Syllabus guide
Before you get started with your syllabus, be sure to have all your course information on hand. This includes days & times of lessons/labs, and the room number(s), textbook and/or course pack and any other required materials for students (i.e. software, supplies, etc.).
Here are a few important points to consider depending on Faculty, department, program or course:
Coordinated courses
If it is a coordinated course, you need to follow the established syllabus of the course. Some programs allow a bit of flexibility, but you will need to ask the course coordinator about the specific areas in which flexibility is available. For example, you might be required to use a particular textbook, give a particular set of assignments and weight them in a particular way, but you might have some flexibility in other aspects of the course.
Grading policies
Some departments require the final exam be weighted a minimum of 50% of the course grade while other departments have other specific policies around exams and assessment weights.
Keep in mind that it is good practice for students to receive feedback on at least one graded assignment before the drop date (DISC), so try to plan for this whenever possible.
Course learning outcomes
In certain accredited programs, instructors are not permitted to change the course learning outcomes and must teach and assess students according to the established outcomes. Verify with your department chair if the course learning outcomes are flexible.
Step-by-step syllabus development
When you are ready, follow the steps below to prepare your syllabus while referring to the Concordia Course outline Guide.
1. Ask your Department Administrator, Program Assistant, Chair or the previous instructor of the course for a recent copy of the syllabus.
- If one is available to you, use the steps listed below to update your syllabus and verify the information is correct and complete.
- If one is not available to you, use the steps below to develop a new syllabus for your course. *You may also want to ask if a Course outline template is available from your department that you can use as a starting point.
2. Before you start planning your course, determine if any holidays fall on days you have a class.
- Refer to the Academic Calendar to see if the university will be closed on any of the days your class is scheduled. If so, the university schedules designated make-up days at the end of the term (including unplanned snow days). Consider verifying these dates with the Department Administrator or Program Assistant to make sure you have correctly noted them.
- You should also consult the Interfaith Calendar to determine if there will be any religious holidays not officially recognized by the University. Make a note of any religious holidays as Instructors are required to accommodate for religious observance.
Note: It is advised to avoid scheduling tests and other graded assignments on those dates.
3. Download the Concordia University Course Outline Guide and use it as a reference in developing or updating your syllabus.
4. Use an existing departmental template or syllabus to insert or update the following sections into your course outline:
Section |
Information & Tips |
|---|---|
General Information
|
This information must include:
Refer to the Guide for more information. |
| Course Description | This wording must exactly match the description in the Course Calendar. |
Prerequisites |
Only prerequisites that appear in the Course Calendar may be listed in your course outline. |
Course Learning Goals & Outcomes (Objectives) |
Learning outcomes are statements about the knowledge, competencies and/or skills students are expected to achieve by the end of the course. For more information on writing course learning outcomes, refer to: Tufts University TUSM Writing Learning Objectives . |
Schedule of Important Dates
|
This should include exam dates, assignment due dates, holidays and any other important dates in addition to a weekly schedule of topics. Refer to the Guide (#4) for more information. |
| Behaviour | This statement sets expecations for which students behave in the class setting, particularly in relation to communications. Copy and paste the statement directly from the Guide (#5). |
| IP | This statement reminds students that instructors hold IP to course content and that copying or distrinbuting without consent is not allowed. Copy and paste the statement directly from the Guide (#6). |
| Extraordinary Circumstances | This statement facilitates any unforeseen changes that nees to made to the delivery of the course in the the case of extraordinary circumstances. Copy and paste the appropriate statement directly from the Guide (#7). |
Course Materials
|
Your course materials include textbooks, course packs, and similar materials. Refer to the Guide (#8) for more information. *Be sure to order your coursepack and textbooks from the bookstore and put any readings on reserve at the Library well in advance. |
| Grading | This should inlcude information about the format and timing of assessments, due dates, and grading procedures. You must include the weight of each assessment and a grading scale of criterial. |
Ethical Behaviour Statement
|
An ethical behaviour statement clarifies the policies related to plagiarism and other violations of the Academic Code. You can copy and paste the university’s statement directly from the Guide (#10). |
Accessibility Statement
|
An accessibility statement explains how you ensure the accessibility of your classroom to all students. You can copy and paste the university’s statement directly from the Guide (#10). |
| Sexual violence | An ethical behaviour statement about Sexual violence, including sexual harassment and sexual assault, reminds students that is not tolerated by the instrucotr or the university. You can copy and paste the university’s statement directly from the Guide (#10). |
Other course policies
|
Other policies commonly found in course outlines include:
Seek advice from colleagues about the policies you might establish for your course. |
A declaration regarding the use of web-based and other technology
|
If you just use Moodle and YuJa, you do not need to include such a statement; however, if you use any other cloud-based technology that collects student information (i.e. name, student number, email address, etc.), you must include one. You can use or adapt the Standard Wording for Inclusions in Course Outlines. For more information on what tools are officially supported by the university, refer to the IITS Teaching & Learning Service Catalogue or the CTL page Concordia Supported Technologies. |
List of Student Services
|
Sharing a list of resources to assist students with both personal and academic issues will help students who might not have known where to go for support. You may copy and paste the university’s list directly from the Guide. |
Class Schedule
|
A class schedule provides a list of the topics by week/class session. It is typically presented in a table format by week indicating the topic (and in-class activities, where appropriate), and required readings and assignments for each week. |
5. Proofread the document paying special attention to dates and assignment & exam information.
6. Post the syllabus on Moodle in a word-processing document (e.g. Microsoft Word or Google Docs) or an accessible PDF, and make it available to students before the course starts.