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Welcome to exploring the syllabus, a web page devoted to facilitating faculty conversations about syllabi, course goals, and teaching methodologies.
The University of Minnesot'as Syllabus Tutorial is the best site I have found for syllabus development information. Aside from walking a teacher step by step through the process, the Minnesota site also articulates a practical but principled philosophy behind crafting a syllabus.
The site also includes several other interesting resources:
Another interesting site,4faculty.org, lacks the philosophical clarity of the Minnesota site (too much of the syllabus as legal document approach for my taste) but has some wonderful materials on syllabus construction--especially a creative approach to syllabus writing that views a syllabus as a sort of newsletter to students; I particularly recommend John Sullivan's introduction to publishing your syllabus.
4faculty.org does require you to register (for free) to use the site, but MiraCosta faculty can, via this registration, print out certificates from the site that earn FLEX hours for the time spent studying the site.
Ken Bain's The Promising Syllabus: This is my favorite syllabus site and the one that has most influenced my thinking and teaching lately. Ken emphasizes the role of the syllabus as a promise or invitation. If you are interested in rethinking your approach to syllabi, Ken's site is a great place to start.
If you have any questions about this site or ideas for expanding it, please email me: jimsullivan@miracosta.edu
Page Last Updated: August 14, 2008 |