Designing Your Syllabus

You may download this template to use as a base for your syllabus; you are not required to use the format or order of the template as long as you include the required information.

• Course Number and Title
• Course Overview
  • This is typically 2-5 sentences. Include any relevant information if the course is designated as Mason Core, writing intensive (WI), research and scholarship intensive (RS), community engaged, etc.
• Learning Outcomes
  • Check with your academic unit or course coordinator for any assigned learning outcomes
  • See our Learning Outcomes resource for more information
• Instructor name and contact information (should include GMU email address and any location/time for office hours)
• Course meeting day(s), time(s), and modality (include information about accessing Canvas or Blackboard as relevant)
• Grading Policies, including
  • Grading Schema: Numerical breakdown of the ranges used to identify final grades as A, B, C, etc. (GMU does not have a standard schema, but your academic unit might indicate a range such as “83-86% = B”)
  • Grade Weights: Percentage list of how assignments, exams, and other required actions count for the final grade
  • Policies that can significantly lower student grades, such as late work or missed exams/rehearsals
• The Common Policies Addendum (via online link, PDF or document text), with policies about Academic Standards, Accommodations for Students with Disabilities, FERPA, and Title IX

Note about Consistent Course Modalities: The Provost asks that all faculty deliver, and students attend, each course in the modality/ies 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. A blended or hybrid course should meet in the modalities/days indicated in Banner. Students who prefer or need to study using a different modality should see their advisor about enrolling in a different section or course.

• Contact information for any TAs or LAs associated with your course
• Any course prerequisites
• Associated laboratories or rehearsal dates
• Course materials: Books, fees, or other required materials
• Information about Office Hours or Student Hours: All faculty are expected to be available to meet with and respond to students as appropriate, whether in person or virtually. All syllabi should inform students how and when faculty are available. Faculty teaching online courses should make clear how and when students can connect with them in the online environment.
• Campus Closure or Emergency Class Cancelation/Adjustment Policy (See additional information on our Contingency Planning Guide for faculty)
  • If the campus closes, or if a class meeting needs to be canceled or adjusted due to weather or other concern, students should check Blackboard [or other instruction as appropriate] for updates on how to continue learning and for information about any changes to events or assignments.
• Communication Policy: What is your preferred method of contact (e.g., email, LMS, MS Teams chat, other)? When and how quickly will you plan to respond to student queries–for instance, will you respond on weekends or after 10 pm? Will you respond within 48 hours?

Recommended for Fall 2024: ITS strongly recommends that all faculty clearly indicate in their course materials the LMS they are using this semester. Here is their recommended syllabus language about LMS (see additional information online):

• Important Notice: This course will be hosted on [Blackboard/Canvas] for the Fall 2024 semester. Please ensure you are familiar with accessing and navigating this platform.  
• Resources and support are available at: https://lms.gmu.edu/getting-started-students/ to help you get started. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me or contact the ITS Support Center for assistance. 

Description of the value and/or approaches of the course

• Why do people study this area of knowledge?
• How will instruction be handled: presentations, discussions, group work, labs, etc.?
• What is the value of the course to the student now and in their future careers/professions?
• How does this particular course fit into the student’s discipline or Mason Core requirements?
• Why is the course content arranged in this order? How do assignments help students demonstrate key knowledge?

Basic Course Technology Requirements (Two options)

• Activities and assignments in this course will regularly use the Blackboard learning system, available at https://mymason.gmu.edu. Students are required to have regular, reliable access to a computer with an updated operating system (recommended: Windows 10 or Mac OSX 10.13 or higher) and a stable broadband Internet connection (cable modem, DSL, satellite broadband, etc., with a consistent 1.5 Mbps [megabits per second] download speed or higher. You can check your speed settings using the speed test on this website.)
• Activities and assignments in this course will regularly use web-conferencing software (Blackboard Collaborate / Zoom). In addition to the requirements above, students are required to have a device with a functional camera and microphone. In an emergency, students can connect through a telephone call, but video connection is the expected norm.

