Which Syllabus Parts Matter Most

1. due dates for exams and assignments
2. Traditionally aged first-semester students at four midwestern universities rated most highly out of the 29 parts of a syllabus listed in a study of 863 intro. Psych. Courses those parts dealing with

3. Nontraditionally aged students rated most highly those syllabus parts dealing with course goals, titles of authors and readings, and types of assignments.

17. Authors of the study ask, therefore, "Given the effort instructors put into creating syllabi, what can you as a faculty member do to ensure that students use them effectively?"

1. A student-friendly syllabus would put information most important to students on the first page (or otherwise highlight it during the document) to make that information easy to find.

1. Alternatively, put the information most important to YOU on the first page, but still highlight the items listed above of prime importance to students.

DO THIS FOR YOUR OWN SYLLABUS? If you would like to replicate this study or adapt it, now would be a good time in the semester, since students may recall what they have paid most attention to. List the parts of your own syllabus, or use the parts of the standard syllabus for your college, and ask students to rate each on a Likert scale; that is, provide a 7-point scale for students to rate how much attention they paid to each part of the syllabus, ranging from "no attention at all," or "none" (a "1"), up to "a great deal of attention," or "lots" (as a "7").

The original study reference is--

Becker, Angela H., and Calhoon, Sharon K. (1999). "What introductory psychology students attend to on a course syllabus." Teaching of Psychology, 26 (1), 6-11.

This study was ably summarized in The Teaching Professor (14.1, January 2000: 1), edited by Dr. Mary Ellen Weimer. Annual subscriptions cost $40 for individuals; it is available only in hard copy. To suscribe, contact customer service at 800-433-0499 or email: custserv@magnapubs.com

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