1. GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
What is a Learner-Centered Syllabus and Why
Should You Use One?
Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning
2. Student Perspectives on the First Day of Class
Why the first class is so important:
• sets the tone for what is to follow
• can greatly influence students’ opinions about the course and
the instructor for the remainder of the semester
The Absolute Worst Way to Start the Semester = “Syllabus
day” From the Chronicle for Higher Education
3. Syllabus study–punishing vs. encouraging (Ishiyama & Hartlaub, 2002)
• Significant difference in perceived approachability (p=.04)
• Instructor with punishing wording rated as less approachable
• Students less likely to seek help from the punishing instructor
• Underclassmen and first generation students most affected by
wording
Syllabus and class climate
4. Punishing vs. Encouraging
• Punishing: “If for some substantial reason you cannot turn
in your papers or take an exam at the scheduled time you
must contact me prior to the due date, or test date, or you
will be graded down 20%”
• Rewarding: “If for some substantial reason you cannot turn
in your papers or take an exam at the scheduled time you
should contact me prior to the due date, or test date, or
you will only be eligible for 80% of the total points.”
5. What goes on a GSU syllabus?
•See handout
•There are 14 (15 for online courses) required
components for a GSU course syllabus. We
recommend three optional additions.
•What is the purpose or goal of your syllabus for you
and your students?
•Shifting from an instructor-centered to a learner-
centered syllabus
6. FERPA and student confidentiality
• Since the enactment of the 1974 federal law called the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), instructors are not permitted to disclose
students’ records to anyone other than the student.
• Be mindful of maintaining students’ confidentiality in other circumstances.
• Don’t post grades in a way that publically displays any student identifying
information.
• Don’t hand back graded assignments with letter or numeric grades in a way that
makes the grades visible to other students.
• Don’t openly discuss your students or their class performance anywhere students
may overhear (this includes complaining about students!)
• Don’t post anything related to students or their performance on social media.
7. OPTIONAL: Campus Carry Statement
• If you choose to address Campus Carry on your syllabus this is the
language recommended by Legal Affairs
• "The Campus Carry legislation allows anyone properly licensed in the
state of Georgia to carry a handgun in a concealed manner on
university property with noted exceptions. Information about the law
can be found at safety.gsu.edu/campus-carry. It is the responsibility of
the license holder to know the law. Failure to do so may result in a
misdemeanor charge and may violate the Georgia State Student Code
of Conduct.”
• Please follow the guidelines established by the BOR.
• See: http://safety.gsu.edu/campus-carry/
8. OPTIONAL: Sexual Harassment Statement
• Some faculty like to include a statement that directly addresses that sexual
harassment will not be tolerated. This statement can be important if you
are teaching a course in which there might be class discussions on
sensitive topics. Here is an example statement that was developed by the
GSU Office of Legal Affairs:
• In instances of sexual misconduct, the present instructor(s) and teaching
assistants, are designated as Responsible Employees who are required to
share with administrative officials all reports of sexual misconduct for
university review. If you wish to disclose an incident of sexual misconduct
confidentially, there are options on campus for you do so. For more
information on this policy, please refer to the Sexual Misconduct Policy
which is included in the Georgia State University Student Code of
Conduct (http://codeofconduct.gsu.edu/).
9. OPTIONAL: Student Basic Needs Statement
• At any given time, over 85 GSU students are experiencing
homelessness. GSU offers assistance through the Embark program,
but most students and faculty are unaware of what the university
offers. Please consider adding this statement to your syllabi or in your
iCollege resources page:
•
• Basic Needs Statement: Any student who faces challenges securing
their food or housing and believes this may affect their performance
in the course is urged to contact the Dean of Students for support.
Furthermore, please notify the professor if you are comfortable in
doing so. This will enable us to provide resources that we may
possess. The Embark program at GSU provides resources for students
facing homelessness.
10. Technology in the classroom—what’s your policy?
• Consider what students want vs. what students need
• Use of technology should support the learning environment and not
replace best practice strategies.
• Be explicit and clear with your technology policies.
• Phones, tablets, and laptops—if you want to use technology
• Classroom response systems (Top Hat, iClicker/REEF)
• Quizzing apps (Kahoot!) or polling apps (PollEverywhere)
11. Definition of a learner-centered syllabus
•A learning-centered course syllabus focuses on
the needs of the students and their learning
process.
•Instructors specifically include information that
will facilitate the academic success of students.
12. Benefits of a well-written & learner-centered syllabus
Establishes a contact and connection between students and instructors
• Sets the tone for the course and is the most effective if written in positive language
• Describes your beliefs about learning, teaching and assessment
• Sets up the structure of the course
• Connects to handouts or detailed assignment descriptions
• Defines student responsibilities for success
• Helps students determine their readiness for the course
• States how the course fits into the curriculum and overall program
• Describes available learning resources
• Communicates technology requirements for the course
• Contains difficult-to-obtain reading materials
• Describes effective student study habits
• Includes materials that support learning outside the classroom
• Serves as a learning contract (Grunert, 1997, p. 14-19)
13. Examples of what successful students should
expect to do in this course:
(modified from 4Faculty.org at Santa Barbara City College)
• Responsibilities:
• Successful students, ones who earn A’s and B’s, follow both oral and
written instructions. The syllabus and assignment sheets are the
primary sources of instructions in any college course, so successful
students read them carefully and refer to them regularly.
• Statement about letters of recommendations
14. Examples of what successful students should
expect to do in this course:
• Instructions:
• Successful students write down any instructions given orally by the
professor; they also are careful to make sure that they have taken
accurate notes and ask questions before due dates. They also read
and re-read written instructions and ask questions for clarification as
needed.
15. Examples of what successful students should
expect to do in this course:
• Information:
• Successful students look up information first so that they ask
informed questions, not questions they already have the answers to.
If they can’t find the answers, they contact the instructor after class
or via voice mail or email.
