience.

Font

I use Calibri font for its legibility and readability. By using an accessible font, I am promoting inclusivity and fairness in my class, which can lead to a more positive and successful learning experience for students.

Images

I chose to include images in my syllabus to make it more engaging and visually appealing. Incorporating images helps to break up the text and makes the syllabus more interactive, intuitive, and user-friendly. This approach helps to make the process of reading and understanding the syllabus less overwhelming.

“You” Language

Writing my syllabus and other course materials in “you” language is beneficial because it helps to create a sense of engagement, relevance, and ownership for the students, making the learning experience more personalized, empowering and actionable.

For example, the original course description reads: “The course will teach students how to develop good listening skills and also how to develop proficiency in various interpersonal speech situations. The course will inculcate the habit of revising and editing the work one produces, while providing all students with copious opportunities for feedback from their instructor and their peers.”

This is how I revised it to use “you” language: “This course will teach you how to develop good listening skills and proficiency in various interpersonal speech situations. The course will inculcate the habit of revising and editing the work you produce, while providing copious opportunities for feedback from your instructor and peers.”

By using “you” language, I am addressing the students directly and speaking to them in a way that is more relatable.

Personal Reflection

I incorporate personal reflections in my syllabus to foster a sense of connection and engagement for students while reading it. By encouraging them to reflect and make connections between the syllabus and their own lives, the course can become more relevant and meaningful to them. Additionally, by having students share their personal reflections during the first class session, I can use it as an assessment tool, providing insight into their prior knowledge, motivation, and goals for this course.

Activities

I include activities in my syllabus to make it more engaging and interactive for students. These activities also give them a hands-on experience of what to expect in the course. One example is a grade calculation activity, which guides students in understanding how their grades will be determined throughout the course. Additionally, I include an activity that guides students through their first graded task, a low-stakes assignment. This helps students to become familiar with the course expectations and encourages them to take ownership of their learning and academic progress.

Submitting Assignments

I implement a system of target and firm deadlines for submitting coursework to give students control over their academic progress, allowing them to revise and resubmit work without penalty and to improve their grades. There are no late penalties, and the target and firm deadlines are typically 2-3 weeks apart, so students don’t need to request extensions. This approach is more flexible and student-centered, reducing stress and encouraging students to take ownership of their learning.

Syllabus Addendum

Traditional college syllabi can be quite lengthy, often ranging from 10-20 pages or more. To make it more manageable for students, I create a syllabus addendum that is available on Blackboard. This allows students to easily access other information related to this course without feeling overwhelmed by too much content in the syllabus.

Tools for Success

At the end of each semester, I ask students to share their advice for future students taking the course. I then compile their responses and share them with the next class. This allows them to hear from other students who have gone through the course and have a better understanding of what to expect and how to succeed. From these quotes, students can see the importance of engaging with their classmates, staying on top of assignments and deadlines, and putting in effort to participate in the classroom.