5 Functions of syllabus used in schools, lyceums and colleges

The importance of syllabus in teaching and learning
A syllabus is a document that contains important information about your class. Typically, for an online course, this information includes: Biographical and contact information for the instructor: a paragraph about the instructor’s background and relevant qualifications for teaching the class.Course description: a paragraph that explains what the course is about.Course materials: a list of textbooks and/or computer software that students will need to participate in the course.Course learning goals: a set of statements that shows students how the course will be relevant to them, what they will know, and what they will be able to do in relation to the subject by the end of the quarter.
University policies:Academic integrity: a statement about the university’s guidelines about plagiarism and academic honesty instructions for obtaining accommodations: a statement about the services the university offers for students who have any special learning needs or disabilities.
Grading policies:Grading breakdown: the distribution of point values and their corresponding letter grades.Late policy: a statement about whether late assignments are accepted and what the consequences are for turning in work late.Assignments: a brief description of each assignment to give the students a sense of how much work is required in the course.Discussion board etiquette: a statement about the type of communication expected on the discussion boards.
Weekly learning outcomes: statements about what specific skills and knowledge students will have developed by the end of each week.Course schedule: a list of assignment, quiz, and project due dates.Minimum technical requirements: a statement about the type technology required to access course materials.Technology support: a statement about who students should call if they experience problems with technology.[1]
Students should be able to glance through the syllabus quickly and get a sense of who is teaching the course, what they will learn from the course, the materials they will need to participate in the course, who they should contact if they need help with an aspect of the course, and what they will have to do to succeed in the course. For these reasons, all of the information described above should be contained in the syllabus.
In addition to containing all of this information, a syllabus is an important document for several other reasons.It makes an impression on your students. Since the syllabus is one of the first materials students will have about the course, the design of the syllabus is your opportunity to make a good first impression on your students. An organized, comprehensive, easy-to-read syllabus will make a positive first impression on your students by showing them that you have put a lot of thought and effort into the organization of the course, considered what they will learn, and that you care about the quality of their experience in the course.
On the other hand, a disorganized, incomplete, and hard-to-read syllabus will make a negative impression on your students by showing them that you have not thought deeply about the organization of the course or what they will learn, and it may suggest that you are not very invested in giving students a high-quality experience (Cunliff, 2015).[2]
It sets a tone. The syllabus can set a tone for what students’ interactions with you will be like. In her article What Does Your Syllabus Say About Your Course, Weimer (2011) encourages instructors to consider how they word items in the syllabus. Policies and instructions written with a friendly and welcoming tone may encourage students to communicate with you and ask questions. Policies and instructions written with an impersonal and punitive tone may discourage students. Consider the difference in tone between these two statements: Late assignments are not accepted, and you will not receive full credit for late work and I encourage you to make your best effort to submit all assignments on time, but I understand that sometimes circumstances arise that are beyond our control. If you need an extension, please contact me. Assignments submitted late without prior approval will not be eligible for full credit.[3]
While the first statement is concise and direct, it seems cold and lacks compassion. The second statement is longer, but conveys a more understanding attitude.It conveys information about expectations. A syllabus functions as a contract between you and your students. By enrolling in the course, students are agreeing to the terms of the contract. It is crucial then that the terms of the contract are clear and students know what is expected of them.
The syllabus lays out your expectations for the quality of work you expect from your students and shows students how they should prepare for class. For example, the syllabus can explain whether students are supposed to do the readings before or after class. Including a course calendar in the syllabus helps students meet your expectations by allowing them to plan how much time to spend on each assignment. In addition to providing a course calendar, including tips for students on how much time to spend on an assignment makes it easier for students to manage their time (Bart, 2015).
Since the syllabus contains a lot of policy related items that may not be all that interesting to students, you may want to take a few extra steps to spice up your syllabus. Weimer (2011) suggests posing some questions in the course description that pique students’ curiosity about the subject. Explain to students that they will be able to answer these questions throughout the quarter as they complete the assignments and engage with the course materials. In the instructor biography, say a few words that show your passion for the subject and your excitement about teaching.[4]
Syllabus seem to vary in two fundamental areas—the apparent reason for writing the syllabus and the material that it contains. The purpose of the syllabus should drive the decision as to what content to include (Parkes & Harris, 2002).