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

• Regarding attendance and participation. If participation is included in the grade, how do you define and measure participation? Remember that you should not grade solely based on attendance at Mason; attendance can, however, be factored into the grade for participation.
• Regarding video-class participation (Collaborate or Zoom): What will be your expectation of student visibility / video use in a synchronous web-conferencing class meeting — and why do you have that policy?
  • Mason’s legal office has indicated that requiring students to turn their cameras on during a required synchronous class meeting (e.g., on Zoom or Collaborate) does not violate any known statute.
  • Given the ongoing privacy and/or technology challenges that students learning from home may face, Stearns Center recommends that faculty use a cameras-on policy only where it is necessary to support interactivity among students (especially in smaller classes or breakout rooms) or to adequately judge student mastery of key concepts (not just for “increasing engagement”). Stearns Center supports faculty who work with students to build community norms for class participation and/or who use alternate strategies (chat, polls, shared documents) to enable students to demonstrate their attention and comprehension during class.
• Regarding late assignments, make-up exams, and/or extra credit: Your expectations for each of these should be noted clearly on your syllabus.
  • Mason and the Stearns Center to recommend that faculty both set appropriate boundaries and be considerate of student needs, as students continue to experience high levels of anxiety and other mental health concerns. Your college, school, department, or unit may have guidance for you; in other areas, we invite you to see our advice sheet about building reasonable flexibility into your course design and policies.

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.

• Name and pronoun use: If you wish, please share your name and gender pronouns with me and indicate how best to address you in class and via email. I use [faculty insert your specific pronouns here] for myself and you may address me as “[YOUR NAME]”, “Dr./Prof. [NAME]” or “Mr./Ms./Mx. [NAME]” in email and verbally.

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.

• For more information about gender-inclusive language and practices, review this brief guide by Mason’s Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment, or this longer guide by the American Psychological Association

Inclusive classrooms

As a Mason faculty member, you are asked to keep our commitment to inclusive excellence across our highly diverse student body, 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:

• Women and Gender Studies seeks to create a learning environment that fosters respect for people across identities. We welcome and value individuals and their differences, including gender expression and identity, race, economic status, sex, sexuality, ethnicity, national origin, first language, religion, age and ability. We encourage all members of the learning environment to engage with the material personally, but to also be open to exploring and learning from experiences different than their own.
• The School of Integrative Studies, an intentionally inclusive community, promotes and maintains an inclusive and just work and learning environment. We welcome and value individuals and their differences including race, economic status, gender expression and identity, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, first language, religion, age, and disability.

Land Acknowledgment: If you wish to include a Land Acknowledgment statement, to identify and credit the indigenous peoples who originally inhabited the lands GMU now occupies, please see sample language here.

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:

• Are electronic devices required for your class?
• What are your expectations for student learning?
• Will the use of electronic devices enhance or impede student learning?
• What qualifies as a misuse of electronic devices?
• What happens if students misuse their devices?

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.

Sample language for courses in which technology is required:

• The use of laptop computers is required in this class. You will only be permitted to work on material related to the class, however. Engaging in activities not related to the course (e.g., gaming, email, chat, etc.) will result in a significant deduction in your participation grade.
• We will frequently be using the internet as a means to enhance our discussions. We will also be using computers for our in-class writing assignments. Please be respectful of your peers and your instructor and do not engage in activities that are unrelated to the class. Such disruptions show a lack of professionalism and may affect your participation grade.

Sample language for courses in which technology is NOT required:

• Cell phones and other communicative devices are not to be used during class. Please keep them stowed away and out of sight. Laptops or tablets may be permitted for the purpose of taking notes only, but you must submit a request in writing to do so. Engaging in activities not related to the course (e.g., gaming, email, chat, etc.) will result in a significant deduction in your participation grade.
• Regarding electronic devices (such as laptops, cell phones, etc.), please be respectful of your peers and your instructor and do not engage in activities that are unrelated to class. Such disruptions show a lack of professionalism and may affect your participation grade.

