1. syllabus week The first week of class, when syllabi are passed out... a basic waste of time. buy syllabus week mugs & shirts add a video 2. syllabus week 1. Party week. 2. The first week of classes, during which all time is wasted by reading through the syllabus. add a video During the first week of each semester, your professors will each present you with a syllabus or course outline. Don't stuff that syllabus in a folder and forget about it! It contains valuable information that will help you plan your study time for that course, including class policies, test types, and final grade calculation. The syllabus is a plan to follow, or a road map of a professor's expectations, so file each one in a safe place for frequent future reference. You can predict much about a course from the syllabus, and it can help you to design your academic activities for the course. Long-range planning needs to begin on the first day of class. Planning out your semester will help you reduce confusion and anxiety by defining more exactly the demands you will face in each course. By anticipating and planning your approach to each course, you can plan your coping strategies.
Function and Components of a Syllabus A syllabus has several functions. The first function is to invite students you to the course--to inform you of the objectives of the course and to provide a sense of what the course will be like. The second function is to provide a kind of contract between the instructors and students--to document expectations for assignments and grade allocations. The third function is to provide a guiding reference--a resource to which students and instructional staff can refer for logistical information such as the schedule for the course and office hours, as well as rationale for the pedagogy and course content. Generally, a syllabus should include the following information: Learning Objectives: What students will gain or take away from the course. Why these objectives are the most important skills/knowledge for the course (helpful if objectives are included for each topic/session). Goal/Rationale: How the course relates to primary concepts and principles of the discipline (where it fits into the overall intellectual area). Type of knowledge and abilities that will be emphasized. How and why the course is organized in a particular sequence. Basic Information: Course name and number, meeting time and place, instructor name, contact information, office hours, instructional support staff information. Course Content: Schedule, outline, meeting dates and holidays, major topics and sub-topics preferably with rationale for inclusion.
Student Responsibilities: Particulars and rationale for homework, projects, quizzes, exams, reading requirements, participation, due dates, etc. Policies on lateness, missed work, extra credit, etc. Grading Method: Clear, explicit statement of assessment process and measurements. Materials and Access: Required texts and readings, course packs. How to get materials including relevant instructional technologies. Additional resources such as study groups, etc. Teaching Philosophy: Pedagogical approach including rationale for why students will benefit from it. Steps for Creating a Semester Schedule Collect all of your course syllabi. Purchase a four-month calendar from the University Bookstore, it provides space for each month of the semester. You should also create a smaller version for your notebook, by printing the Using your course syllabi, fill in on each of the terms monthly calendars all of your exams, papers, short essays, presentations, quizzes, and due dates for other important projects. Using these calendars, you can see which weeks of the semester will be the busiest, and plan your time accordingly. If you have several tests and papers during one week, you may want to start studying several weeks in advance to avoid cramming! Many people find it helpful to set their own deadlines for their work. For example, if you have a paper due on May 1, set a deadline of April 24 for completing the rough draft. Write in these deadlines on your calendars to help yourself stick to them!
Steps for Planning for Your Courses Collect all of your course syllabi. Print out a Course Chart. Under Course, list each course title with your most difficult course at the top, to indicate its high priority, and your easiest course at the bottom. Under each course title, set a goal by adding the final grade you want to earn in that course. Under Professor, record name, office hours, office location, and phone number. You may want to visit each professor's office hours during the first two weeks of classes, to introduce yourself and to ask any questions you may have. Get acquainted with each professor early, especially in your most difficult courses, and you'll be more likely to seek help regularly, before problems with grades can arise. Seeing this entry on your chart will remind you to take this step. Under Exams, briefly list the dates and types of each exam, and how much it counts toward your final grade (e.g., midterm 10/2, 3 essays, 40%). Do the same under Projects & Papers and again for Other, for courses in which homework, quiz grades, or critiques contribute to your final grade. Leave blanks for any courses in which these do not apply. These three spaces show you, at a glance, exactly what you have to do and when to earn the final grade you desire. Under Attendance Policy and Late & Makeup Assignment Policy, note any special requirements of individual professors. There will be wide variations on these; you need to know that four absences in one course will cause the professor to fail you, while in another case you have more leeway. Some professors dramatically lower grades for late work, while others are less strict. Your chart will make it easy to meet individual requirement that can affect your grades. Post your completed chart prominently, where you will see it every day. Seeing all of your course demands condensed onto one sheet of paper, rather than spread out over five multi-page syllabi, is the first step in organizing and balancing your approach to the semester. Be sure all of the important dates you have listed (tests, papers, projects) are listed on your semester calendar!
After completing this long-range plan, Create a Weekly Time Management Schedule to help manage your study time on a weekly basis! Steps for Creating a Weekly Time Management Schedule Print out a Time Management Weekly Schedule Fil in the folowing activites on your weekly schedule with a ruler and pencil (sometimes it helps to color code, and the schedule looks more cheerful with color pencils too!): All classes One hour for lunch and dinner Campus jobs Athletic practices Regularly scheduled meetings (such as clubs) Language labs Peer Tutor or Peer Mentor meetings Regular exercise or workouts Any TV shows you always watch! Make photocopies of this schedule for weekly time management adjustments. Fil in study time for one week on one of your schedules, based on the class work, tests, papers, and projects that you have that specific week. As you schedule study hours, remember to keep in mind that different people study different ways. Some classes will be take less time to study for than others, and other classes may require more effort. Be sure to ask yourself the following questions: At what time of day do I prefer to study? Morning, afternoon, or night? Do I prefer to study for several hours at a time or for short chunks of time? What are my easiest and most difficult courses? Will I study on the weekends? (Remember that Sunday is usually a study night that can be used for planning assignments and catching up.) Use your answers to these questions as a guide when scheduling your study time. Also, be sure to schedule breaks after a block of two hours of studying. This will help you to be refreshed and refocused!
Try your schedule for a week. When you schedule your study time for the next week, ask yourself what you liked and didn't like about the previous week's schedule, and change things accordingly. This will help you to create a schedule that is best suited to your habits and needs. References: Howard University Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment: Syllabus Search https://www.howard.edu/syllabi/syllabi2/login.aspx Stine, Jean Marie (1997). Double Your Brain Power. Prentice Hall; Barnes & Nobles. New York, New York. Sweet Briar College: http://www.arc.sbc.edu/timeschedule.html