Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Ever wonder why students dont read the syllabus, despite the time and effort we put into creating it? In many classes, professors go over the syllabus during the first week (Richmond, 2016), so frequently that students have dubbed it syllabus week not exactly the most exciting start to a semester! Think-Pair-Share.

Syllabus 124

Syllabus Students Activities Instructors 124

Edsurge

SEPTEMBER 10, 2017

The Syllabus Gets a Facelift. If we think about learning as a journey that gets compartmentalized in formal education, then the first experience for middle and high school students is often the syllabus. In many ways, the traditional syllabus places restrictions on when, what and how students will learn.

Syllabus 159

Syllabus Learning Course Outline History 159

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 18, 2015

Unfortunately, many teachers spend the first day of school reading their syllabus to their students and explaining all of the classroom norms and rules. They move right from the 10 questions activity to an online quiz titled “What’s Your Learning Style?” Will the class be teacher centered or student centered?

Syllabus 420

Syllabus Learning Styles Schools Quizzes 420

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 30, 2024

Reimagining the traditional “syllabus day” to an engaged “preview day” provides an opportunity to set a desired tone for the semester. In the final 20 minutes of class, I tend to shift focus to the syllabus. Since I reimagined “syllabus day” to “preview day,” I have seen some positive outcomes.

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Lecturing Discussions Science 111

Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Ever wonder why students dont read the syllabus, despite the time and effort we put into creating it? In many classes, professors go over the syllabus during the first week (Richmond, 2016), so frequently that students have dubbed it syllabus week not exactly the most exciting start to a semester! Think-Pair-Share.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Students Activities Instructors 98

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 21, 2022

But lessons on social-emotional learning aren’t typically found in a classroom syllabus. So, how do we as educators actively foster these qualities in our students? By including aspects of SEL in hands-on, inquiry-based activities, we can help students develop these skills organically.

Science 305

Science Syllabus Students Math 305

Faculty Focus

MARCH 12, 2023

The first day or week of the semester is often referred to as what students call “syllabus week,” because professors typically spend the first day of class reviewing the syllabus—interject a big yawn here. I consistently wanted to integrate community building activities for the students to participate in and feel safe and comfortable.

Student Engagement 116

Student Engagement Activities Syllabus Instructors 116

eSchool News

OCTOBER 7, 2015

Prepare syllabus and assignment due dates carefully and well in advance so that students know what to expect and when. A good course might have a “capstone project” that all the course activities build toward. Considering using both synchronous and asynchronous activities , which helps provide a good balance of activities.

Education 279

Education Syllabus Instructors Feedback 279

Faculty Focus

MARCH 12, 2023

The first day or week of the semester is often referred to as what students call “syllabus week,” because professors typically spend the first day of class reviewing the syllabus—interject a big yawn here. I consistently wanted to integrate community building activities for the students to participate in and feel safe and comfortable.

Student Engagement 98

Student Engagement Activities Syllabus Instructors 98

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 17, 2022

Instead of handing students a syllabus with a set of class rules, engage your students in the process of co-constructing classroom agreements about behaviors. Role-playing exercises position the students as active agents in the learning process and provide them with the opportunity to be creative. Strategy #5: Role Playing Exercises.

Learning 370

Learning Syllabus Evaluation Discussions 370

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 1, 2024

Historically, I start the semester by walking through the syllabus, our canvas site, and previewing the course topics. I decided to go back to my learnings objectives for this activity. The post First Day of Class Activities That Set the Tone for Learning appeared first on Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning.

Activities 109

Activities Syllabus Learning Knowledge 109

eSchool News

MARCH 24, 2020

Course Wizard – a course creation tool that allows you to custom-build activities based on vocabulary in your syllabus or from an excerpt of text. Lingvist Classroom – aggregated statistical tracking that allows educators to monitor the progress of all of their students in one place. Available only in certain language pairs.

Languages 187

Languages Language Learning Tools Syllabus 187

eSchool News

JULY 12, 2023

It also offers important lesson-level information such as lesson title, type, length and sequence, with easy access to information such as activity descriptions, standards addressed, and materials and additional lesson-level resources. A “Course Details” page provides days of instruction to make it easier to group lessons.

