BY DAY 6
Respond to at least 2 of your peers by comparing and contrasting the features of your syllabus to theirs. Try to find someone whose setting (in-person, online, or hybrid) is different from yours.
EBONY
Overview
The syllabus chosen for this week’s discussion was an Introduction to Human Services syllabus from the College of Menominee Nation. This was an in-person, on-campus class. The syllabus gave a course description of the class, which said to provide an overview of career choices related to the Human Services field. Similarly, the course description provided info on several different fields that students could choose to work in, from those who have substance use disorders to those who may have developmental disabilities. The purpose of this syllabus was to let the students know what the learning objectives were in the class as well as the expectations of the class. As described by Richmond (2016), this type of syllabus allows the professor to give the students an outline of what is expected in the course and how they can pass it.
Four Effective Features
Although many features stood out, the four that I thought was to be the most effective in this syllabus are listed below
- Instructor Information: The instructor provides information on how to address the professor and serves as an introduction, and a means to communicate with the professor in multiple ways. In this particular syllabus, the professor lists their email and several phone numbers in which they can be contacted. Additionally, on this syllabus, the instructor has listed the scheduled office hours, so the students will know when the professor is available.
- The Learning Objectives: The syllabus gave an overview of what should be learned in the course. The feature is essential and effective because they assist in communicating to the students what they should be able to do or what they should have learned. Furthermore, it sets the student’s expectations and helps guide their learning processes (Mitchell & Manzo, 2018).
- Classroom Conduct: The classroom conduct was an effective portion of this syllabus as once someone gets to the collegiate level, things can change, and what they may be used to in high school will no longer be acceptable. This section outlines what is expected of the student regarding assignments and homework. Likewise, this portion of the syllabus also talks about the responsibility of the student to have academic integrity.
- Course Schedule with Guest Speakers: This feature was effective in the syllabus because it clearly outlines what is due and when it is due. However, it also allowed guest speakers to come and speak about their various roles in the Human Services field. I have found that many people don’t know exactly how they want to help or what they want to do until they hear or see someone else do it. The guest speaker portion gives the students an inside view of what could be expected and how these speakers go through in their field of expertise.
Two Changes
The two changes I would make to this syllabus is the conciseness of the grading scale. The syllabus annotates that there are grades of “ AB, BC, and CD rather than A-, B- or C-. When grades are received at the end of the semester, I have yet to see where grades are given in this formation. Therefore, if this is not how the grades will be reflected on the transcript, then I think it should be made to reflect on the said transcript and how the grades will appear. The other change I would make to this syllabus is to make it more inclusive. This will help the student’s first impression become more positive and easy to understand. As stated before, the grading scale was confusing and difficult to understand.
References
Bezzerides, J., Daly-Galeano, M., & Payton, S. (2020). Syllabus as inclusive practice. Syllabus, 9(1), 1–2. https://www.syllabusjournal.org/syllabus/article/view/297
Gannon, K. (2018, September 12). How to create a syllabus: Advice guideLinks to an external site. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/advice-syllabus
Mitchell, K. M. W., & Manzo, W. R. (2018). The purpose and perception of learning objectives. Journal of Political Science Education, 14(4), 456–472. https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2018.1433542
VINCENT
Sharing an Overview:
The syllabus that I selected was a human service in-person course at Calumet College of Saint Joseph. The course syllabus gave an introduction to the professor how and where she can be reached and when she can be reached, and a brief background or some history of the professor. I think this is useful information for the students one it’s allowing them the professor’s background and two they can ask questions as they inspire or give them direction to be Human Services providers.
The course syllabus is one place where an instructor directly can influence students’ interest and motivation. The syllabus may provide an overview of the content areas, elaborate on how the course will be taught, and introduce the instructor.
Evaluate the strengths of the syllabus by pointing out at least 4 effective features of the syllabus. Use Learning Resources to support your evaluation.
4 Strengths of the Syllabus:
- The course provides a clear course description: Students will be provided with an overview of the Human Services field and the various concentrations offered at Calumet College of St. Joseph. This course serves as the foundational course for the Counseling and Social Service concentrations. The course is delivered as an accelerated hybrid course linked with HSV 220. According to Ludy et. al., (2016) “the syllabus provides a first impression, which may be important (Matejka&Kurke, 1994) because it can motivate students or, alternatively, disinterest them in the course” (pg.1). The clarity of the course layout would bring a sense of peace when first reviewing the syllabus.
- The course provides the outcomes and competencies so that the students can stay on the course and know what to expect. How the overall layout and the organization of the syllabus speak volumes about how the university and professor want the students to be successful. It was stated by Ludy et. al., (2016) “the syllabus may provide an overview of the content areas, elaborate on how the course will be taught, and introduce the instructor”.
- Summary assessments: The goal of the summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against a standard or benchmark.
- Description of Student Assignments: The course description provides direct detail of assignments, quizzes, presentations, grading scales, and the dates from week to week until the final day of class.
Evaluate the weaknesses of the syllabus by pointing out at least 2 changes you would make. Explain how these changes would improve the syllabus. Use Learning Resources to support your evaluation.
The two changes that I would like to point out that I would consider a weakness with the syllabus falls under the responsibilities. The tone of the verbiage that falls under the responsibility column could be unmotivating a little intimidating to the student or create more anxiety especially if you have a student who is a first-time learner. I would change the energy and the tone of the wording to be more encouraging and empowering.
References
Ludy, M.-J., Brackenbury, T., Folkins, J. W., Peet, S. H., Langendorfer, S. J., &Beining, K. (2016). Student Impressions of Syllabus Design, Engaging Versus Contractual Syllabus. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning, 10(2), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2016.100206Links to an external site.
HSV_100_Introduction_to_Human_Services_Guzman-Arredondo.pdf (ccsj.edu)Links to an external site.
