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Syllabus construction
The syllabus for any course constitutes a contract between instructor and student. As a contract, the syllabus cannot be changed unless approved by both faculty and students in the class.
- The following statement should be included on your syllabus regarding the VCU Honor System:
"All VCU students are presumed upon enrollment to have acquainted themselves with and have an understanding of the Honor System. Therefore, it is a student's responsibility to ask course instructors to clarify expectations for each assignment in order to be in compliance with the Honor System. The 2007 - 8 VCU Honor System policy statement and purpose is located at http://www.provost.vcu.edu/pdfs/Honor_system_policy.pdf"
- a statement about "reasonable accommodations" for students with disabilities. Such a statement is mandated by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and required by law. The following statement can be found in the Faculty Handbook or you can cut and paste it from here:
"Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 require Virginia Commonwealth University to provide an 'academic adjustment' and/or a 'reasonable accommodation' to any individual who advises us of a physical or mental disability. If you have a physical or mental limitation that requires an academic adjustment or an accommodation, please arrange a meeting with me at your earliest convenience. Additionally, if your course work requires you to work in a lab environment, you should advise the instructor or department chairperson of any concerns you may have regarding safety issues related to your limitation(s)."
- "What to Know and Do to be Prepared for Emergencies at VCU
- Sign up to receive VCU text messaging alerts (www.vcu.edu/alert/notify). Keep your information up to date.
- Know the safe evacuation route from each of your classrooms. Emergency evacuation routes are posted in on-campus classrooms.
- Listen for and follow instructions from VCU or other designated authorities.
- Know where to go for additional emergency information (www.vcu.edu/alert).
- Know the emergency phone number fort the VCU police (827-1234). Report suspicious activities and objects"
However, because the syllabus is a contract and students view the syllabus as a reflection of you and your course, the following information should be contained in your syllabus:
- Heading with course number, name, semester, year, and name of instructor.
- Your contact information and office hours
- Course description
- Course objectives
- Prerequisites
- Your teaching methods
- A statement about your own beliefs about teaching and learning
- The textbook and where to purchase it
- Required materials or equipment: The statement should include precise descriptions and sources.
- Recommended text(s), materials, and equipment: List those things which you do not necessarily require, but you feel would assist the students.
- Course requirements, including assignments and assessment methods. The more inclusive and precise these explanations are, the more confident and assured the students will be and the more closely their performance and written assignments tend to match the expectations of the instructor. As instructors we can be grateful that students cannot read our minds. However, that fact requires us to detail course requirements to the ultimate degree. The cost in time and effort of this detailing is more than offset by the assurance of the students, the quality of the students' efforts, and the saving of instructional time which is often consumed.
- Course grading. This section, like the preceding one, is of significant interest to the students and to the instructor when faced with the challenge of grading. The same rationale for specificity applies here where, in essence, the instructor states what performance(s) or assignment(s) are counted toward the final grade. It is important to include all criteria for the grade. One method that orients the student well is to list the course requirements (by name only) and then list the points to be earned of the percentage assigned to this requirement by students with multiple questions concerning the details of the course requirements. In addition, the written syllabus clearly documents exactly what the instructor requires. This prevents debate and, in some cases, students' grievances concerning grades.
- Course schedule
- A written documentation of the instructor's policies relative to the course
- VCU's attendance policy
- Your attendance policy (if different from VCU's)
- Your make-up test policy
- VCU's classroom conduct policy
- Your classroom conduct policy (if different from VCU's)
- VCU's honor code policy
- Your honor code policy (if different from VCU's)
- Policy on Assignment Due Dates: A statement of your policy concerning assignment due dates is vital to orient students and to prevent "open warfare" concerning the acceptance and grading of assignments passed in late.
Language: Your syllabus is the students’ first impression of you and the course, especially if you post it electronically before the course starts. A clear, complete syllabus with student-centered language helps set the tone of the course.
See these websites:
Watch Video: Writing Better Syllabus 
