Research emphasizes that an online course syllabus should function as a:
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Slattery & Carlson (2005) [1]describe the syllabus as a "contract between faculty members and their students, designed to answer student's questions about a course, as well as inform them about what will happen should they fail to meet course expectations" (p. 163). Habanek stresses the importance of the syllabus as a "vehicle for expressing accountability and commitment" (2005, p. 63).[2] Wasley states that "the notion of a syllabus as a contract has grown ever more literal", but also notes that "a course syllabus is unlikely to stand as an enforceable contract", according to Jonathan R. Alger, general counsel at Rutgers University (2008).[3]
Due to the separation in time and space between the instructor and students in online courses, regular communication is critical. Parks & Harris (2002)[4] state that problems can occur due to course expectations that are unclear or not communicated. In addition to providing contact information, the syllabus should also describe the instructor's preferred method(s) of communication.
Parks & Harris suggest "a syllabus can serve students as a model of professional thinking and writing" (2002, p. 58)[4]. They also believe effective learning requires a complex interaction of skills, such as time management, prioritization of tasks, technology use, etc., and that a syllabus can promote the development of these skills.
Habanek (2005)[2] identifies the need for instructors to provide learning outcomes and the methods students will use to realize these outcomes. Slattery & Carlson (2005)[1] promote using action verbs (identify, analyze, evaluate) as opposed to passive verbs (learn, recognize, understand) when creating course goals.