Post 42: How to Create a Good Online Syllabus

Post 42: How To Create a Good Online Syllabus

Most schools have a syllabus template you can follow. Whether I was teaching face to face or online, I was usually given a syllabus template to follow. When working at CSUN as an ESL Writing Teacher, my boss said, "Just follow the syllabus template of the previous instructor and you will be fine. Feel free to add your own textbook or resources if you want." So when I taught ESL Writing that summer, I did follow the syllabus template of the previous teacher but I added my own textbooks and resources. When I started teaching online at AMU, the boss gave me several syllabus templates to choose from. I chose of course the shortest syllabus template to use and created my own class. Later, the school created a school wide template that all teachers had to use no matter what. The school said that by having the same syllabus template across all departments, then this makes it easier for students to understand the different syllabi of different classes in all the classes the student takes.

Here is the standard syllabus template that our school used:

Class Title: ENGL 101

Objective of the class

Expectations

Course Materials

Course Objectives

Course Outline--10 to 16 week assignment list (This takes up most of the syllabus)--List of all assignments, tests, forum questions, projects etc listed week by week with assignment due dates.

Policies of the school---Plagiarism, Late Policy, Nettiquette, Research Method, Tutoring

Here is an example ENGL 101 Syllabus

SYLLABUS

Course Number:         ENGL101

Course Name:             Proficiency in Writing

Credit Hours:             3

Course Length:           8 weeks

Prerequisite(s):           None

Course Description

ENGL101 Proficiency in Writing provides instruction in the writing process with a focus on self-expressive   and expository essays, and includes practice in the conventions of standard written English, responding to readings, and incorporating sources into essays with appropriate documentation.

Course Scope

This course gives students practice in the conventions of Standard Written English, responding to readings, and incorporating sources into essays with appropriate documentation. Thus the course prepares students for writing effectively in all undergraduate courses by sharpening the writing skills necessary to answer essay examinations, dialogue with reading assignments, and write term papers.

Course Objectives

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

1.      Recognize and formulate the kind of writing required to respond properly to college-level assignments, examinations, and projects.

2.      Use a process of writing from pre-writing ideas to polishing a final draft.

3.      Demonstrate writing techniques explained in this class through finished writing projects that are clear, concise and convincing.

4.      Draw conclusions and present ideas from a variety of texts.

5.      Decipher texts for meaning.

6.      Demonstrate proper documentation for researched writing assignments and proper MLA format for all assignments.

Course Materials

Required Textbooks

Russell, Karin L. Write Now: Read. Think. Research. Communicate. New York: McGraw Hill, 2012.

This VitalSource e-book is provided via the APUS bookstore.

Additional Resources 

Additional supplemental readings and relevant websites are found in the classroom where applicable.

Citation and Reference Style

Use MLA format for all written work, citations, and references.

Turnitin

Turnitin is integrated such that your written assignments may be automatically submitted to an originality analysis software system through the Sakai Assignments tool.

Plagiarism

Course forums will be run through Turnitin.com every week.  Your instructor has the right to regrade assignments during the course if suspicion of plagiarism or any other misleading events present themselves.

Evaluation Procedures

Students write three essays as well as numerous short writing activities and forum posts. Each essay requires the student to work through a designated process of planning, composing, revising, and polishing. See the student handbook for the University’s grading scale. 

Individual assignments are graded according to rubrics that represent the expectations for student work. See each forum and assignment for details, instructions, and associated rubrics.

Assessment	Percent of  Final Grade
Essay 1	10%
Essay 2	25%
Essay 3	25%
After Action Assessments (2)	10%
Forum Posts	30%
Total	100%

Writing Expectations

College level writing requires complete, grammatical sentences and orderly paragraphs, without using slang, jargon, or texting conventions that abbreviate or misspell.

College level writing involves learning to do college level research. This course requires using the university online library for all research. The library hosts helpful tutorials, style references, and links to tutoring. Open web sources like Wikipedia, ask.com, and answers.com are not appropriate for college level research.

Late Assignments

Students are expected to submit classroom assignments by the posted due date and to complete the course according to the published class schedule. Instructors may take late point deductions. Contact the course instructor if additional time is needed to complete an assignment. Cognitive learning is accomplished by receiving consistent and incremental feedback that creates a positive change in performance (Ultanir, 2012). Feedback is structured so students increase their cognitive learning and skill sets. Thus, submitting bulk-loaded late work (more than one assignment at a time) is highly discouraged and may even result in assignment(s) being returned for revision, if the instructor determines that feedback from any submission would have improved the student’s assessment of any assignment. Building feedback is essential to your success.

Policies

The Student Handbook is the official resource for admission, registration, extension, grading, and all other policies that may impact students. The Handbook includes General Course Requirements for what you need to know before your course begins.

Course Outline

Week	Topics	Readings	Assignments
1	The Writing Process The Definition Essay	Lesson App: Lesson One Russell: Chapters 1 & 2 Sample student MLA paper pp. 355-359 Student Handbook: Academic Dishonesty	Forum:  Introductions and Definitions
2	Sentence Structure, Plagiarism, Research, MLA Format	Lesson App: Lesson Two Russell: Chapters 3 & 5 Editing Guide A, pp. 396-401 Editing Guide D, pp. 415-417 Plagiarism, pp. 339-341 “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White, pp. 97-100     or “Androgynous Man” by Noel Perrin, pp. 243-244	Forum:  Sentence Structure, In-Text References Essay #1: Definition
3	Writing to Inform, Thesis Statements, MLA Citations	Lesson App: Lesson Three Russell: Chapters 6 & 13 MLA, pp. 339-359	Forum:  Prewriting and Thesis Statements
4	Paragraphing, Evaluating Sources, Works Cited Pages	Lesson App: Lesson Four Russell: Chapters 6 & 14 Writing a Paragraph, pp. 50-53 Evaluating Research Sources, pp. 327-330 MLA Works Cited, pp. 345-359 Developing a Works Cited Page, p. 380 Editing Guide C, pp. 406-408	Forum:  Structuring Essay #2 After Action Assessment: Essay 1
5	Peer Reviews, Effective Transitions	Lesson App: Lesson Five Russell: Chapters 4 & 11 Transitions, pp. 51-53 Evaluating Research Sources, pp. 327-328	Forum: Essay 2 Peer Review Essay #2: Writing to Inform
6	Persuasive Writing	Lesson App: Lesson Six Russell: Chapters 9 & 10 Editing Guide B, pp. 399-405	Forum:  Cause and Effect Essay Topic Selection
7	Revising and Proofreading	Lesson App: Lesson Seven Russell: Chapters 7, 8, & 12 Revising pp. 27-28 Proofreading pp. 28-30	Forum:  Structuring Essay #3 Forum:  What’s Next After Action Assessment: Essay 2
8	Self-Reflection: Writing Proficiency	Lesson App: Lesson Eight Russell: Chapters 2 & 10	Forum:  Essay 3 Peer Review Essay #3: Writing to Show Cause and Effect

Disclaimer

Course content may vary from the outline to meet the needs of this particular group.

References

Ultanir, E. (2012). An epistemological glance at the constructivist approach: Constructivist learning in Dewey, Piaget, and Montessori. Online Submission.