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Your Pedagogical Practices. 
In the previous step, the reader was asked to consider what various teaching methods they use. The combination of those used and the reasons why they’re implemented essentially compose ones teaching pedagogy. Your teaching pedagogy should encompass the theories, practices, principles, and core values that you use to guide student learning. As opposed to teaching methods, your teaching pedagogy is unique to you and constructed by your specific values as opposed to being merely strategies you employ.
In essence, it would be reductive to describe your teaching pedagogy by a broad name, while you may mostly agree with one person, perceptions of the various methods and named pedagogies are never quite the same. Nevertheless, attempts to categorize them are helpful in the sense they give individuals a base point to begin crafting their own growing pedagogies.
 
This section does not exist to instruct you on how to form your own pedagogies, but to instead consider how your pedagogy is worked into your syllabus, what benefits your pedagogy offers the students of your course and are your methods and strategies towards teaching supported through up-to-date research. This step understandably involves the most homework on the part of the reader. To develop your teaching pedagogy and ensure you are using up-to-date teaching practices it’s encouraged that you:
 

Occasionally read peer-reviewed journals on teaching:

Journal of Teaching Education
Teaching in Higher Education
Journal of College Student Development
There may be ones specific to your own field:

Journal for Research in Mathematics Education
Journal of Research in Reading
Etc.




Attend Professional Developments offered by your institution.

Most schools offer these kinds of opportunities every year. Sometimes they are designed as training for new educators, but it can always be helpful to get involved.


Discuss your current thoughts on education with colleagues.

You’re a member of a department and have several other instructors working alongside you who also work with students. Rely on their knowledge and experience as well as your own to create ideas and thoughts relating to teaching.



 
Use your syllabus as a way to express your teaching pedagogy, making it clear to those who read it explicitly what your values as an educator are and how you set out to accomplish them.
 
 
Something is missing…
The intention behind this guide is to help craft a working/functional syllabus and use popular opinions of what a syllabus is used for as a metric for how well it is written. There is simply too much about teaching to summarize in a single guide. To that end, you may have teaching techniques, ideas, methods, concepts, activities, etc. that are not touched upon or discussed here. Perhaps there have been things written here that do not apply to you/your class or that you disagree with.
 
That view is welcome.
 
Engaging with this activity to that degree is essentially the point of the activity itself. Pushing you to consider what is valuable as an instructor and how to use the syllabus to help achieve those goals. The syllabus is a humble and often overlooked tool, but also one of the most universal. To this end, if you have anything to contribute that hasn’t been mentioned here that you value…
 
Include it in the syllabus.

This will be the briefest section of this guide. It is impossible to know the specific needs of every field, of every institution, of every department, of every class and of every student. The research this project is based on attempted to capture the most valuable uses of a syllabus but never pretended that it had caught them all. Instead of striving for perfection in a single document, it is far more important to accent and encourage flexibility and change. Almost certainly one of the best things you can do to help improve your syllabi, is simply ask the esteemed colleagues you have around you. All of whom also write syllabi and presumably have other approaches from you.
 
Sharing Practices with one another:
Apart from your own practices. What are other members of your department/institution doing in their classes? Where have they found success and does that align with your own teaching philosophy/core values?
 
Sharing common resources:
Ask around. What resources does your institution offer its students and ask your students what they need. For example, some institutions offer: Tutoring Centers, Writing Centers, Tech Desks, library access, wellness centers, career services, guidance counseling, gyms, computer labs, mental health support, emergency financial assistance, etc.   
 
Recurring discussions about success/failure 
Failing is a part of learning. Destigmatizing this essential process is key to achieving success. If we cannot accept our own failures, how can we encourage students to accept theirs and develop? We should reflect with our peers/students/etc. on what has worked, what hasn’t. Be open and meaningfully consider the feedback that is readily available should you ask.
 
Most importantly: Just Ask.  

 
Outlined Learning Objectives.
Up until this point, this guide has mostly focused on the instructor listing topics as opposed to objectives. While listing topics has a form of value, the topics may not communicate exactly what you hope students can achieve at the end of the course. For this reason, as much as possible an instructor should consider changing course topics to learning outcomes: concise statements describing the skills or abilities a student should have at the end of a course/unit.
 
