Syllabi (in any form) should be available on or before the first day of class to all students. There are several options available when choosing the format in which you will present your syllabus. Some faculty choose traditional paper formats, while most others choose to embed course information in Blackboard (see the faculty guide to Blackboard for more information).
Regardless of your modality, please take time during the first week to ensure that all students know how to access basic course and contact information and that they have clear instructions on how to access the schedule, important policies, and other course information. Please do not assume that all students, even "digital natives," will automatically know where to look and what to pay specific attention to.
At one level, a course syllabus is a contract between the instructor and the student and is a vital tool for communicating expectations between students and faculty. A well-constructed syllabus provides a road map for the course, answers frequently asked questions, can help to lessen student anxiety, and allows the faculty member to concentrate on instruction.
At another level, though, a syllabus is the embodiment of your philosophy of teaching and learning, and sets the tone for the course. Implicit in every policy, every assignment, every choice of textbook, every discussion topic should be an indication of what you want your students to learn from your course and why you want them to learn it. Because critical thinking is at the heart of academic work, you should emphasize how your course will help students develop the kinds of skills with inquiry and problem solving that will benefit them throughout their time in college and into their lives as professionals.
Finally, you may want to use your syllabus to alert students, particularly new and transfer students, to resources that can help them be successful on campus and in their coursework at Mason.
Stearns Center does not provide a "template" for all syllabi, because these choices are left to the colleges, schools, and local academic units. Please contact your course lead or department/program head to find out about all other local expectations and policies.
However, the following checklists can assist you in determining whether your syllabus includes all of the components considered essential. The Registrar's calendars are the gold standard for semester schedules: Note that in Fall semester, typical Mason courses follow a unique "Monday classes meet on Tuesday" Fall Break pattern in October. A generic tool such as the schedule generator from Rice University can help you start your plan, but be sure to update it with local dates and guidelines.
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Basic Information About you (and your TA): Note about Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Teams: Mason students have full access to Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Teams, just as faculty do. Even if you do not plan to use these applications with your students, you should be aware that students can If you prefer that students not contact you using MS Teams or MS Outlook, you may want to include information on your syllabus (and announce in class) that clearly identifies your preferred pathways for communicating and scheduling with students. About Your Course Note about Course Modalities: Provost Mark Ginsberg asks that all faculty deliver, and students attend, each course in the modality listed officially in Banner. For instance, a face-to-face course should be taught as face-to-face for all students, on all or most days. Students who prefer or need to study using a different modality should see their advisor about enrolling in a different section or course. Faculty who cannot present a face-to-face or synchronous course meeting due to illness, campus closure, or other emergency should follow the emergency cancelation/adjustment policy they have set up, and abide by the expectations of their department or program. Recommended: Campus Closure or Emergency Class Cancelation/Adjustment Policy (See additional information on our Contingency Planning Guide for faculty)
Stearns Center does not recommend this "concurrent" or "HyFlex" teaching approach as a typical approach, though it can be helpful for emergency situations. Unless significant technology and personnel resources are deployed, and unless instructors have carefully designed separate approaches for each modality, we find that extensive dual-modality instruction generally
About the Course Description of the course. Course goals and objectives. What factual material, characteristics, qualities, abilities, or competencies do you expect the student to have mastered at the end of the course? Mason Core requirements fulfilled by this course (if applicable). Recommended: Basic Course Technology Requirements (Two options)
Grading and Course Requirements Grading standards, weight, and criteria for each graded component to be included in the final grade. This may include points for class participation. See more detailed information on grading tips and policies. Course assignments, exams, and projects: The University Catalog is the central resource for university policies affecting student, faculty, and staff conduct in university academic affairs. However, faculty have the authority to set additional policies for their class. Student Participation and Assignments Student and Faculty Names and Pronouns Having a name and pronouns statement helps foster a community of learners of all genders and gender expressions. It promotes gender inclusivity and supports an understanding of a student’s name and pronouns that originates with the learner. In addition, it discourages incorrect assumptions and harmful misgendering, encourages dialogue as befits the learner’s comfort, demonstrates respect, and fosters an LGBTQIA+ inclusive environment at Mason. This name and pronouns statement