Three major purposes that a syllabus should serve are described by Parkes and Harris:
Syllabus as a contract
Syllabus as a permanent record
Syllabus as a learning tool
Syllabus as a contract—Makes clear what the rules are.Sets forth what is expected to happen during the semester. Delineates the responsibilities of students and of the instructor. Describes appropriate procedures and course policies. Content required for a syllabus to serve as a contract. Clear and accurate course calendar. Grading policies: components and weights. Attendance policy. Late assignment policy, policies on incompletes and revisions. Academic dishonesty and academic freedom policies. Accommodation of disabilities policy. Policy in the event of an extended campus closure. Cancelled classes policy.[5]
Syllabus as a permanent record—Serves accountability and documentation functions. Contains information useful for evaluation of instructors, courses, and programs. Documents what was covered in a course, at what level, and for what kind of credit (useful in course equivalency transfer situations, accreditation procedures, and articulation)
Content required for a syllabus to be useful as a permanent record. Title and semester of course, department offering the course, credit hours earned, meeting time and place, name, title, and rank of instructor(s).Pre- or co-requisites. Required texts and other materials Course objectives (linked to professional standards if appropriate). Description of course content.

Syllabus as a learning tool—Helps students become more effective learners in the course.Inform students of the instructor’s beliefs about teaching, learning, and the content area focuses on students and what they need to be effective learners,places the course in context (how it fits in the curriculum, how it relates to students’ lives). Content required for a syllabus that serves as a learning tool for students.Instructor’s philosophy about the course content, teaching and learning. Relevance and importance of the course to students. Information on how to plan for the semester including self-management skills, guidance on time to spend outside of class, tips on how to do well on assessments, common misconceptions or mistakes, and specific study strategies. Prerequisite courses or skills. Availability of instructor(s) and teaching assistants

Campus resources for assistance and offices that aid students with disabilities.A syllabus is often thought of as “that apparently benign document instructors assemble and distribute to students at the start of the semester.” Whether it is intended or not, the quality of the syllabus is a fairly reliable indicator of the quality of teaching and learning that will take place in a course (Woolcock, 2003). Therefore, it behooves instructors to make the effort to construct a high-quality syllabus. The results of that effort can benefit the instructor as well as his or her students. [6]
The process of developing a syllabus can be a reflective exercise, leading the instructor to carefully consider his or her philosophy of teaching, why the course is important, how the course fits in the discipline, as well as what topics will be covered, when assignments will be due, and so on (Eberly, Newton, & Wiggins, 2001; Grunert, 1997). This can be an enlightening experience that results in an improved course. In addition, by making sure expectations are clearly communicated, instructors can circumvent a whole host of student grievances and misunderstandings during the semester.
The syllabus is, thus, both a professional document and a personal document, one that reflects the instructor’s feelings, attitudes, and beliefs about the subject matter, teaching, learning, and students, as well as setting out the “nuts and bolts” of the course. When so constructed, the syllabus can serve as a guide to the instructor as much as a guide to the class (Parkes & Harris, 2002).
A syllabus lets students know what the course is about, why the course is taught, where it is going, and what will be required for them to be successful in the course (Altman & Cashin, 2003). The well-designed syllabus provides a solid beginning to the semester, sets the tone for the course, provides a conceptual framework for the course, serves as a “virtual handshake” between the instructor and students, and becomes a resource that is referred to over the course of the semester. It also shows students that you take teaching seriously (Davis, 1993).
A course syllabus acts as a directional map to proceed in the way of learning. In this article, we will discuss that how your course syllabus can help you study effectively and perform well in the exams.
A syllabus is a kind of instructive tool that sets a standard of what is expected to happen during the complete course session. It prescribes the topics and concepts on the basis of which students will be tested in the final examination. A syllabus actually serves as the contract between the students and the teachers that contains functions and ideas that are used for the assessment of the students’ performance.