Tips for writing learning objectives:

Begin each objective with the phrase, “After participating in this session, students should be able to…”

This is not how it may be phrased in your syllabus but will hopefully provide an effective brainstorming session on how to transform topics into objectives.


Choose verbs that are indicative of specific, measurable and observable behaviors which match desired level of knowledge or skill:

“Recall…”
“Describe…”
“Evaluate…”
“Create…”
Etc.


Write them as an outcome, not as a task.

Your objective should describe what students should be able to do/know as a result of the course/unit.
For example:

“Write a reflection on ______ .” is a task, not an outcome.      





 
Teaching Methods.
Each instructor has their own approach to teaching. The general version of this approach has most likely already been listed in your syllabus. However, now you should consider how well your approach fits with the methods described in the syllabus itself and your goals as an educator. Here are some examples of teaching methods and why you may choose to use them. Reflect on what your own teaching method is and how it is incorporated throughout your syllabus.
 

Lecture-based learning:

Common for large groups, introducing a new topic, or delivering a complex lesson. This type of learning can be efficient for covering large amounts of information; however, it may decrease student engagement and encourage passive learning if done frequently.


Discussion-Based Learning:

Common for encouraging critical thinking, covering literature, philosophy or subjects that would benefit from multiple and diverse viewpoints. This type of learning can help promote active participation and deeper levels of understanding but can be time-consuming and run the risk of being dominated by a few participants if not moderated properly.


Inquiry-Based Learning:

Common in science and project-based learning, or areas where exploration is prioritized. This type of learning hopefully fosters curiosity and independent learning, however, relies heavily on student motivation so it requires heavy facilitation and planning.


Problem-Based Learning:

Common in applied fields such as medicine or engineering which rely on problem solving capabilities. This type of learning strongly develops analytical skills and problem solving but can be extremely challenging for students not used to open-ended tasks and is often affiliated with burnout.


 Flipped Classroom:

Commonly used to engage students in higher-order thinking during class-time as opposed to presenting information. Ideally this will increase active learning and engagement during class but requires access to technology and relies on student motivation outside of class.


Differentiated Instruction:

Common in mixed-ability classrooms, this teaching method is tailored to different student learning styles, needs, and abilities. It is inclusive and student-centered, which may increase student/teacher relationships, but demands heavy planning and flexibility on the part of the instructor.


Montessori Method:

While more common in early development, this teaching technique encourages students to select activities from a range of options, which can encourage independence and self-motivation; however, it requires access to a lot of material and an extensive amount of planning from instructors.



 
Assessment Strategies.
Following the guide through each step means you already have some type of description of your assessments provided. Take this time to explain your strategy and reasoning behind those assessments.
 
Support
Be reflective of how you manage and support students in your class:

What implicit biases are built into your class and syllabus?

What is your stance on ableism?
Are their social/political motivations embedded in the syllabus?


Does your syllabus benefit one student over another?

If students are struggling financially, would that impact their ability to access resources for your class?
If students had a form of neurodivergence, how would that affect their performance in your class?
Do you favor one type of student over another?


What accommodation are you providing for students?

Here are some to consider:

Notes? Recorded Lectures? Audio recordings? Online attendance options?
Physical copies of materials? Electronic ones?
Extended test time? Alternate Test Locations?
Links to additional resources?
Assistive technology? Preferential seating?





 
Here is the time to demonstrate how you teach, set that clear expectation for students, and flesh out what it means for them to be in the class. 

 
“It’s not what you know, but who you know.” is one of the largest colloquialisms when it comes to career trajectory. In addition, a big part of attending higher education is to help propel student careers. While we may want to prepare students by just giving them the necessary knowledge for their future endeavors, we should also strive to take this time to help establish connections and reasonable paths forward for them as well.   
 
Engagement/Participation:
Student engagement is defined by how actively and enthusiastically students are involved in the learning process during class.  Meanwhile, participation refers to actual involvement of the students. So, it is possible for:  

A student may participate and not be engaged,
Or a student to be engaged but not participate.

This is important to consider when defining your pedagogical approach to classroom engagement and participation, and how you define it within your class. If you plan to award student participation, or your class heavily relies on discussion and active student engagement, you may even want to provide these definitions in the syllabus.
 
