Along with essential information, syllabi communicate teacher presence, attitude, and orientation toward students and student learning. Interestingly, whereas many faculty prefer the brief “one-page” syllabus of days gone by, Saville et al. (2010) found that detailed syllabi inspired higher perceptions of instructor effectiveness than did brief syllabi. The VTSU syllabi templates, below, provide instructors with an outline of the various elements to be included in the document along with tips for crafting the messaging.
There is evidence that when students read a welcome statement on the syllabus from the instructor, it positively impacts their motivation including their intention to attend office hours and take more classes within the department (Lapiene et al., 2022). This may be especially important in asynchronous online classes where there are more limited opportunities for an instructor to establish their presence. In online classes, an instructor may want to reiterate the welcome statement with a video recording students also watch in the first week of the semester.
In addition, the tone of syllabus has an impact on students. When the tone is perceived as friendly, students report that the instructor is warm, approachable, and motivated to teach the course (Harnish & Bridges, 2011). Using positive and transparent language to convey information and expectations for student behavior sets the stage for better classroom relationships and engagement. Avoid including long lists of warnings and admonitions that may inadvertently communicate an anti-student, hostile attitude.
Syllabi also signal instructors’ beliefs in students. In one study by Canning et al. (2022), syllabi messages indicating an instructor’s growth mindset beliefs about students’ abilities to learn and achieve affected belonging for all students and performance for female students. These growth mindset signals can be structural (such as grading for partial credit on homework) and verbal encouragement (such as the instructor’s readiness to provide support if a student feels underprepared).
Portions of the introductory text are adapted from an original article licensed by Montclair State University under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License by the Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation (CTLI, Vermont State University).
Changes include additional information about welcome statements, tone, and growth mindset beliefs.