New Course Tips

Tips for Developing an Online Syllabus

• The syllabus is a contract between students and teacher. Instructors should carefully consider what is put in it because instructors must abide by it.  For an online class the syllabus should be much more detailed than for a face-to-face class.  Expectations should be made very clear.

•  The syllabus should be posted by the first day of class and remain on the class site for the entire class.

• The syllabus should tell students the required materials including the textbooks and how to obtain them.

• The syllabus should let the students know of the computer skills that are necessary for the class. List the characteristics of a successful online learner such as organized, self-starter, detail person, etc.  It is a good idea to direct students to a self-assessment where they can see if they are a good fit for an online class.

• The syllabus should detail how students contact the instructor including the preferred email address.  The instructor should have specific office hours, as well as be available through email at other times.  

• The guidelines for how soon the instructor will respond to emails should be established in the syllabus.  For example, will the instructor respond to an email within 24 hours?  Will the instructor be available on weekends?  Each instructor should set his or her own rules, but they should be detailed in the syllabus and then followed. The course goals and objectives in measurable and observable terms should be listed in the syllabus.  There is less anxiety for the students if they know what to expect.

• There should be one page of all assignments and tests for the entire class with the due dates.  The assignment listing allows students the flexibility of working ahead if needed.

• There should also be separate pages for each assignment with detailed instructions, and expectations. Grading scale and weighting of assignments should  also be included. The directions should be so clear that students can do the assignments on their own.

• Rules of class behavior should be listed in the online syllabus. State that students must communicate in proper professional English – no net-slang, no abbreviations, no using all lower-case, no using all upper-case, etc. Create a summary page of important Netiquette rules that students in the class should follow.  There could also be links to online websites with information about netiquette. 

• Set guidelines for discussions including frequency.  Students should know how many posts are required and how many would be considered excessive.  Students should be taught that postings should be significant and add to the knowledge base.  There may be rules against posting messages such as “I agree.”  

• The drop policy should be detailed.  For example if the student fails to post to the discussion thread for two weeks, then the student has been “absent” two weeks and can be dropped from the class.  Other reasons for dropping may include inappropriate postings on the class discussions or cheating.

• An academic dishonesty policy should be in the syllabus.  A standard campus- wide policy could be used, or the instructor can set guidelines for cheating and plagiarism.

• Late submission policy should be specified in the syllabus.  For example, can assignments be turned in late for half-credit or point reduction? Also, can assignments be submitted early?  Will the instructor grade assignments when received, or will the instructor wait until the assignment is due? • Let students know how many hours per week they will be expected to invest in the class.   

Warn students that they need a backup plan if their computer crashes.

• If the institution has computer usage policies, include them in the class syllabus.

• Give a quiz on the items in your syllabus to make sure students read it.

source: Tips from Handbook for Online Faculty - by J. Frese, Fresno City College