The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) supports Drexel University instructors in course development, including the development of course learning goals and the design of assessments and learning activities to meet those goals. This site provides links to a number of resources that can assist instructors in that process, as well as links to important policies and information that instructors at Drexel should use in the creation of their syllabi. In addition to these resources, TLC consultants are available for individual consultations at any stage of the course and syllabus development process.
Constructing a syllabus is an important component of the course design process. The following materials reflect a research-supported framework to help create a pathway to success in your course. Each semester, Innovative Learning reviews the syllabus framework, identifying needed updates and resources.
The Word files linked below outline Required and Recommended components for your syllabus. Many of these components are already in your Brightspace shell. They just need updates specific to your course. The files below include language that comes directly from University policies or is suggested by the University Senate or specific units. Other trial language reflects an autonomy-supportive classroom that can influence student perception and performance (Young-Jones, Levesque, Fursa & McCain 2019). Italicized text indicates notes to instructors. Plain text provides examples of language.
Tips for creating your syllabus:
- Don’t revise what you don’t have to. Resources listed under University Policies and Statements and the Student Services widget in the Brightspace shell are updated each semester and automatically populated. You may call these resources to your students’ attention.
- Instructors cannot see the Student Services widget in Brightspace, but you can see the most exact version of it here.
- Feel free to add additional resources that might help your students to your syllabus.
Once your syllabus is complete, please also upload it to Purdue’s Course Insights syllabus archiving system. For questions related to the syllabus framework, email innovativelearningteam@purdue.edu.
Note: The Purdue syllabus guidelines are influenced by Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation (IMPACT) and the resources available through Purdue’s Brightspace learning management system (LMS). It also addresses criteria of the valid and reliable syllabus rubric published by the University of Virginia Center for Teaching Excellence (Palmer, Bach & Streifer 2017). Components fall under five categories: 1) Essential course information, instructor contact information, and course description, 2) Specific, student-centered learning outcomes and objectives that are clear, articulated and measurable (Bristol et al 2019), 3) Assessment strategies for all graded assignments that make explicit connections between learning outcomes, activities, and content, 4) Pedagogical approaches and activities that help students achieve the course outcomes and objectives, and 5) Policies and approaches that foster engaging, student-centered learning environments.
References
Adena Young-Jones, Chantal Levesque, Sophie Fursa & Jason McCain (2019): Autonomy-supportive language in the syllabus: supporting students from the first day. Teaching in Higher Education. DOI: 10.1080/13562517.2019.1661375.
Levesque-Bristol, C., Flierl, M., Zywicki, C., Parker, L.C., Connor, C., Guberman, D., Nelson, D., Maybee, C., Bonem, E., FitzSimmons, J., & Lott, E. (2019). Creating Student-Centered Learning Environments and Changing Teaching Culture: Purdue University’s IMPACT Program. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA).
Palmer, M. S., Bach, D. J., & Streifer, A. C. (2014). Measuring the promise: A learning‐focused syllabus rubric. To Excellerate the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, 33 (1), 14-36.
Establishing Connection...
For a better experience, click the 
Research indicates that syllabi can increase student motivation and create equitable learning environments through transparency about key expectations for student learning and engagement. Consistent with the University’s Course Syllabus Policy, all courses at Saint Louis University are expected to have a syllabus, and all syllabi are expected to provide students with basic information about key aspects of the course.
Below are the required syllabus components for all SLU courses, as well as recommended syllabus components and other considerations that can enhance syllabi. Click the down arrows next to each header to expand the text and learn more.
Please note: Academic units and programs (like the University Core) may require you to include additional information in your syllabus. Please check with program leaders if you need information about additional, program-specific syllabus content you should include.
