Read Preparing a Learner Focused Syllabus. You may have already seen this article if you’ve participated in OER/ZTC Course Redesign or Open Pedagogy Assignment. For other takes on the topic, you can also look at Liquid Syllabus and Toward Cruelty-Free Syllabi.
As you’re reading, consider these questions:
- What is learner/learning-focused about your syllabus and other course documents?
- What changes might you make (to your syllabus, assignments, course design, etc.) to be more learner/learning-focused?
- How might you bring learner/learning-centered concepts/practices to your course site?
Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
I usually provide week 1 – 15 content on the syllabus including on BB and after the midterm, provide the opportunity for students to “negotiate” or include items that they would like to see as part of their learning content on the syllabus. They are welcome to suggest learning resources, class teaching format, and any other suggestions so far as these are in line with the overall course learning goals and outcomes. The challenge is that not all students participate in these activities which are supposed to be inclusive so everyone gets a chance to decide what they are learning, when assignments are due, and the types of learning content or resources that they would like to see on the course pages. The good thing is that I always have the week 1 – 15 resources available. What worked in my course this past semester was students adding an interactive in-class discussion as part of the final requirement and reducing the number of written pages and then making a suggestion to split the grades. That really worked well for most of the students as they were able to earn part of their final paper grades from the in-class discussion.
I think a possible issue for me right now for a semester or so is just getting adept and quick enough with WP so I can update my sites to respond in real-time to student feedback. Traditionally, I try to let students have a hand in crafting the syllabus but I don’t want to be stuck in the position of having so much homework myself that I have to make a whole site from scratch in an afternoon or weekend. Working with freshmen and BMCC students the issue is also slightly more complicated because the students also need to see a normative schedule and process so they can appreciate the variations and the implications they have for learning. In any case, this is where I am right now … how I can use the opportunities this interface provides to help change the structure of the syllabus.
Currently, how do you let students have that hand in crafting the syllabus? Is it done in a Bb content area? – Syelle
I always have hopes that I am creating content to be more learning centered, and after every OER seminar, I feel I get a little closer. I am confident that my current syllabus and course uses UDL, but what I want to get better at is student engagement. And since I have found that merely asking (are there any questions/what are your questions), I get no feedback, so I want to design this site in way that allows students to interact in ways that both contributute to not just their final grade, but also reaching the learning outcomes. I want to the site to encourage interactions with the course material in ways that encourage them to think about psychology in their own lives, which will help the materail become not just memorized, but understood.
I have worked hard to make my syllabi learner and student centered in a lot of ways, but after reading through this – I see a lot more I can do. I do focus heavily on exactly what each assignment is for and how they can achieve those skills, and I explain very clearly why I have made the decisions that I have made. I found that students really appreciate that transparency.
That said, I really need to re-think the amount of content I include on my syllabus, as well as the different assignments. As I’ve been saying in our meetings, I came to BMCC and, basically, just moved my syllabi from the four year colleges over, unchanged. That was a huge mistake. I really taught very traditional essay and writing assignments, and I taught my CUNY students the exact same material (and quantity) that I would my Julliard or NYU students. Rethinking all that has been at the forefront of my mind throughout this seminar (and for most of the last semester). I think I have come up with a decent start but I’m sure there’ll be lots of tweaking as the days – and semesters – go by.
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