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SYllabi

A detailed syllabus helps both instructors and students. Syllabi should contain the following information:

1. Course Information

    • Course number and section
    • Course name
    • Hours of credit
    • Pre-requisites or co-requisites as listed in university catalogue
    • Classroom location and room number
    • Department, College, University

2.  Instructor Information

    • Instructor name
    • Instructor contact: office, phone, VSU email address
    • Instructor office hours (follow departmental policy for the expected number of office hours per week)

3. Course Description

    • Course description as printed in university catalogue
    • Required texts, resources, and materials
    • Required out-of-class activities (field trips, projects, service learning, etc.)

4. Standards, Goals, Objectives, or Outcomes

    • Institutional standards, goals, objectives, or outcomes: such as general education outcomes (http://www.valdosta.edu/academic/VSUGeneralEducationOutcomes.shtml), departmental learning outcomes (listed in the university catalogue), college-level standards, or professional organization standards
    • Course objectives or outcomes: aligned with the institutional standards above and expressed as expectations of what students will be able to do by the end of the course to demonstrate evidence of their understanding or ability.

5. Assignments (explicitly aligned with the goals, objectives, or outcomes)

    • general description of the assignments
    • due dates
    • policies for missed assignments, make-up assignments,  late assignments,  and/or extra credit

       Detailed information for individual assignments may be provided separately.

6. Assessment or Evaluation Policy

    • explanation of how much each assignment contributes to the overall grade for the class
    • explanation of how grades are assigned
    • grading standards

7.  Schedule of Activities or Assignments, including university -scheduled final exam time (Instructors should also include a statement that schedule is tentative and may be subject to change)

8.  Classroom Policies

    • Attendance and tardiness: Instructors should provide a clear policy statement of how absences and late arrivals will be considered as part of a student’s class performance.  Any absence policy should conform to the university policy.

                University Attendance Policy from the VSU catalogue:
                “The University expects that all students shall regularly attend all scheduled class meetings held for instruction or examination. . . . It is recognized that class attendance is essentially a matter between students and their instructors.   Instructors must explain their absence policy in the course syllabus. All students are held responsible for knowing the specific attendance requirements as prescribed by their instructors and for the satisfactory make-up work missed by absences. When students are to be absent from class, they should immediately contact the instructor. A student who misses more than 20% of the scheduled classes of a course will be subject to receive a failing grade in the course.”

    • Accommodations Statement: Instructors should provide a statement in the syllabus on how students should proceed in order to receive classroom accommodations because of a documented disability.

                From VSU’s Access Office http://www.valdosta.edu/access/facresources.shtml):

                “Students requesting classroom accommodations or modifications due to a documented disability must contact the Access Office for Students with Disabilities located in room 1115 Nevins Hall. The phone numbers are 245-2498 (V/VP) and 219-1348 (TTY). “

    • Academic Integrity: Instructors should provide a statement explaining their expectations for academic integrity and detailing how incidents of cheating and plagiarism will be handled in the class.

                 From VSU’s Academic Integrity Code (the full code is available at                 (http://www.valdosta.edu/academic/AcademicHonestyPoliciesandProcedures.shtml):

                “Academic integrity is the responsibility of all VSU faculty and students. Faculty members should promote academic integrity by including clear instruction on the components of academic integrity and clearly defining the penalties for cheating and plagiarism in their course syllabi. Students are responsible for knowing and abiding by the Academic Integrity Policy as set forth in the Student Code of Conduct and the faculty members’ syllabi. All students are expected to do their own work and to uphold a high standard of academic ethics. “

    • Classroom demeanor or conduct: Instructors should provide their expectations of students’ behavior in the classroom and/or in situations outside of class or in online environments (i.e., use of electronic devices, classroom courtesy, etc.).
    • Communication: Instructors should specify the appropriate channels for official class communication.  All VSU-related correspondence should be conducted via VSU email addresses for both student and instructor.

9. Additional Information (at instructor’s discretion)

    • Expectations for competencies such as writing, technology skills, or performance
    • Instructional philosophy
    • Strategies used to support learning  
      • The Student Success Center: The Student Success Center (SSC) provides free peer tutoring in core courses, the top four of which are math, writing, Spanish, and biology/chemistry. It also offers Regents’ Test Preparation, time management, and study skills workshops as well as provides free professional academic advising and on-campus job information in one location: Langdale Residence Hall above the Tech shop. Help is available to all VSU students. Call 333-7570 to make an appointment, or visit the website: www.valdosta.edu/ssc.