However, you may not directly explain these ideas and instead focus on whether ask these questions of your syllabus:

Does your teaching style facilitate your views of participation/engagement?
Is your syllabus communicating whether you want students to participate?
Is the syllabus itself engaging for students?
Do your assessments reflect your goals for participation/engagement?
In what ways is your syllabus contributing to student participation and engagement?

 
Peer-to-peer Interaction 
Students working together is crucial for learning and development. It helps students build necessary social skills, establish relationships between current/future colleagues, increases active participation and engagement and often increases student self-efficacy towards the course topic.
 
Therefore, it is encouraged that you construct course materials that facilitate peer-to-peer interactions and foster some sense of community within your classroom. As far as what to include in the syllabus, you should specify what types of activities you will hold that require peer-to-peer interactions, and what expectations you have of students during these interactions.
 
For example, the syllabus may contain:

A list of classroom rules that you or your class develops:

Developing them yourself lets you be in control of exactly what values you want accentuated in your class.  
Developing them as a class can communicate that students have autonomy over their learning and increase classroom engagement.  


Examples of peer-discussion techniques you use:

Whole Group Discussions:  

Ask your class to consider a question/topic and facilitate a group discussion on the topic, allowing students to speak freely and challenge one another.


Think-Pair-Share:

Ask students to individually consider a question/topic, discuss it with a partner, then share their insights with the whole class.


Mingle-Pair-Share:

Similar to think-pair-share, except students can move freely about the class and have discussions with multiple students.


Discussion Groups:

Breaking students into smaller groups to hold discussions on a question/topic, which can then be brought into larger group discussions.


Jigsaw:

Break down a larger topic into smaller pieces and allow each group to focus on an individual piece to share out in a whole class discussion.


Collaborative Assignments:

Students work together in small groups to develop material specified by a rubric or find solutions to laid out problems.


Socratic Seminar:

This is an open discussion based on an assigned set of readings. Instead of generating a question or specific topic you want students to consider, just allow them to openly discuss the material and explore at their own pace.





                               
There are numerous other ways you may facilitate peer-to-peer relationships and communication, but however you choose to do so, it is helpful to communicate that to students upfront and through the syllabus.
 
 
Instructor-Student Interaction:
Fair or not, how students reflect on course material, or a specific subject, largely depends on their (impression of)/ (relationship with) their teacher. For this reason, it’s important to have a positive relationship between an instructor and their student. The syllabus, again especially as a first impression, can help facilitate this relationship and help an instructor feel more approachable. For this reason, it’s important that your syllabus:

Sets a welcoming/positive tone:

Clearly communicate your enthusiasm for the course and the students participating.
Set expectations but don’t dictate them.
Include words with positive connotations

As an example, instead of describing student work as “acceptable” consider saying it is “valid” or “commendable”


Avoid negatives (such as “do not” or “unable to” as much as possible)


Encourages engagement:

You’ve explained what types of engagement you’re looking for, but now it is important to encourage that from students. To do so:

Give examples of your interactive content.
Engage in storytelling by sharing personal details you feel comfortable sharing.
Ask for and encourage student feedback.
Be authentic.




Promotes your own availability:

One of the leading reasons students don’t attend office hours is because they feel they are “awkward.” To break through this barrier, you might:

Explain the value office hours provide students:

Promote the benefits such as improved understanding and better test scores.
Highlight success stories


Offer flexible scheduling for office hours.
Consider Location/Modality:

Are you available via video or only in-person?
If in-person, where are you available to meet and how accessible is that to the students?


Set one-on-one meetings during the semester.

These can be informal and short to get students familiar with the process, or perhaps there is a specific purpose tied to the meeting.







 
Students who feel more comfortable with their instructor tend to perform significantly better in a course and have a stronger sense of confidence in their own ability. Fostering this relationship is one of the most crucial for the educator to create a positive classroom environment.
 
Provide Connections:
With the goal in mind that students attend college to increase career success, it is important to use our abilities and connections to help them achieve it. This will appear vastly different depending on the field of study, and possible career paths, but here are some forms this may take:
 
Connect students with other faculty: Perhaps another member of the department or institution you know has better connections that align with a student’s career aims, or areas of interest.
 
Have guest speakers: You can’t know everything, and having a guest speaker can help students gain exposure to the community around the topic they’re studying and form meaningful connections with them.
 
