Online syllabus template

Providing students a pathway to support for the technology they will use in your course is a good step in helping them develop their skillset.

In addition to the standard university academic integrity policy , ODEE recommends including some specifics in plain language about what constitutes positive academic conduct with the specific activities and assignments in your course.

Remember that while an exam, a pop quiz, and an in-class group worksheet will all seem distinct from each other in the classroom a with particular norms tied to each that most students will bring with them a in an online class these very different types of activities can lack those crucial in-person signals. For example, they may all just be quiz links in your Carmen course.

By listing out in the syllabus the core activities and assignments in your course and defining expectations, you'll help students orient themselves and understand concretely what constitutes proper conduct in your class. Customize this section with your own course activities and expectations. The list below probably includes a broader range of items than would be relevant for any individual course. Quizzes and exams : You must complete the midterm and final exams yourself, without any external help or communication.

Weekly quizzes are included as self-checks without points attached but are still expected to be completed on your own. Written assignments : Your written assignments, including discussion posts, should be your own original work. You are encouraged to ask a trusted person to proofread your assignments before you turn them in, but no one else should revise or rewrite your work.

Reusing past work : In general, you are prohibited in university courses from turning in work from a past class to your current class, even if you modify it. If you want to build on past research or revisit a topic you've explored in previous courses, please discuss the situation with me. Falsifying research or results : All research you will conduct in this course is intended to be a learning experience; you should never feel tempted to make your results or your library research look more successful than it was.

Collaboration and informal peer-review : The course includes many opportunities for formal collaboration with your classmates.

While study groups and peer-review of major written projects is encouraged, remember that comparing answers on a quiz or assignment is not permitted. If you're unsure about a particular situation, please ask ahead of time. Group projects : This course includes group projects, which can be stressful for students when it comes to dividing work, taking credit, and receiving grades and feedback. I have attempted to make the guidelines for group work as clear as possible for each activity and assignment, but please let me know if you have any questions.

Alongside your grade policies or contact information, you can tell students what to expect in terms of your response time for email and assignment feedback. Ohio State instructors with extensive experience teaching online often recommend blocking off time strategically during the week for these class-facilitation tasks and communications.

This approach lessens the burden of feeling as if you need to be always on and always answering emails; you can set reasonable expectations and still have an active, responsive presence. I am providing the following list to give you an idea of my intended availability throughout the course. Remember that you can call HELP at any time if you have a technical problem.

Preferred contact method: If you have a question, please contact me first through my Ohio State email address. I will reply to emails within 24 hours on days when class is in session at the university. Office hours: You can always bring questions about course content, assignments, or policies to my weekly office hours.

Discussion board: I will check and reply to messages in the discussion boards once mid-week and once at the end of the week. Grading and feedback: For large weekly assignments, you can generally expect feedback within seven days. Your interaction with students and their interactions with each other are crucial components of students' success in an online class.

Customize this section with statements that capture your expectations in the context of the particular technology media where you and students will be interacting. The following are my expectations for how we should communicate as a class. Above all, please remember to be respectful and thoughtful.

Writing style : While there is no need to participate in class discussions as if you were writing a research paper, you should remember to write using good grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A more conversational tone is fine for non-academic topics. Tone and civility : Let's maintain a supportive learning community where everyone feels safe and where people can disagree amicably. Critique ideas, not people. The syllabus may be long, but it should be clearly organized and attractively formatted Horton, , p.

The syllabus is the road map directing the student to everything they need to be successful in the course. To avoid confusion and frustration the syllabus must be thorough and detailed. Instructions the online instructor would verbally provide in a face-to-face classroom when covering the syllabus must be clearly written in the online syllabus. Doing so will allow the online student to focus on course content rather than bombarding the online instructor with questions.

Below is a potential situation that can occur in an online environment when the time zone is not clearly stated in the syllabus Ko et al. One student even had a grade dispute with the instructor that arose from an ambiguity in the syllabus.

Thus the student claimed that, when he posted an assignment at P. However, the online syllabus should not be so lengthy it intimidates and overwhelms the online student. It can be difficult to foresee all issues to include in a syllabus before the online course begins.

As issues arise during the course of the semester, the announcement and discussion forum sections in Blackboard or email can be used to notify students of any changes or modifications. Course outline and schedule Note: Schedule can be a separate document. Include grading rubrics for all assignments or make note that grading rubrics will be provided within the Blackboard course.

Whenever possible link to material mentioned in your syllabus, so students will not have to search for the information. This template was designed so that instructors could easily insert their information and be assured that their Syllabus meets accessibility requirements. The template is based on a face-to-face course. Suggestions for hybrid or fully online course syllabi can be found here in red text. Looking for a statement to add to your syllabus?