Slides Framework
section 4: Who Does Your Syllabi Serve?

How Syllabi Serve

A Deeper Understanding

Although syllabi are documents used primarily by faculty and students, they often contain information for a wider range of higher education audiences.

section 4: Who Does Your Syllabi Serve?

How Syllabi Serve

A Deeper Understanding

    • THE INSTITUTION

      The institution can require faculty to include content in their syllabi that meets accreditation standards, makes students aware of institutional policies, and promotes college values and beliefs.

    EXAMPLE

    "[Name of college] Educational Priorities and Outcomes: The objectives in this course address the Knowledge, Inquiry, Reasoning, Vocation and Communication ouctomes and may address others."

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section 4: Who Does Your Syllabi Serve?

How Syllabi Serve

A Deeper Understanding

    • ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS

      Academic departments can require faculty to use a standard syllabus and incorporate departmental values and beliefs. Academic departments also have their own expectations of what constitutes legitimate instruction, knowledge, and demonstrations of learning.

    EXAMPLE

    "This course builds on [other course], connecting students' knowledge about paradigms and how to think about inquiry, and supporting students to align their methods in the field with a particular research tradition or paradigm."

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section 4: Who Does Your Syllabi Serve?

How Syllabi Serve

A Deeper Understanding

    • FACULTY

      Faculty create new or use existing syllabi to communicate the structure of their classrooms, including their rules/policies; the relationship they expect to have with students; and what they/their academic field deems legitimate knowledge and forms of instruction.

    EXAMPLE

    "We will read more about [growth mindset] for our first essay of the semester, but essentially a person with a growth mindset believes they can learn (even when it's difficult) and that the key to learning is putting in effort. I will do my best to encourage a growth mindset in our class, and I hope you will do the same."

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