Curriculum 220

Curriculum Syllabus Education Science 220

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 1, 2024

Historically, I start the semester by walking through the syllabus, our canvas site, and previewing the course topics. I decided to go back to my learnings objectives for this activity. The post First Day of Class Activities That Set the Tone for Learning appeared first on Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning.

Activities 97

Activities Syllabus Learning Knowledge 97

Edsurge

FEBRUARY 19, 2019

Race, Social Media and the Role of Schools : Educational activism is on the rise and more visible than ever before. This session will explore how to be mindful when leaning on data to make inferences and decisions about students’ educational journeys.

Syllabus 115

Syllabus Science Learning Styles Testing 115

Faculty Focus

MARCH 14, 2023

The following includes a few strategies and examples to ensure clarity: A clear, inclusive syllabus with a course calendar of class activities, routines, materials, links to rubrics, etc. Clear expectations for all assignments, homework, activities, etc. Wisner, 2022). A clear agenda for each class.

Syllabus 131

Syllabus Exams Instructors Assignments 131

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

When Suparna Chatterjee was taking a graduate online course at New Mexico State University two years ago, she had to complete an ice-breaker activity where she was asked to create her own superhero. In the end she builds the final syllabus based on their suggestions. She takes the approach of co-designing.

Culture 152

Culture Teaching Syllabus English 152

Edsurge

JANUARY 5, 2021

Many classrooms are existing in a concurrent model, where students who are home are watching a live stream of the classroom activities happening in school. Other elements of his syllabus were going to be taught using flexible online learning modules. This is not what online and blended learning should look like.

Blended Learning 193

Blended Learning Failure Syllabus Schools 193

eSchool News

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

AI tools can create content quickly, such as quizzes and worksheets and complete administrative tasks, such as grading assignments and generating progress reports , freeing up more time for instructional activities.

Ethics 331

Ethics Essay Syllabus Feedback 331

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 20, 2024

I know you may be thinking that play is an activity for children, but in his book “Play”, author Stuart Brown reminds us of the positive benefits of play in adulthood , which include reducing stress, fostering relationships, and enhancing one’s mood. Exhibit 2: Thompson’s Barbie themed class syllabus (Spring 2024). Let Them Play!

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Attention Assignments Activities 111

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 20, 2024

I know you may be thinking that play is an activity for children, but in his book “Play”, author Stuart Brown reminds us of the positive benefits of play in adulthood , which include reducing stress, fostering relationships, and enhancing one’s mood. Exhibit 2: Thompson’s Barbie themed class syllabus (Spring 2024). Let Them Play!

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Attention Assignments Activities 111

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 19, 2023

Successful syllabus While there are mandatory components of a standard syllabus, I also add welcoming elements. I always begin my syllabus with an inclusive and inspirational quote. The teacher facilitates this rotation to keep the activity dynamic and engaging. I incorporate graphs and charts to clarify grading.

Syllabus 122

Syllabus Lecturing Instructors Feedback 122

Edsurge

APRIL 30, 2020

So instead of having a three-hour class, we've tried to break our lectures down into 10 minutes, followed by an interactive short activity. And the activity is just a content check. Start with your syllabus, make your syllabus accessible and then do one document per week. It's not like we're grading it for huge stakes.

Accessibility 218

Accessibility Disabilities Universal Design Syllabus 218

Edsurge

JANUARY 25, 2019

In most consortia there’s not a lot of activity going on because the logistics of academic sharing are difficult,” argues Robert Manzer, chief academic officer and co-founder of College Consortium. Our platform makes it super easy to request a course at another institution.”

Art 157

Art Syllabus Study Grades 157

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 15, 2024

For some, planning revolves around syllabus revision, closing loopholes, and adjusting dates. This may not sound particularly innovative, especially since many teachers provide a calendar in the syllabus. Early in my career, one chapter per week described my course outline. It wasnt an effective system.

