Syllabi Best Practices Task Force
San Luis Obispo, CA
At the February 8, 2013 meeting, the Academic Senate Council formed a Syllabi Best Practices Task Force to develop a syllabus best practices template, with recommended elements/statements that course syllabi should incorporate (Academic Senate Council Minutes, February 8, 2013 (*.pdf)).
The results from a preliminary survey in spring 2013 are shown below, where faculty were asked to indicate whether certain information is contained or not contained in their syllabi, or whether the information was not applicable to their courses. Of the information that was applicable, an "in my course syllabi, if applicable" rating was calculated:
N(In my course syllabi) / (N(In my course syllabi) + N(Not my course syllabi)).
The lists below rank the percentages of course information that was contained in syllabi, if that information was applicable:
General course information contained my syllabi:
| Required/optional purchases (textbooks, etc.). | 100% |
| Student learning outcomes (or external link). | 98% |
| Course name, CRN. | 90% |
| Course classroom, days/times. | 85% |
| Academic dishonesty policy. | 84% |
| Students with disabilities policy. | 84% |
| Course description. | 83% |
| Electronic devices policy. | 73% |
| Civility policy. | 62% |
| Prerequisites/co-requisites. | 60% |
| Accessing Moodle and/or MyCuesta course materials. | 58% |
| Student resources (writing labs, EOPS, Academic Support, Veteran Resource Center, etc.). | 46% |
| Frequently Asked Questions. | 4% |
Instructor information contained in my syllabi:
| E-mail. | 100% |
| Office location, office hours. | 98% |
| Phone number/voice mailbox. | 95% |
| Course website. | 75% |
| Assignment drop-off locations (physical mailbox, online). | 43% |
| Teaching motivation/philosophy/principles. | 35% |
Calendar information contained in my syllabi:
| Class meeting dates (or special days class would not meet). | 88% |
| Specific topics/chapters covered. | 87% |
| Final Exam date/time. | 82% |
| Exam dates. | 77% |
| Project/report/term paper due dates. | 72% |
| Field trip dates. | 69% |
| Add/drop deadlines. | 57% |
Grading information contained in my syllabi:
| ABCDF point/percentage grade scale (or class curve policy). | 95% |
| Attendance policy. | 91% |
| Exam make-up/drop policy. | 89% |
| Drop policy. | 85% |
| Extra-credit. | 76% |
| Coursework/projects/reports/term papers standards/descriptions. | 73% |
| Tardiness policy. | 67% |
| Study guides/tips. | 47% |
Survey was posted on SurveyMonkey.com. Raw survey statistics are compiled below, converted from spreadsheet to HTML table format using "No-Cruft Excel to HTML Table Converter (*.html).
"Dear Cuesta College Faculty,10 May 2013
Your Syllabi Best Practices Task Force members on the Academic Senate Council would like your input regarding the specific information contained in the syllabi for your courses at Cuesta College."
N = 57
General course information contained my syllabi:
| In my course syllabi. | Not in my course syllabi. | (Not applicable to my course(s).) | Responses | |
| Student learning outcomes (or external link). | 98.2% (56) | 1.8% (1) | 0.0% (0) | 57 |
| Required/optional purchases (textbooks, etc.). | 98.2% (56) | 0.0% (0) | 1.8% (1) | 57 |
| Course name, CRN. | 89.5% (51) | 10.5% (6) | 0.0% (0) | 57 |
| Course classroom, days/times. | 83.9% (47) | 14.3% (8) | 1.8% (1) | 56 |
| Course description. | 82.5% (47) | 17.5% (10) | 0.0% (0) | 57 |
| Academic dishonesty policy. | 82.1% (46) | 16.1% (9) | 1.8% (1) | 56 |
| Students with disabilities policy. | 82.1% (46) | 16.1% (9) | 1.8% (1) | 56 |
| Electronic devices policy. | 72.7% (40) | 27.3% (15) | 0.0% (0) | 55 |
| Civility policy. | 61.8% (34) | 38.2% (21) | 0.0% (0) | 55 |
| Prerequisites/co-requisites. | 48.2% (27) | 32.1% (18) | 19.6% (11) | 56 |
| Accessing Moodle and/or MyCuesta course materials. | 48.1% (26) | 35.2% (19) | 16.7% (9) | 54 |
| Student resources (writing labs, EOPS, Academic Support, Veteran Resource Center, etc.). | 43.6% (24) | 50.9% (28) | 5.5% (3) | 55 |
| Frequently Asked Questions. | 3.9% (2) | 90.2% (46) | 5.9% (3) | 51 |
Instructor information contained in my syllabi:
| In my course syllabi. | Not in my course syllabi. | (Not applicable to my course(s).) | Responses | |
| E-mail. | 98.2% (55) | 0.0% (0) | 1.8% (1) | 56 |
| Office location, office hours. | 96.5% (55) | 1.8% (1) | 1.8% (1) | 57 |
| Phone number/voice mailbox. | 94.6% (53) | 5.4% (3) | 0.0% (0) | 56 |
| Course website. | 50.0% (27) | 16.7% (9) | 33.3% (18) | 54 |
| Assignment drop-off locations (physical mailbox, online). | 35.2% (19) | 46.3% (25) | 18.5% (10) | 54 |
| Teaching motivation/philosophy/principles. | 33.9% (19) | 64.3% (36) | 1.8% (1) | 56 |
Calendar information contained in my syllabi:
| In my course syllabi. | Not in my course syllabi. | (Not applicable to my course(s).) | Responses | |
| Class meeting dates (or special days class would not meet). | 87.7% (50) | 12.3% (7) | 0.0% (0) | 57 |
| Specific topics/chapters covered. | 84.2% (48) | 12.3% (7) | 3.5% (2) | 57 |
| Final Exam date/time. | 80.7% (46) | 17.5% (10) | 1.8% (1) | 57 |
| Exam dates. | 71.9% (41) | 21.1% (12) | 7.0% (4) | 57 |
| Add/drop deadlines. | 54.5% (30) | 41.8% (23) | 3.6% (2) | 55 |
| Project/report/term paper due dates. | 54.4% (31) | 21.1% (12) | 24.6% (14) | 57 |
| Field trip dates. | 16.1% (9) | 7.1% (4) | 76.8% (43) | 56 |
Grading information contained in my syllabi:
| In my course syllabi. | Not in my course syllabi. | (Not applicable to my course(s).) | Responses | |
| ABCDF point/percentage grade scale (or class curve policy). | 94.6% (53) | 5.4% (3) | 0.0% (0) | 56 |
| Attendance policy. | 89.5% (51) | 8.8% (5) | 1.8% (1) | 57 |
| Exam make-up/drop policy. | 87.7% (50) | 10.5% (6) | 1.8% (1) | 57 |
| Drop policy. | 82.1% (46) | 14.3% (8) | 3.6% (2) | 56 |
| Coursework/projects/reports/term papers standards/descriptions. | 64.9% (37) | 24.6% (14) | 10.5% (6) | 57 |
| Tardiness policy. | 64.8% (35) | 31.5% (17) | 3.7% (2) | 54 |
| Extra-credit. | 50.0% (28) | 16.1% (9) | 33.9% (19) | 56 |
| Study guides/tips. | 42.9% (24) | 48.2% (27) | 8.9% (5) | 56 |
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