It’s in the syllabus – part two
“What Test?’
How many times do you find yourself answering questions whose answers are outlined clearly in your syllabus? Probably more than you’d like. So how do you get students to read the darn syllabus? Here are two ideas:
Visual Cues
The infographic syllabus on the right is an example of using visual cues to chunk syllabus information and create an engaging reading experience. Icons, color blocks, font changes, and high contrast are all used to control how quickly the reader is able to search for information and even how well they may remember it.
This syllabus was posted online so that students could scroll through a single image to find information, but it can be used in print versions as well.
Try using some of the following free infopraphic tools to create your own:
Creating and sharing your syllabus using Google Docs is a great way to avoid excuses from students who are either absent from class or simply absent-minded.
1. Create your syllabus in Google Docs and save it to a folder with the title “Handouts’ inside your Google Drive.
2. Create an email group with all of your students’ emails and name the group.
3. Go into the Syllabus document and in the upper right-hand corner, click “Share’.
4. Tell your students they must access the document and put their name at the very bottom to show they’ve read it. You can update it at any time and students will always have the latest version.
To get more in-depth instruction on this and more, apply to iTeach: https://iteach.uaf.edu/apply — Deadline is Sept. 12!
Download this Teaching Tip as PDF: TT-on the Syllabus part 2
UAF Instructional Designers
This page has been authored collectively by the experts on the
UAF Instructional Design Team.
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HOLY TOLEDO!!! That looks so Super Cool. I want mine to look like that!
=)