Utilize connections in the field: You more than likely studied this material at your own university/had a job in the field. Consider connecting students to relevant contacts or having them be a guest speaker.
 
Ask Alumni: If you’ve had students who have gone into the field, especially if you’ve stayed in contact with them, consider having them be a guest speaker or asking them to explain how your class helped prepare them for industry. What types of things could you change in your class to help make this transition more effective?
 

 
The syllabus is often a document that outlines the rules of a particular class. To this end, it should be clearly communicated what the responsibilities are of the student and instructor and the consequences of breaking that contract.
 
Course Policies:
We’ve already drafted out the course policies in previous guides. So more important now is establishing the potential repercussions of a student violating course policies. While not an exhaustive list, here are some questions you should ask yourself regarding each policy:
 

If a student violates this policy, does it affect their grade?

If so, is the effect comparable to the offense?

For example, if you have an attendance policy, it’s unreasonable to fail a student for missing a single day of class.


If not, what are the consequences of breaking this policy?

For example, students talking when you are explaining something to the class may not influence their grade but still needs to be addressed.




If a student violates this policy, does it affect their academic status?

For example, violence in the classroom certainly shouldn’t be tolerated and needs to have clearly defined consequences.
Academic dishonesty is typically a topic that has consequences outlined by the institution. These may cause students to face suspension and thus those consequences should be outlined.


What happens after repeat offenses?

Are the consequences the same or do they get more severe?
Can a student "come back" from breaking a particular policy multiple times?  


How does one use the consequences of breaking a policy help students improve?

Do you have meetings with the student(s) to address concerns?
Is the institution involved? In what way? 
How much control do you have over the situation?
Etc.



 
The Intangibles: 
Previously discussed is that the syllabus outlines rules for the class outside of course policies. Make sure to detail what happens for students who miss due dates, or who aren’t spending enough time outside of class. Briefly discuss why you have these rules in place and what happens to those who are not fulfilling these expectations.
 
Additionally, what outcomes occur when the instructor does not follow their end of the “contract.” Here are some examples to consider:

What happens when an exam is coming up, but a student hasn’t gotten back any graded homework?

How can they be expected to improve?
What steps can they take to grow? 


Do students understand their current grade/standing in the class ahead of the end of the semester?
How will the instructor rectify being behind?

Communicate why it happened.
When a student can expect it to be fixed.
How that will affect the class.



 
Having the syllabus be used as a contract between insturctor and student communicates to students that the teacher takes the class seriously and is willing to make promises. That hopefully will cause students to be more receptive to suggestions. The purpose is not to try to accentuate perfection, but explain the cause/effect relationship of the course policies/rules and help students navigate college life and numerous courses.

Organization:
 
While your syllabus may have all the information necessary for the class, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to find. Reading this guide for example would be more challenging if it was given in paragraphs as opposed to how it is broken into sections. Often students repeatedly return to the syllabus to find key information about the course. This can also be a benefit to instructors because if their syllabus is well-structured, they’ll deal with fewer questions about details about the class and can focus more on details about the content of the class. Here are some things you should be adding to make your syllabus easier to read, and some examples of how one could implement them.  
 

Add headings and subheadings as needed.

Based on this guide you may want to create sections for:

Course Topics
University/Course Policies
Grade Scale
Contact Information
Important Dates
Major Assessments


You could also consider adding a brief introduction. Which could include:

Your teaching style/core values
Contact information 




Include tables/graphics where possible

Examples may include:

Grade Scale Table
A table of important dates
Flow Charts for course structure or learning outcomes
Concept maps
A table containing the class schedule




Adding bullet points or numbered lists:

Examples may include:

List of important dates.
List of Exams/Projects/Major Assessments.
List of Learning outcomes/course topics
Listing contents and where to find them at the beginning.




Reflections/Questions to Consider:

If you were a student, what information would you be looking for?

And how would you find it?


How long is this document?

If it is many pages, are students going to be able to engage with it, or will it feel intimidating?
If it is a single page, does it contain enough information for students?





