Every semester, before we start our class, we are to prepare a course syllabus for each subject. A syllabus as defined in International Bureau of Education is a document which contains the course objectives, course description, topics and its sequences, the way of delivery, the tools, the teaching and learning activities, assessments, references and timeframe.
Now, let me share to you the basic contents of a syllabus, based on our format in the university.
Course Information. This contains the information about the course in terms of course number, title, pre-requisite, number of units, total number of hours and the course description. It is the overview of the subject. An example of course information is shown below for the subject Advanced Database Systems.
Course Learning Outcomes. These are the learning outcomes expected for each student. At the end of the semester, the student should be able to perform this. Others sometimes call this as course objectives.
Course Outline. The course outline has different sections. The first one is the time frame, in our university, the timeframe is set by week. Then, we have the topics, sometimes we have the main topic and under it the are subtopics. After the topics, we have the Desired Learning Outcome for the said topic which actually will lead to the achievement of the Course Learning Outcome which was mentioned above. Also, the teaching and learning activities stipulates the ways on how the topics will be delivered and will be learned by the students. The last column, Student assessment contains the way on how the student's learning will be assessed. In the example, it would be through machine problems and examinations.
References. Aside from those mentioned, another important part of the syllabus is the references. References are the books and other online materials that the student can use as basis for learning. These could also include tutorials and video presentations.
Course Requirements and Grading System. Course requirements with its corresponding grade percentage is presented in this section. It gives the student an overview of the weights of the requirements.
Class Policies. This outlines the class rules on absenteeism, punctuality on submitting requirements, when to get such grades. Rules on cheating, late submission and others.
What is the importance of Course Syllabus?
Based on my experience, the syllabus is very important in the course. It serves as our guide as faculty on what are the topics that should we discuss, what are the intended learning outcomes and how the students will be assessed. With it, we will also know if we are still on track with our classes or delayed or advanced.
On the side of the students, they can have an advance study on the topics especially that references are also given. A copy of the syllabus is given to students for them to be guided of the coverage of the subject. And usually the contents of the syllabus are discussed on the Class Orientation.
Are their cases that the syllabus will not be followed?
For me, based on my experience, YES. There are really cases that the coverage of the syllabus will not be tackled due to some constraints like there are always holidays, or important events in school. So what we do is adjust, we choose the topics that will really help on achieving the Course Learning Outcomes. For me, it would not be fair to students if we force to finish all topics within a limited time frame and the students did not learn anything.
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Hello there! I just would like to say that I am not an expert in education. I based this content based on my experience in teaching. So if your find any mistake or you have comments about this, please let me know so that we can discuss it here. Keep safe everyone.
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I remember course syllabus as guides for what topics to cover that way I can do advance reading. One prof I had presented it with key milestones as well. God bless Mizlhaine!