Why don't students read my syllabus? Creating alternative syllabi to promote inclusion
Concurrent Session 3
Brief Abstract
Short Abstract
Syllabi provide students with important course information and learning resources, yet faculty sense students rarely use it as a course resource. In this session, we’ll discuss why syllabi are not used by students and imagine possibilities for creating syllabi that are more inclusive and that foster a sense of belonging.
Additional Authors
Extended Abstract
Extended Abstract
Topic and Relevance
The syllabus is often the first touchpoint a student has with a course and the instructor teaching it. It contains important course information and learning resources; however, faculty sense that students rarely refer to the syllabus beyond the first day of class. This lack of engagement with the syllabus might lead students to be less successful in the course. At the same time, studies demonstrate that when students lack a sense of belonging in a course, it also has a negative impact on their success (Student Experience Project, 2021).
This session seeks to demonstrate how the traditional syllabus can be rethought and redesigned to promote higher levels of engagement and a greater sense of belonging among all students in today’s college courses. We will also examine how an inclusive approach to syllabus design can positively impact online and marginalized students in particular.
The work presented in this session is a result of a universal design for learning (UDL) seminar offered to faculty at an urban community college that is part of a large university system. UDL provides research-based principles for designing and teaching an inclusive and accessible course. Through a UDL lens, seminar participants were guided through a process of rethinking their courses as well as their assignments, resources, and other educational materials in order to be more inclusive to all students, especially those individuals commonly marginalized in higher education. Designing an inclusive syllabus was a major component of the UDL seminar.
Below are some reasons why students might choose not to read the course syllabus:
- The Traditional View of the Syllabus as a ”Contract”: This view of the syllabus may unintentionally lead to a lack of student engagement. Often written in “legalese” with dense academic jargon and authoritarian-sounding prose, it can seem like a document from a less collaborative, by-gone era in education.
- Assumption That it Lacks Importance: Students may assume the syllabus contains little to no information of benefit to them and choose to ignore it. They may think it is simply made up of rules and policies that won’t apply to them.
- Procrastination: Students may put off reading the syllabus until later, and then never return to it.
- Length, Formatting, and Style: The syllabus may be wordy, too long, or formatted in a way that makes it inaccessible. This can provide barriers to understanding and comprehension. The language used might also be dense or jargon-filled, making it harder for students to understand.
- Over-Reliance on Class Contact: Some students may depend solely on class discussions or weekly online announcements to understand course information and expectations.
- Time: Today’s students have complex lives and responsibilities, which could make it more difficult to perform a careful reading of the syllabus.
Since faculty, departments, and institutions consider the syllabus an integral document to share with students as part of their learning experience, it should be designed in a way that encourages students to read and use it. Therefore, educators need to rethink their syllabi design so that it is more accessible and engaging. Using welcoming and clear language, breaking up the text into manageable chunks, and including visuals as an alternate form to communicate ideas are a few possible strategies to create a syllabus that students might consider useful and meaningful.
In the session, we will walk participants through what such a syllabus might look like and steps to create a new and improved syllabus so that students are provided with vital information that will help them succeed in the course.
Interactivity
Join this session to begin imagining possibilities for creating an inclusive and accessible syllabus – one that students will benefit from and be intrinsically motivated to engage with. The session will start with background and context, followed by a collaborative reflection activity about the purpose of a syllabus and syllabus language. We’ll challenge preconceptions we may have about how a syllabus should function within a 21st century learning context, and especially for online learners today, and we’ll imagine possibilities for providing a syllabus that helps students succeed in and complete their course.
Participants will learn to apply best practices of universal design for learning and instructional design to their own syllabus redesign project. They’ll embark on a guided walk-through of some model inclusive syllabi designed by faculty from a variety of disciplines. They’ll engage in an interactive exercise on how to create a syllabus that demystifies jargon, has a welcoming tone, and demonstrates a student-faculty partnership for learning.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to
● Use techniques presented in the session to foster a greater sense of belonging in online classes
● Promote the course syllabus as a supportive learning tool that is accessible on multiple devices, welcoming, and demonstrates an educational partnership between faculty and students rather than a contract
● Alter language presented to students in online course content, particularly the course syllabi to demystify the jargon of higher education and build meaningful experiences for learners
During the session, participants will engage in
● a group reflection activity about the purpose of a syllabus and syllabus language
● a guided walk-through of sample inclusive syllabi created by faculty from the UDL seminar
● an exercise on how to use best instructional design practices to create a welcoming tone, demystify jargon, and demonstrate a student-faculty partnership for learning within their syllabi
Takeaways
The takeaways will be further gleaned from the group’s discussion and insights. However, a key point of the presentation is that a well-designed, inclusive syllabus can help increase student engagement and feelings of belonging – both of which can lead to greater learner success in the course.
The traditional syllabus represents a pervasive missed opportunity in higher education to support student success.
References & Resources
University of Southern California, Center for Urban Education, Rossier School of Education. (2017). Syllabus Review Guide for Equity-Minded Practice.
Student Experience Project (SEP). (2021). Increasing Equity in College Student Experience: Reported Findings from a National Collaborative.
Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). n.d. The UDL Guidelines.
University of South Carolina at Aiken. n.d. Guide to Inclusive Language.
University of Queensland, Australia. n.d. Guide to Using Inclusive Language.
Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Harvard University Press.
Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning. (n.d.) Accessibility in Teaching and Learning.
Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning. (2017). Guide to inclusive teaching.
Gannon, K. (2018, September 12). How to create a syllabus: Advice guide. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Gannon, K. (2020). Radical hope: A teaching manifesto. West Virginia University Press.
Germano W. & Nicholls, K. (2020). Syllabus: The remarkable, unremarkable document that changes everything. Princeton University Press.
Grunert O’Brien, J., Millis, B.J., & Cohen, M.W. (2008). The course syllabus: A learning-centered approach, second edition. Jossey-Bass.
Moore, C.S., Brantmeir, E., & Brocheild, A. (2017). Inclusion by design: Tool helps faculty examine their teaching practice. Faculty Focus: Higher Ed Teaching Strategies from Magna Publications.
Ross, C. (Host). (2021, February 18). The syllabus with William Germano and Kit Nicholls. (No. 2.3) [Audio podcast episode.] In Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning.
Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning.
University of British Columbia, Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology. (n.d.). Writing a Learner-Centered/Inclusive Syllabus: The Inclusive Syllabus: What is it?
Michelle Pacansky-Brock. 2014. The Liquid Syllabus: Are You Ready?
Caruth, G. (2016). Today’s college Students: Who are they and what do they require from a college education? International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research, 3(1), 34- 46.