 
Course Schedule:
 
The course schedule can be an extremely effective tool for helping students navigate the college experience. Depending on the school students may have 4, 5 or even 6 classes they are taking at a single time and knowing ahead of time when one class may require more attention is extremely helpful! However, it’s also important not to hide other key information of a syllabus within the schedule as it runs the risk of making the syllabus harder to navigate. Some recommendations about course schedules:
 
·         If you meet multiple times a week, don’t explain each class.
o   You want the schedule to be flexible to adjust for the needs of a class.
§  Perhaps you have a great plan for a particular topic, but it doesn’t end up panning out as intended.
§  What happens if your institution cancels a day of class? Is the entire schedule irrelevant from that point? Do you need to re-write it?
·         Create a schedule based on each week:
o   This will allow:
§  students to plan out the expectations of the course a week at a time.
§  you flexibility in the time it takes to present material.
o   Highlight Important Dates:
§  Include if there are due dates, exams/quizzes
§  If your institution has course drop deadlines, they should be outlined.
§  The final exam time at institutions is often at a different time than the typical class.
o   Moving forward this document will assume the schedule is broken down per week.
·         Outline Prep materials required each week.
o   Course Readings
o   Journal writings
o   Rough Drafts
o   Artifacts they should bring.
o   Reflective Questions they should consider before class.
o   Etc.
·         Stay Vague!
o   If you feel your schedule is becoming muddled, it most likely is. Attempt to keep descriptions brief and verify it’s easy to read.
                 
Descriptions of Assignments/Assessments:

Briefly outline the information in particular assignments/assessments. 
Reflections/Questions to Consider:

Projects:

Is this a group or individual project?
How much time do students have to complete it?
Is a rubric provided for the project to help guide student work?
What materials will be needed for the project?
What form should the final product take?

Presentation?
Poster?
Paper?
Etc.




Exams: 

What material will be covered?
If not stated elsewhere:

What percentage of the grade is it? 
When is it? 


What is the modality? 

Online? In-person? Take-home?


How will it be graded?


Assignments: 

What is the modality? 

Online? In-person? Take-home?


How many questions is the assignment? 
When is it due? 
What material is covered? 
What are the associated learning outcomes? 


Readings:

What do you want students to take away from the readings?
How will you use the information a student reads during class?





 
Expectations:
Every instructor has some level of expectations on their students. Often, this includes some degree of participation, attendance, completion of material, etc. However, are these expectations clearly outlined in the syllabus? If not, it can be extremely helpful.
 
Student Expectations:

Examples include:

How many hours they should expect to spend on material/reading outside of class.
How many assignments they’ll be asked to complete.
Rubrics: What are the expectations of a particular project/assignment.
Attendance.

How many days can a student miss before it affects their grade?
How should a student inform you that they are unable to attend.


Participation:

What does it mean to participate in your class?

Discussions? Asking Questions? Coming to office hours? Email?




Etc.



 
Teacher Expectations:
Students also want to know that if they follow through on your expectations, that you are also holding yourself accountable to them.

Consider communicating:

How long it will take to respond to emails.
When you’ll be able to grade assessments, projects, assignments.
What type of feedback you intend to offer students.
Any changes to the course schedule.
How students can reach out to you or get additional help.  



 
Outlining all of this information effectively begins the process of integrating the syllabus into the course itself. Making it a living document that grows/changes as the class does. Crafting syllabi to facilitate communication between educators and students helps set clear expectations and provides the instructor the opportunity to reflect on their own pedagogy by referencing their syllabi. 

 
Since the syllabus acts as an extension of the instructor, we want to begin to capture the values and teaching style of its author. Hopefully this will convey one’s identity as an educator as well as their approach to learning.
  
Teaching Style:
·         A brief description of your approach to teaching.
o   Be sure to include:
§  How you plan to organize/deliver your course content.
§  The type of learning environment you hope to create in the classroom.
§  The connection between your philosophy of education and your approach to instruction.
·         Reflections/Questions to Consider:
o   Is your teaching style explained in a singular location or weaved throughout the entire syllabus?
o   Do you feel the grade rubric/items are representative of your teaching philosophy?
o   How accessible is the course content for students?
§  Is that intentional?
o   How do you plan to develop your desired learning environment?
§  Should any of that be included in the syllabus itself?  
 
Teaching Values:
Look through your syllabus and decide if it reflects your values as an educator. I realize that this step requires an inherent sense of reflection, i.e. “What are your teaching values?”
Teaching values are the core beliefs and principles that guide a teacher’s decisions and actions for their class. To this end, this entire portion, as it pertains to the syllabus should be thought of as a reflective activity:

Are your core values as an educator ever stated in the syllabus?
If so, are they supported by the content of the syllabus:

Grade items, rubrics, point distribution, etc.
Classroom structure, student expectations, etc.