Required Syllabus Components
The University's Course Syllabus Policy aims to ensure that all students have access to consistent information about their courses and about University-level policies. The policy identifies nine components that must be a part of every course syllabus. These nine components constitute a minimum; academic units may require additional components, and instructors may choose to include other information. The policy specifies the information that must be included in every course syllabus, but it does not dictate a particular format or order for how this information is presented in a syllabus. Academic units may require additional components to be included in course syllabi, and individual instructors certainly will want to add other course-specific information, as well. Required syllabus statements are available as a module in the Canvas Commons, for those who wish to import the statements directly into their Canvas courses. Click here for a printer-friendly version.
1. Course Information
a. Course number/section
b. Course meeting time(s) [if applicable]
c. Location [if applicable]
d. Pre-requisites/Co-requisites [if applicable]
e. Catalog Course Description
2. Instructor Information
a. Instructor name (including TA and peer instructors, if applicable)
b. Where, when, and how to contact the instructor
3. Learning
a. List course learning outcomes, objectives, and/or competencies
4. Required Materials and/or Equipment
a. Textbooks and/or course texts
b. Other materials and/or equipment (e.g., calculators, art supplies, lab safety equipment, medical equipment, hardware requirements, software access, virtual proctoring requirements, digital storage devices, special clothing, musical instruments, etc.)
5. Evaluation and Grading
a. List of components on which students will be evaluated (e.g., exams, projects, essays, participation, presentations, etc.)
b. Grading scale(s) governing the course
c. Policy on late or missing work/exams
d. Penalties on missed classes and/or tardiness [if applicable]
e. Catalog Course Description
8. Disability Accommodations
Insert and/or link to the required Disability Accommodations Syllabus Statement
Note: Due to accreditation requirements, regulatory differences, and/or location-specific resources, the School of Law, the School of Medicine, and SLU Madrid have their own standard language for syllabus statements related to disability accommodations. Faculty in those units should seek guidance for syllabus requirements from their dean's office.
9. Title IX
Insert and/or link to the required Title IX Syllabus Statement
Note: Due to accreditation requirements, regulatory differences, and/or location-specific resources, the School of Law, the School of Medicine, and SLU Madrid have their own standard language for syllabus statements related to Title IX. Faculty in those units should seek guidance for syllabus requirements from their dean's office.
Recommended Syllabus Components
In addition to the nine required components listed above, many instructors also find it useful to include information about or guidance on a range of other topics. The following list is drawn from common practices at SLU, as well as from the literature on effective syllabus construction and on creating inclusive courses that support student learning and success. This list is by no means exhaustive or in order of priority. Note: For some academic units, items on this list also may be required. Click here for a printer-friendly version.
Other Course Information
- An expanded description of the course, its priorities, key concepts, etc.
- Course schedule with due dates for assignments, exams, reading, and other activities
- Disclaimer about the possibility of changes to the course schedule
Information about Learning Activities/Assignments
- Description of informal learning activities students will engage in (e.g., informal in-class activities, participation expectations, service-learning experiences, etc.)
- Articulation of the link between course assignments/activities and state learning outcomes, objectives, and/or competencies
Additional Information about Academic Honesty
- Unit-level academic honesty policies and practices [if applicable]
- Course-specific guidance on academic honesty
- Statements of professional ethics or codes of conduct [if applicable]
Other Course-Specific Information
- Insert a basic needs security syllabus statement (like this one, which was developed at SLU to alert students to campus resources for things like food and shelter insecurity)
- Course etiquette/civility policies or other expectations about interactions between and among members of the class
- With a significant number of SLU courses now being conducted via various distance education modalities, a University-wide recommended syllabus statement on distance education etiquette is warranted. This statement is recommended for all syllabi for all courses at all locations (except the Madrid Campus) offered by the colleges/schools and other academic units reporting to the University Provost.
- Information about what will happen in cases of inclement weather
- Information about relevant safety/security protocols and procedures (e.g., location of eye wash stations, active shooter response, etc.)
