What is it?
The course presentation, or syllabus, is meant to encapsulate the information that a student needs to be successful in a course: what topics will be covered, how their learning will be assessed, how to get help… But students don’t always take the time to read the syllabus. Kenyon Wilson of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga hid $50 in a locker, with instructions to claim it given in the syllabus. No one claimed the money.
Aaron Richmond suggests that we might welcome students by making our syllabi more student-centered. This could mean taking action to encourage students to visit during office hours, to build a shared learning community, to re-balance power and control between students and instructors, and to provide both formative and summative assessments throughout the semester.
What are the benefits?
Students who receive a student-centered syllabus report more favourable views of their instructor, and they also tend to remember more details from the syllabus.
What are the challenges?
Each class is individual, and what works for one class may not work for another.
Who’s using this?
Pending… if you’ve used this technique and you’re willing to share thoughts about your and your students’ experience, send me an email!
Resources
KPU’s Teaching and Learning Commons has created a Padlet template that could support a student-centered course presentation. Consider copying this template to your own Padlet account to customize it, and then linking to it in your Moodle site.
References
Richmond, A. S. (2016 September) Creating a Learner-Centered Syllabus: One Professor’s Journey. Idea. https://ideacontent.blob.core.windows.net/content/sites/2/2020/01/PaperIDEA_60.pdf
