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John Carroll University / Academics / Faculty and Staff Resources / Syllabus Information & Guidelines

As you prepare your course syllabi, please include the following items in any format that is appropriate for your course.

Each section of each course must have a syllabus containing information that describes the content of the course, the way the course will be conducted, and how grades will be determined. Difficulties have arisen when there is no syllabus to describe class policies and procedures or when the syllabus contains inadequate information to explain how a grade is determined. The Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin describe academic policies and procedures that pertain to these issues. The Assessment Office also has syllabus expectations and examples available on their site. 

All syllabi must be posted on your Canvas class site. It is also expected that you will use Canvas to post assignments, provide a structured schedule, privately share grades, and otherwise distribute information and expectations with students;

Archiving: An electronic copy of each syllabus must be sent to your department chair or administrative assistant to be shared with the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office for archiving. Please save and submit syllabi as .pdf documents, and be sure the file name includes the course abbreviation, course number, section number and instructor last name.

All syllabi should include:

 

  1. Course name, number, section, semester, year, and time offered
  2. Any prerequisites for the course
  3. Instructor’s name, office number, office phone number, and office hours.
    Include a minimum of six office hours per week for full-time faculty
  4. Course description, including mode of delivery
  5. Required texts and other materials necessary for the course. All citations should be complete, and the syllabus should indicate whether readings are on reserve in the library, are general library items, or are available electronically.
  6. Description of major assignments and due dates
  7. Grading information including the weighting of all components of the final grade. Please note that students need to have sufficient information of their performance BEFORE the withdrawal dateline, therefore more than 50% of the grade should be determined (and students notified) before that date. It is recommended that students have early feedback in a course so that they can address problems before they become insurmountable. Also include your grading scale (A, A-, etc.).
  8. Schedule of topics covered and relevant assignments due by day or by week

 

 

  1. Learning goals for the course and an explanation of how those goals connect to major/minor goals and to the university’s learning goals. Possible models for showing alignment between different levels of learning goals are available.
  2. Information on how you plan to assess learning goals for the course.

 

 It is recommended that the following policy statements be addressed in your syllabus:

  1. Absences and other attendance regulations (refer to current undergraduate and graduate bulletin)
  2. Academic honesty (refer to current bulletin)
  3. Accommodations for students with disabilities (refer to the bulletin or contact the Director of the Office of Student Accessibility Services). 
  4. We request all faculty include the Syllabus Statement on Accessibility, Inclusion, Harassment and Bias on their syllabus to ensure campus-wide consistency.
  5. Classroom Management Procedures: A Guide for Faculty
  6. Final exam policy for faculty (also in the bulletin).The day and time assigned for the final can be found on the Office of the Registrar’s Registration and Semester Schedule Information (near the bottom of the page).
  7. As part of your course's Academic Dishonesty policy, please be sure to provide guidance to students about what you consider the appropriate use of AI tools in your course, including whether and how you want them to document any allowed use.

 

Syllabus Statement on Accessibility, Inclusion, Harassment & Bias

Instructors are to announce procedures for arranging academic accommodations at the beginning of each semester and include the information in the course syllabus. Instructors are required to include this statement in all course syllabi.

For courses posted to the Canvas learning management system, this statement is automatically incorporated into the "Learner Support" tab for all student users.

Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin

John Carroll University's Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin describes academic policies and procedures such attendance, grading, and academic honesty.

Assessment | Syllabus Expectations and Examples

Addresses syllabus expectations with regard to course-level assessment only. Each syllabus from each class at John Carroll University must include a section that addresses learning goals.