Syllabus Guides
The syllabus is a contract with your students, but also sets the tone for the class and prepares students for the learning environment. Along with providing the class's "ground rules," can you also use the syllabus to provide clarity to a course, and even get them excited about what lies ahead? These resources not only provide the basics and requirements, but also ideas for how to make the syllabus engaging as a document and also to continually engage students with the syllabus.
Oakland University does not have one required standard template, but the template below has been reviewed and approved by several offices on campus and includes required elements such as course catalog description. Consult your department about their syllabus requirements and guidelines.
Browse main syllabus resources here, or see all Syllabus Resources.
- Syllabus Writing Checklist
- OU Syllabus Template.
- Alternative OU Syllabus: Engaging Example shows similar structure and language in a more interactive, visual, and personable form.
- Blended/Online Course Syllabus. Includes more focus on technology equipment, access, and expectations, along with other aspects included in the main syllabus template. Created by e-Learning and Instructional Support.
- Example Syllabus, WRT 1060
- Example Syllabus, BIO 4320
- Visual Syllabus Example, BIO 1200
Useful information for updating course schedules and including required information.
- Important Dates (holidays, recess, exam periods)
- Course Catalog Use site's dropdown menu to select graduate catalog.
These strategies keep students accountable to reading the syllabus, understand its most significant points, and connecting individual units to the “larger picture” of the course learning outcomes. These an more on the Teaching Tips blog.
- Reusing the Syllabus in Moodle
- What Will the Syllabus Say to Students?
- Five Ideas for Seeing the Syllabus with Fresh Eyes
- How to Know They Read the Syllabus: Quiz Questions and Beyond
- How to Prevent Dogs (and Computers) from Eating Student Work
- Syllabus with Accessibility in Mind
- Engaging Syllabus Design
- ADA Discussion and Syllabus Statement
- Syllabus: Active Reading from Day 1
- Syllabus Scavenger Hunt
- Using Your Syllabus for Learning
- Humanizing Pre-Course Contact with a "Liquid Syllabus"
- Accessible Syllabus - Brief, research-based ideas on how to use images, text, rhetoric, and policy in a way that best creates an inclusive learning environment.
- ADA Discussion and Syllabus Statement
- Textbook Affordability and Open Educational Resources at OU
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