Blog Entry
A generic syllabus is one that captures the main contents of an online course: the course description, the defined learning objectives, the catalog information, related texts and resources, a course schedule (to show the overall e-learning trajectory and course structure), the grading structure, and course policies (civility clauses, accessibility issues, and others). I had assumed that it always comes with every online course build, but one of the faculty on the build team asked several times about what this syllabus is…so I thought I’d use that as an inspiration to throw something on this blog.
A generic syllabus defines the parts of a course that need to remain unrevised and solid for that course to meet accreditation standards for the various courses (and their various naming and numbering structures) in the various institutions. These involve the learning outcomes, the assessments, the grading methodologies, and so on. While faculty may often add to a course, it’s harder to justify taking away contents without affecting the integrity of the course.
One of the more important aspects of a generic syllabus is that is has to be customizable. Any number of faculty may inherit a co-built course shared in a network / cooperative of colleges and institutions of higher learning.
Some of the most useful generic syllabi involve the highlighting of the portions of the syllabus that need customization and uniqueness. This simplifies the work of whomever is inheriting the syllabus. It also makes it somewhat less likely to have a member leave something un-revised or un-edited because it slipped their eyes while they were customizing the syllabus. More sophisticated syllabuses even have form fields to add customization.
Online courses will evolve over time and will change as it passed through different hands, and as domain fields change. Still, having a simple document to define the foundational elements of a course may be very useful for the instructors who inherit pre-built courses and need to understand the setup and to strategize their own unique imprints on the work.
Comments
Bob 5 months, 1 week ago
I have a lot of specific stuff that I put into every syllabus that I offer, but I do leave a lot of blank information after the first two weeks. That way, in case we get behind, or ahead, or we end up engaging some student-interest discussions, I'm always ready.
Eruditio Loginquitas 5 months ago
Hello, Bob: It makes a lot of sense of build in flexibility into a syllabus. Those courses that have learners that have widely divergent skill sets and interests may also need more time to accommodate the learning.
Given that syllabi are considered pseudo-contracts with learners, it helps to not over-promise, either.
In courses that are shared ones with a range of different instructors and teaching styles, this flexibility is also critical. :) Thanks for your comments.
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