- Distinction between "excused" and "unexcused" absences [if applicable and consistent with University attendance policy]
- Statement that student work in the course may be used in course/program assessment
- Information about requirements for experiential/off-campus learning (e.g., liability waiver, background check, internship learning contract, service expectations, etc.)
Other Considerations for Course Syllabi
Below are additional suggestions drawn from the literature on effective syllabus construction and adopted by some SLU instructors. The Reinert Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning can assist instructors who wish to learn more about items on this list. The Reinert Center website also may provide additional information about these considerations. Click here for a printer-friendly version.
Consider Adding a Graphic Syllabus
A graphic/visual representation of the major components of a course can help students connect to the larger purpose of a course and/or to better understand the relationships among the components of the course. Learn more about the content of a graphic syllabus here.
Share your Teaching Philosophy
Sharing a brief description of your philosophy of teaching can provide students a way of understanding what they will experience in your course and why.
Articulate What Constitutes Engagement in Your Course
Explaining what constitutes successful "engagement" or "participation" in your course helps to make those expectations explicit and visible for all learners. This can be especially helpful for first-generation and international students, as well as others whose backgrounds may not have prepared them well to understand the "hidden rules" of successful academic engagement.
Share Tips for Success
Consider sharing tips for how to be successful in the course. For example, you might provide guidance on effective study strategies for your particular content area or tips for how to read course content effectively. Generic study or reading strategies may not work for your particular discipline or the kinds of concepts or texts you teach. Being transparent about what successful students do in your course or your discipline can help students meet your high expectations.
A program that responds to an email or other inquiry without human intervention. For example, if an email address is no longer valid, an auto-responder in the mail server sends an "undeliverable message" automatically to the sender. If the recipient has a new email address or is on vacation, an auto-responder can be set up to reply with an appropriate message.
Many people have received an inordinate amount of auto-responder messages due to email viruses, which send messages to random addresses extracted from the address books of unsuspecting users. If an email address is out-of-date, the auto-responder sends an "undeliverable" message to the sender, who had no idea the message was being sent in the first place.
In keeping with The New School's policy of providing equal access to individuals with disabilities, instructors are strongly encouraged to include a statement on their syllabus informing students that academic accommodations can be provided on the basis of disability if the student follows the protocol described. The following statement contains all of the elements that should be present. Instructors may want to make changes based on style preference or particular course content. Instructors who need consultation in further developing this statement can contact the director for Disability Services. It is strongly recommended that you also read this statement to the students at the start of each semester when reviewing course policies. Early intervention can make all the difference in helping students achieve academic success. It also shows that the instructor has made a good-faith effort to inform students of their rights and responsibilities in this area and that this effort was made in a timely manner.
Students Disability Services (SDS) assists students with permanent or temporary disabilities in need of academic and programmatic accommodations as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Students with a disability who may need academic accommodations must contact SDS. To register with SDS and begin the request for accommodations, please complete the Disability Self-Identification Form or contact SDS by email at [email protected].
Please note that faculty do not work unilaterally with students to provide accommodations. Accommodation information for instructors must be provided before any arrangements are made through an SDS Accommodation Letter. Students with attendance and/or deadline flexibility needs must contact me to discuss this in advance, so that we can establish guidelines (and include SDS as needed).
Rebuild Page
The page will automatically reload. You may need to reload again if the build takes longer than expected.
Useful links
Theme toggler
Select a theme and theme mode and click "Load theme" to load in your theme combination.
Diversity & Inclusion
Websites with examples of DEI and antiracist statements:
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
Students may experience stressors that can impact both their academic experience and their personal well-being. These may include academic pressures, relationship challenges, alcohol or other drugs, financial concerns, identity development, body image, etc.
If you are experiencing similar concerns, we encourage you to seek support. Hope College Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is a free and confidential resource. Call 616.395.7945, or visit the top floor of the Bultman Student Center to find the right form of support for you
If the source of your stressors is academic, please contact us or academic advising so we can find solutions together.