Does the syllabus accurately convey your attitude towards students?  

Do you want students to address you more formally or casually?
Do you want students to interact with one another?
How often do you want students to interact with you, and in what scenarios?
Etc.



The ways in which the syllabus can reflect you as an educator are endless. While this guide could write out dozens of reflective questions in this section alone, it is going to be an ongoing process throughout your time as an educator.
 
One common suggestion I’ve been given as a teacher is to give out a pre-course survey to students asking them to outline the information found in the syllabus. The design of this activity is to engage students with its contents and make sure they are familiar with the scaffolding you’ve developed for the class. I recommend taking this one step further and asking students some of these reflective questions:
 
o   What do you think are the core teaching values of the instructor?
o   Describe what you believe is the instructor’s teaching style.  
o   How do you feel this instructor feels about you?
o   Do you feel as though the grade of this course is fair for you?
o   Etc.
 
These types of questions may be hard to handle at first, but overtime will provide you with exceptional feedback you can use to develop your future syllabi.
 
Once you feel you’ve adequately captured both your teaching style and core values, I firmly believe you have a functional first draft of a course syllabus. All the details for the class are laid out and you’ve gotten the bulk of the purpose of the course communicated to its readers. While we’ve already begun to do some of this through our reflection, we’re going to push our exploration of the syllabus further and consider its other main purposes as a tool for learning and as a tool for future educators.  

 
Building on the bare necessities of the syllabus as an administrative tool, we’re going to try to effectively and efficiently communicate the planned curriculum of the course. This way, we can help our students, other educators/administrative see more than just the topics we’re covering, but the learning activities we plan to facilitate them. The inclusion of these topics will make your syllabus a helpful artifact during evaluations and help determine course equivalency across instructors.  
 
Provide an overview of the topics listed in the last step.

Briefly describe each of the course topics.

This is helpful as students get a basic overview of what will be expected of them in the coming semester.


Reflections/Questions to Consider:

What are your desired learning outcomes for the topic?
What are the key components of each topic?
What questions are you expecting students to have on each topic?

How can you use the syllabus to address that concern?





 
Course Structure:

Breakdown of a student’s Course Grade:

List of Assignments, Exams, Projects, Quizzes, etc.

A brief description of what each item is worth in terms of the grade.


A Description of how grades are represented at your institution and how your course grades relate.


A Description of the Daily Structure of Class:

Whether the course is synchronous or asynchronous.
Whether this class is primarily lecture/discussion based.
If your style of course structure has a name, please name it here:

For example, a reversed classroom is a popular form of instruction.


A Description of student expectations prior to course meetings.


Reflections/Questions to Consider:

How many timed assessments are you planning to give?

What effect does this have on students with accommodations on test time?


Does participation impact a student’s grade?
Do students have any opportunities to earn extra credit?
Do you feel the weight of each grade item corresponds to the expectations/responsibilities on the student to complete it?
Do you want to provide in-class workdays for projects or homework?
If you have any Teaching Assistants:

What is their role in/out of the classroom?
Do students interact with the TA? Is the TA prepared for that?
How often do you discuss the class with the TA?


If you plan to have peer-to-peer discussions:

What types of discussions do you want students to have?
Are you allocating enough time for students to explore the ideas of the discussion?


Do you provide any descriptions/specifications of any of the assessments? For example:

What material is covered on an exam?
How many group members are there for a particular project?
Timelines for homework completion
Etc.


Lastly, and this can be applied to every step above and to this process, remember to ask yourself:

“Why did I make this choice?”





 
University/Course Policies:

Often institutions have any universal policies they want addressed in the course syllabus. However, you may also want to add to this list to make your stance on particular topics clear. Examples may include policies on/about: 

Academic Honesty
Disability Services
Use of Generative AI
Violence and Misconduct
Etc.


Reflection:

Discuss with your peers their thoughts and recommendations on what makes a good course policy and what types of policies they include on their own syllabi.        



 
 
With this part of the syllabus completed, you now have a detailed overview of your course. Anyone reading the syllabus should have a clear understanding of what is/was covered and the approach you used to teach the material.