was co-authored in 2014 by students in TQ Mason (Mason’s trans-inclusive student support / action group) and Film and Video Studies faculty, and has been well received by students and faculty. You are welcome to use or adapt this statement. For a PDF of this policy, please click here; for an editable document with this statement, please click here; You may also encourage students to use the tools Mason provides to change their name and pronouns on Mason records. Finally, to support all members of our community, faculty and staff are encouraged to include their pronouns in their email signatures, on name tags, and/or in videoconference names, and to edit documents and language on websites to avoid “he/she” or “male/female” sentence construction. Student Use of Electronic Devices How do you envision electronic devices being used for teaching and learning in your class? Your policy on electronic devices (laptops, cell phones, tablets, etc.) should align with your goals. Mason does not currently have a central policy for the use of electronic devices in the classroom. Considerations as you construct your own policy include: The following are four sample statements regarding electronic devices. Please feel free to use these statements in your syllabi or to adapt them as needed for your course. Please note that best practices for policies on electronic devices would include an exception for emergencies involving family or illness, as well as for students with documented disabilities. For courses in which technology is required: For courses in which technology is NOT required:
Policies About Student Engagement (Including Participation, Names & Pronouns, and Use of Electronic Devices)
University Policies (Including Academic Integrity, Disability Accommodations, Diversity, Title IX, and Student Privacy) Requirements: All syllabi must include Recommendations: Stearns Center recommends that you include more information related to key policies; examples are provided below. Academic Integrity Required: Include a statement about academic integrity within the context of your class, and include a link to the Honor Code. The University Honor Code is upheld and supported by the Office for Academic Integrity. The following are sample statements about Academic Integrity shared by Mason faculty. Your goal should be to create a policy statement that is direct, specific, consistent, and equitable. If you are not sure about a policy, please contact the Office of Academic Integrity for advice. Recommended: Include additional information that is relevant to your course, assignments, modality, and/or profession: Proctoring a Course with Honorlock Honorlock will be used to proctor exams this semester. Honorlock is an online proctoring service that allows students to take exams online without creating an account or scheduling an appointment in advance. Students are required to have a computer, a working webcam/microphone, a valid ID (e.g., driver’s license, passport, or GMU Student ID), and a stable internet connection. Please review the Honorlock Getting Started page to learn more about expectations, notices, and privacy statements. To get started, students will need to download Google Chrome and the Honorlock Chrome Extension. When ready to complete the exam, log onto Blackboard, navigate to the course, and click on the exam link. Clicking "Launch Proctoring" will begin the Honorlock authentication process, where students will complete ID verification and a room scan. Honorlock has live proctors monitoring sessions and the exam sessions are recorded through an AI-based algorithm that works to detect search-engine use, so please do not attempt to search for answers. Honorlock support is available 24/7/365. If any issues come up, contact Honorlock through live chat on the support page or within the exam itself. Some guides you should review are Honorlock MSRs, Student FAQ, Honorlock Knowledge Base, and How to Use Honorlock. Testing with Respondus LockDown Browser This language is suggested; please adapt as necessary to meet the expectations of your course. This course requires the use of LockDown Browser and a webcam for online exams. The webcam can be built into your computer (internal webcam) or can be the type of webcam that plugs in with a USB cable (external webcam). See instructions for Installing and Using LockDown Browser, or watch this short video to get a basic understanding of LockDown Browser and the webcam feature. Disability Accommodations Required: All syllabi should include a statement about accommodations for disabilities. For more information about accommodations and other information related to students with disabilities, please contact Mason's Disability Services. Disability Services also offers a faculty guide. The following statements are recommended by DS and the Stearns Center. Please note that faculty are not expected to provide accommodations unless the student presents a letter from DS--but also that students can request approved accommodations from faculty at any point in the semester (going forward, not retroactively). Please feel free to use these statements in your syllabi. Covid-19 Note: Students who have a Covid-related disability should contact the Disability Services office; DS will contact faculty using standard protocols about any students who require accommodations. Faculty are not expected to create accommodations for students outside of the Disability Services official guidelines. Diversity and Inclusion Recommended: As a Mason faculty member, you are asked to keep diversity, one of the university's core values, in mind throughout the semester. See our tips and strategies for Creating Inclusive Classrooms for more information. You may wish to include a statement on your syllabus that acknowledges your and the university's commitment to this value. You and students may want to be aware of support provided by the Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment and LBGTQ+. You can include (or link to) the Mason Non-Discrimination Policy or the Mason Diversity Statement, or include a statement like one of these: For some course design suggestions and some additional examples of language specifically designed to highlight anti-racist pedagogical approaches, please see this handout created by Mason faculty Dr. Lauren Cattaneo and Dr. Alison Melley. If you wish to include a Land Acknowledgement statement, to identify and credit the indigenous peoples who originally inhabited the lands GMU now occupies, please see sample language here. Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, and Interpersonal Violence George Mason University is committed to providing a learning, living and working environment that is free from discrimination and a campus that is free of sexual misconduct and other acts of interpersonal violence in order to promote community well-being and student success. We encourage students and employees who believe that they have been sexually harassed, sexually assaulted or subjected to sexual or interpersonal misconduct to seek assistance and support. University Policy 1202: Sexual Harassment and Misconduct speaks to the specifics of Mason’s process, the resources, and the options available to students and employees. Recommended: As a faculty member, you may wish to include information about this on your syllabus. In addition to using any of the above language, consider including the following: Notice of mandatory reporting of sexual or interpersonal misconduct: As a faculty member, I am designated as a “Non-Confidential Employee,” and must report all disclosures of sexual assault, sexual harassment, interpersonal violence, stalking, sexual exploitation, complicity, and retaliation to Mason’s Title IX Coordinator per University Policy 1202. If you wish to speak with someone confidentially, please contact one of Mason’s confidential resources, such as Student Support and Advocacy Center (SSAC) at 703-993-3686 or Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 703-993-2380. You may also seek assistance or support measures from Mason’s Title IX Coordinator by calling 703-993-8730, or emailing titleix@gmu.edu. Privacy Student privacy is governed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and is an essential aspect of any course. Instructor responsibilities with respect to student privacy are an important consideration when designing your syllabus, especially--though certainly not exclusively--when it comes to faculty and student digital communication. For that reason, please require students to use their Mason email. As an employee of the state of Virginia, it is also required that you use your Mason email when communicating with students. Recommended: Sample syllabus language for email usage: Recording and/or sharing class materials Recommended: Course Materials and Student Privacy Videorecordings of class meetings that are shared only with the instructors and students officially enrolled in a class do not violate FERPA or any other privacy expectation. Videorecordings that only include the instructor (no student names, images, voices, or identifiable texts) may be shared without violating FERPA (but see below, University Policies: Privacy, for some qualifications and recommendations) All course materials posted to Blackboard or other course site are private to this class; by federal law, any materials that identify specific students (via their name, voice, or image) must not be shared with anyone not enrolled in this class. Optional: Course Recordings If you are recording class meetings via classroom webcam or web-conferencing software, you should alert students to that. Since only class members who ordinarily have the right to access this information will be present, recording and private storage does not violate student privacy; it's just an informational note. As a faculty member creating unique content and developing a classroom community, you may certainly also make the case why unauthorized sharing of any of your materials outside the class would violate important ethical standards. Finally, if you suspect or discover that materials are being hosted on a site such as Chegg, you may contact OAI for their recommended steps and a template letter for reaching out to the site and requesting that materials be deleted. Undergraduate Course Repetition Recommended if relevant: Students should be aware of their options for repeating an undergraduate class for credit; these policies changed in 2018. Faculty teaching high-volume undergraduate courses (such as those required for Mason Core or the major) are especially encouraged to inform students of the course repetition policy through a statement on the syllabus:
Course Schedule (including academic and religious calendars)
Using Your Syllabus to Set the Tone for Your Class In addition to identifying policies and providing information, you can use your syllabus to help build relationships and set a tone that support the community of intellectual and collaborative inquiry that you want to establish in your course.
Using Your Syllabus to Identify Resources for Students In addition to identifying policies and providing information, you can use your syllabus to help students navigate their learning opportunities and their general university experience. While many students know that these resources exist, new, transfer, and first-generation students often don't have a sense of what they can access. In addition, when faculty members suggest both how and why to ask for assistance, we model and support important coping skills. Among the resources you may want to describe and recommend are the following: Information and links regarding these and other student support offices are available on our Student Support Resources on Campus page.
Related Resources
- Ericson: Writing a Goal-Centered Syllabus
Active Learning
Multilingual Students