Stearns Center recommends that you include more information related to key policies; examples are provided below.

• A specific addendum to your academic standards statement that addresses Generative AI tool use and/or other course-relevant standards
• Clear information about any online exam proctoring tools you will require students to use
• One or more statements that document your commitment to inclusive learning
• Notice of policies related to student or instructor privacy
• Notice of policies related to student repetition of the course

Academic standards for your course

Include any additional information about academic integrity and academic standards that is relevant to your course, assignments, modality, and/or profession.

• Strongly recommended: Statement regarding use of Generative AI tools.
  • Minimum statement: Any student use of Generative-AI tools should follow the fundamental principles of GMU’s Academic Standards policies. 
  • Additional information: Please see recommendations on our Generative AI Support page.
• Recommended as appropriate: Statement regarding online proctoring (see sample language below)
• Recommended as appropriate: Additional language regarding the use of “study sites”
  • Some kinds of participation in online study sites violate the Mason Honor code: these include accessing exam or quiz questions for this class; accessing exam, quiz, or assignment answers for this class; uploading of any of the instructor’s materials or exams; and uploading any of your own answers or finished work.  Always consult your syllabus and your professor before using these sites.

Proctoring an Exam with Honorlock

Honorlock is available in both Blackboard and Canvas. This language is suggested; please adapt as necessary to meet the expectations of your course.

Honorlock will be used to proctor exams in this course. 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, students will log onto Blackboard/Canvas, 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.

Proctoring an Exam with Respondus LockDown Browser

Respondus is available in 2024-2025 for courses offered in Blackboard. 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. 

• You will need the following system requirements for online exams:
  • Windows: 10, 8, 7
  • Mac: OS X 10.10 or higher
  • iOS: 10.0+ (iPad only). Must have a compatible LMS integration.
  • Web camera (internal or external) & microphone
  • A reliable internet connection
  • Prior to your first exam, you must install LockDown Browser following the step-by-step instructions.
• To ensure LockDown Browser and the webcam are set up properly, do the following:
  • Start LockDown Browser, log into Blackboard and select this course.
  • Locate and select the Help Center button on the LockDown Browser toolbar.
  • Run the Webcam Check and, if necessary, resolve any issues or permissions your computer prompts.
  • Run the System & Network Check. If a problem is indicated, see if a solution is provided in the Knowledge Base. Further troubleshooting is available through the ITS Support Center.
  • Exit the Help Center and locate the practice quiz named [NOTE TO INSTRUCTOR: Create a brief practice quiz and insert name/location of quiz].
  • Upon completing and submitting the practice quiz, exit LockDown Browser.
• When taking an online exam that requires LockDown Browser and a webcam, remember the following guidelines:
  • Ensure you’re in a location where you won’t be interrupted
  • Turn off all other devices (e.g. tablets, phones, second computers) and place them outside of your reach
  • Clear your desk of all external materials not permitted — books, papers, phones, other devices
  • Before starting the test, know how much time is available for it, and that you’ve allotted sufficient time to complete it
  • Remain at your computer for the duration of the test.
  • Make sure that your computer is plugged into a power source, or that battery is fully-charged.
  • If the computer or networking environment is different than what was used previously with the Webcam Check and System & Network Check in LockDown Browser, run the checks again prior to starting the test
• To produce a good webcam video, do the following:
  • Do not wear a baseball cap or hat with a brim that obscures your face
  • Ensure your computer or tablet is on a firm surface (a desk or table). Do NOT have the computer on your lap, a bed, or any other surface where the device (or you) are likely to move
  • If using a built-in (internal) webcam, avoid tilting the screen after the webcam setup is complete
  • Take the exam in a well-lit room and avoid backlighting, such as sitting with your back to a window
  • Remember that LockDown Browser will prevent you from accessing other websites or applications; you will be unable to exit the test until all questions are completed and submitted

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.