Syllabus 109

Syllabus Exams Course Outline Attention 109

Faculty Focus

NOVEMBER 19, 2023

Successful syllabus While there are mandatory components of a standard syllabus, I also add welcoming elements. I always begin my syllabus with an inclusive and inspirational quote. The teacher facilitates this rotation to keep the activity dynamic and engaging. I incorporate graphs and charts to clarify grading.

Syllabus 110

Syllabus Lecturing Instructors Feedback 110

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 13, 2024

Instead of thinking about the LMS as simply a repository for course essentials (syllabus, contact information, etc.), Ensure content in the LMS course matches syllabus content and information (it’s ok to have information in both the syllabus and the LMS). Ensure the course navigation menu is clear, hiding any unused items.

Syllabus 122

Syllabus Instructors Assignments Faculty Development 122

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 21, 2025

Collaborative syllabus design: During the first class, engage students in setting community and classroom norms and goals. A co-created syllabus session fosters accountability and trust, as students feel ownership of the course structure (Cook-Sather et al., 2014; Agarwal, 2019). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.

Plagiarism 121

Plagiarism Syllabus Ethics Feedback 121

Faculty Focus

MAY 9, 2024

As educators and students grapple with what is allowed when using generative AI (GenAI) tools, I have compiled five tips to help you design or redesign academic integrity statements for your syllabus, assignments, exams, and course activities. Or for some class activities, but not others. Or, for one class activity (e.g.,

Academic Integrity 137

Academic Integrity Writing Syllabus Exams 137

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 22, 2024

We begin not with the syllabus, not with the table of contents, not with the attendance policy, not with lame jokes but with the real questions that delight us in our own work. But we have a legal obligation to cover the syllabus. Cover the syllabus later. I am happy to discuss in more detail—email me!—but

Syllabus 111

Syllabus Discussions Beliefs Questions 111

Faculty Focus

MAY 13, 2025

Furthermore, teaching should aim to prepare students for active civic engagement. The instructor typically arrives, distributes a syllabus outlining course policies and expectations, explains assignments and grading criteria, and may include a brief activity or icebreaker. Often, class ends early. This distinction is crucial.

Syllabus 105

Syllabus Instructors Learning Confidentiality 105

Faculty Focus

JUNE 2, 2024

Aside from a bare-bones syllabus, the professor never showed up. Here are some tips for where to begin: Use intentionality when creating content, learning activities, and assessments Instructors should mindfully consider the content they present to students, the learning activities students complete, and the assessments within the class.

Syllabus 131

Syllabus Course Design Learning Students 131

Faculty Focus

AUGUST 22, 2024

We begin not with the syllabus, not with the table of contents, not with the attendance policy, not with lame jokes but with the real questions that delight us in our own work. But we have a legal obligation to cover the syllabus. Cover the syllabus later. I am happy to discuss in more detail—email me!—but

Syllabus 105

Syllabus Discussions Beliefs Questions 105

Faculty Focus

MAY 29, 2025

After 13 years of testing higher-order active learning modalities in the classroom, collecting data, building a database, and analyzing student learning results in bi-annual principles of marketing classes, my colleague and I saw two important results emerge.

Student Engagement 89

Student Engagement Syllabus Learning Students 89

Faculty Focus

JANUARY 18, 2024

I was handed a syllabus, a classroom, and students, and left to figure out the rest on my own. In preparing that first course, I focused on what I thought were the essentials of teaching: finalizing the syllabus, picking the readings, and writing the assignments. Co-create classroom norms with your students.

Teaching 119

Teaching Syllabus Feedback Instructors 119

Faculty Focus

MARCH 14, 2023

The following includes a few strategies and examples to ensure clarity: A clear, inclusive syllabus with a course calendar of class activities, routines, materials, links to rubrics, etc. Clear expectations for all assignments, homework, activities, etc. Wisner, 2022). A clear agenda for each class.

Syllabus 98

Syllabus Exams Instructors Assignments 98

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 15, 2024

For some, planning revolves around syllabus revision, closing loopholes, and adjusting dates. This may not sound particularly innovative, especially since many teachers provide a calendar in the syllabus. Early in my career, one chapter per week described my course outline. It wasnt an effective system.

Syllabus 97

Syllabus Exams Course Outline Attention 97