In Practice
A syllabus is no good if no one’s reading it. Being specific, succinct, and organized are the first steps to readability, but design matters too. Check out the examples below for creatively designed and organized syllabi:
- Northern Lit Syllabus, UAF with Madara Mason – a syllabus as infographic
- Introduction to Homeland Security, UAF with Sean McGee – simple PDF that uses image and design for clear organization
- PR Writing, Marquette U – a syllabus as FAQs
- “The Unthinkable Mind,’ UW-Madison with ‘¨Lynda Barry – hand-illustrated syllabus
- ԬChronicle of Higher Education list of Creative Syllabuses
- Chemistry Major’s Lab, Georgia College’¨ with Julia Metzker – a syllabus in the form of a Prezi
Technologies
There are a number of tools that you might use to build a dynamic syllabus, including:
- Prezi for an interactive presentation format
- Thinglink for creating an annotated, interactive image
- Pixton for making comics
- Pictochart for reating infographics
- Google Docs template for a “magazine-style’ syllabus
Research Foundations
- Barry, L. (2014) Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Instructor. Montreal, Quebec: Drawn & Quarterly.
- Sharma, M. D., Stewart, C., Wilson, R., & Gökalp, M. S. (2013). Can a syllabus change impact on students’ perceptions of science (PDF)? Fragmented and cohesive conceptions of physics. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education.
- Slattery, J. M., & Carlson, J. F. (2005). Preparing an effective syllabus: Current best practices (PDF). College Teaching.