The syllabus is a course-planning tool. It helps the instructor prepare and organize the course.It describes the course goals; explains the course structure and assignments, exams, review sessions, and other activities required for students to learn the material. It conveys to students a clear idea of the course content and the knowledge they will gain throughout the course. It gives students room to do extensive practice in the form of various problem sets, homework and subject oriented assignments.
It establishes contact and connection between students and instructors by stating the objectives and goals to be achieved at the end of the course.It sets the tone for the course by streamlining the content of course. It ultimately includes information that will facilitate the academic success of students.It informs students of the course structure, goals and learning outcomes.
Syllabus outlines a student’s responsibilities for success. It defines a teacher’s duties towards the overall development of students. It describes the materials/activities that support learning outside the classroom.
How does a course syllabus help students learn effectively? The syllabus for a particular course describes the topics and concepts to be covered while preparing for the examinations for that particular course. A syllabus also mentions the weightage allotted to different units and chapters knowing which you may form a strategy on how to prepare for chapters with high or low weightage. Question paper design/format is also explained in a syllabus which lets students know about the type of questions asked and various sections employed in the exam papers. It also gives an idea about the marks distribution in the paper.
Having a clear understanding of your syllabus and the weightage to various sections will definitely help you to decide how much time you should dedicate to each section. Generally, the exam papers for each course are designed as per the syllabus prescribed for that course. So, preparing according to the topic and instructions mentioned in the syllabus obviously helps to crack the exam with good scores.
How student can prepare from the syllabus? At the beginning of the course session, carefully read the entire syllabus to get an idea of the course structure .Before starting a chapter or unit make a list of the topics prescribed in the syllabus for that unit so that you don’t waste time learning irrelevant or unnecessary topics.Having a clear understanding of your syllabus and the weightage to various sections will definitely help you to decide how much time you should dedicate to each section.Sometimes the details and instructions mentioned in the syllabus may seem to be a bit complex or difficult to understand. When something about the syllabus is unclear, ask your teacher for help. Use your syllabus to take an idea about the importance of a topic and determine how much time you should devote to particular topics.
After knowing the importance of a well-designed course syllabus, we can say that a syllabus is much like a roadmap with directions for succeeding in the class. A course syllabus focuses on the needs of the students and their learning process. It thus helps the students become more productive and more effective learners in the course.
The syllabus collected and the interview was analyzed through pattern coding descriptively. Two categories have been investigated such as course policies and assessment issues. The frequencies of the characteristics will be given as percentages in parenthesis hereafter. Types of assessment (95%) and the course objectives (60%) were covered by the majority of the syllabi. Weekly schedule (85%) was one of the variables which were attached to the syllabi with the due dates (70%) of assignments and the people’s names for the presentations if there are any. Make up exams (3%) and late assignments (3%) were not mostly included in the syllabi by the instructors. This is because of the fact that they never do accept late assignments and give make up exams unless there is a proven emergency case.[7]
Critical reviews were coded when the instructors assigned a reading and asked for a critical reaction to the the article or paper which is taken into account by 40% of the instructors to assess students’ final grade summatively.
Moreover, according to the overall analysis of assessment strategies ,it was seen that most of the instructors use presentations (80%) as an assessment strategy.Of those, 31.25% of them required individual or pair work for presentations.The rest of them were supposed to be presented as a product of a group.Class attendance (70%) and exams (75%)were also given as assessment tools and these were followed by active participation in the class.(55%)
On the other hand, exams (75%) were used as summative assessment to give them a final mark at the end of the semestr.The other assessment tool can be counted as portfolios, journals, demonstrations ,projects, assignments and quizzes.The results of the interview were gathered under three sub-categories such as the characteristics of the syllabi, evaluation of the current syllabi, diversions from the syllabi.
