É«É«À²

To begin, watch this short video in which Dr. Gwen Tarbox, Director of the É«É«À²x Office of Faculty Development, and Alyssa Moon, who leads the instructional design and development team, share ideas about how the planning, construction, and sharing of a syllabus can have a positive impact on both instructors and their students.

Quick Tips

1. Bring your syllabus into alignment with universal design practices by addressing the three essential components of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
   1. Provide multiple means of engagement by outlining course goals and objectives, calling attention to the "why" of the content of the course, and providing opportunities for student choice and autonomy within the course.
   2. Provide multiple means of representation by establishing routines, expectations and timelines, clearly articulating assessment formats, and defining or avoiding "jargon" so that all learners, no matter their level of comfort with the subject matter can understand and engage with the course.
   3. Provide multiple means of action and expression by explicitly directing students on how to access the course content, where additional information can be found, and giving variety in examples and ways to access the information. Ensure access to tools, support, and assistive technologies are easy to find and located near the beginning of any provided information.
2. Follow the dictum, "less is more." Use links to break up information and create separate assignment sheets to keep syllabus length down and to guide students throughout the course.
3. Consult the national calendar, the university calendar, as well as the athletic schedule, to avoid having due dates that coincide with breaks, religious observances, or key campus events such as Homecoming.
4. As a part of the work/life balance equation, take your own schedule into account as you plan the course. Are you attending a conference or are you teaching multiple courses? Stagger your feedback and assessment responsibilities.
5. Consider having your students work with you to develop certain aspects of the syllabus.
6. Employ strategies to ensure that your students have read the syllabus and understand that they should consult it first when they have questions. Try a scavenger hunt or a group activity surrounding application of syllabus content or create a knowledge check and have students find the information you value most. The questions you ask and the activities you create will show students what you value most about the learning experience.

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Resources

• Please feel free to download and modify the UDL Considerate Syllabus Template to meet your needs.
• For more information on developing a syllabus including Universal Design for Learning considerations, visit CAST's .
• For assistance with making your syllabus and other documents accessible visit É«É«À²'s
• For a list of university policies that can be copied into your syllabus, consult the Faculty Senate website.

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