Course objectives, grading and the contact information of the instructors were sine qua non in a syllabi from the students’ perspective. Assessment strategies came second and they really would like to find the weekly schedule attached to syllabus. Some instructors’ think that, the longer the syllabi is, the better it shows the way. However, the students do not agree with those instructors at this point because they state that when the syllabi are more than3-4 pages long, they never pay attention and spend time to read it. They only look for the dues dates and assessment if they need it.
Moreover, the length of the syllabi give some clues about the personality and style of the teacher. If the syllabi is short (1-2 page long) or not so long and the font size is bigger, the students think that s/he is a tolerant and easy-going person and they can pass the course without any pain and stress.
On the other hand, when the syllabus is so long and detailed, they state that the instructor is critical and the course would be demanding and difficult. The only thing that all the students agree about the only change that was done in the syllabi during the term is the skipping some weeks according to the weekly schedule and renouncing the assignments or the projects due to time constraints.
In an attempt to answer the 1st research question namely the characteristics of the syllabi used in the ELT department of a private university, the results indicated that there are nine aspects commonly regarded in the syllabi such as types of assessment, schedule, goals and objectives, due dates, attendance, academic dishonesty, late assignments and make-up exams.
The effectiveness of the syllabi with the students was the concern of research question 2. The syllabi are not inadequate but needs to be improved by the help of students’ perceptions and expectations gained from the interview. As the syllabus is a tool to send the message to the students regarding the instructors’ personality and about the investment (Mckeachie, 1986) at the very beginning, it cannot be ignored to make it more favorable.
A great way to start the semester is to begin by properly appreciating the role that syllabi play in higher education. The syllabus should be an instrument to get students and faculty starting on the same page for the semester."The syllabus is a small place to start bringing students and faculty members back together." A successful semester begins when both teachers and students are brought together through the course syllabus.
The syllabus is a great place for faculty members to begin helping students appreciate the nature of a given course. As educators, we must not assume that our students explicitly understand why they are taking a given class, how it relates to the college curriculum, or what is meant by the requirements that we carefully outline in our syllabus. The stereotypical response that students give about the course being required, while humorous, reveals the need for faculty to become more explicit in their syllabus construction as a teaching tool.
Sharon Rubin outlines several questions that many syllabi fail to address. Carefully crafting our syllabi to address some of these questions would help our students as they learn in our courses.
1. Why should a student want to take this course? How does it make a difference as part of the discipline? How does it fit into the general-education program?
2. What are the objectives of the course? Where does it lead, intellectually and practically?
3. Why do the parts of the course come in the order that they do? Most syllabi note the order in which topics will be discussed, but make no attempt to explain the way the professor has chosen to organize the course.
4. What is the purpose of the assignments? Students are frequently told how much an assignment will "count" and how many pages long it must be, but they are rarely given any idea about what it will demand of them or what the goal is. Will students be required to describe, discuss, analyze, provide evidence, criticize, defend, compare, apply? To what end? If students are expected to present a project before the class, are the criteria for an excellent presentation made clear?
5. What will the tests test? memory? understanding? ability to synthesize? To present evidence logically? To apply knowledge in a new context?
6. Why have the books been chosen? What is their relative importance in the course and in the discipline? Is the emphasis in the course on primary or secondary materials and why?
Tips for Students about the importance of the syllabus in the learning process.A great discovery that I made early in college was that the course syllabus was like a roadmap with directions for succeeding in the class. Try to think of the syllabi as maps that give you directions to arrive at the end of the semester successfully. Here are a few tips to navigate your semester using the syllabus.
1. At the beginning of the semester, carefully read the entire syllabus and take note of the important dates when exams, assignments, and papers are due.
2. Just as you check a map or directions for various intersections along your journey, check the syllabus before each class for reading assignments and to gain an idea of the day's topic.
3. If you have ever used something like Mapquest, you know that directions and maps can sometimes be confusing or even mistaken. When something about the syllabus is unclear, talk to the professor. Ask them to help you to understand an assignment, or why a certain topic is being covered at a given point.
4. Professors put a lot of time planning their syllabi, and nothing disgruntles a professor more than a student who does poorly because they failed to consult the syllabus.