Recording: Some student recording of class lectures or materials for personal use, especially those that include only the faculty member’s information (e.g., no identifiable names, voices, or images of other students), is generally permitted. Even sharing of some of this material may be allowable (conversations nationally about FERPA often identify how this falls within student freedom of speech).

Sharing of materials may be limited by what those materials contain and where they are shared. Sharing of class materials that contain identifiable student information is limited by FERPA. Sharing of instructor-created materials, particularly materials relevant to assignments or exams, to public online “study” sites is considered a violation of Mason’s Academic Standards. For more information, see the Office of Academic Integrity’s summary of information about online study sites. They also have a short video you can share with students or embed in your LMS site.

Recommended policy language for course materials:

• All course materials posted to Blackboard/Canvas 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.
  • Videorecordings — whether made by instructors or students — of class meetings that include audio, visual, or textual information from other students are private and must not be shared outside the class.
• • Live video conference meetings (e.g. Collaborate or Zoom) that include audio, textual, or visual information from other students must be viewed privately and not shared with others in your household or recorded and shared outside the class

Optional Statement on Course Materials. 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 use HonorLock to identify and request that materials be deleted.

Undergraduate Course Repetition

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:

• There is a limit of three graded attempts for this course. A W does not count as a graded attempt. Please see AP. 1.3.4 in the University Catalog and consult with your academic advisor if you have any questions.

• It is important to give students sense of the course schedule for the semester. You may reserve the right to make adjustments, of course, but be aware that many of our students actively use the course schedule as they plan their semesters.
• Please use Mason’s Semester Calendar and Final Exam Schedule to set due dates for your assignments, projects, and final exams.
• In your course planning, be aware of the demographics of our diverse student body. For example, to minimize difficulties for students of different faith traditions, be aware of the calendar of religious holidays and observations. The course catalog states, “Mason encourages its faculty to make a reasonable effort to allow students to observe their religious holidays…. Students who miss classes, exams, or other assignments as a consequence of their religious observance…will be provided a reasonable alternative opportunity, consistent with class attendance policies stated in the syllabus, to make up the missed work.” Where possible, then,
  • Check the holidays calendar at the start of the semester, and consider whether/how you might avoid scheduling major due dates or exams especially on holidays observed by a large community of Mason students. These include but are not limited to the fall-term holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Hanukkah, as well as the spring-term holidays of Passover, Good Friday, and Ramadan.
  • The catalog asks students to inform you in advance about their planned observances to enable you to work together to create a pathway to success. You can help by indicating your willingness and expectations about how you will help students who will be observing a holiday to adapt their schedule to complete key course assignments.
• Mason also has a number of students who have served our country in the military. When planning your fall semester, we ask that you practice sensitivity and flexibility for those students who wish to observe Veterans Day without penalizing their success in your courses.

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.

1. Build intellectual relationships: Use your syllabus to convey the key questions, purposes, and achievements that people in your field pursue when they study this material, even—perhaps especially!—at the introductory level. What are the particular issues and angles your course will explore, and how do they fit into larger contexts of your program, the major, and the life of an educated person on the planet right now? When you include a few sentences about the intellectual value of your course, you set the stage for building a community of inquirers and thinkers.

2. Build learning relationships: Use your syllabus to explain how learning will work in your course. You aren’t assigning “busy work” or automatically tossing in chapters to read just because they’re included in the textbook; you believe that people will learn X best by doing Y first and then Z. Add some language to explain your assignment choices and identify how small assignments support larger, vital learning goals, as part of your care and respect for the learners in your course. This way, students can see themselves as partners in learning rather than just recipients of random (and difficult!) tasks.

3. Build empowered relationships: Use your syllabus to indicate how you will grant your students options, choices, and elements of control in their learning in your course, even—perhaps especially!—at the introductory level. Research shows that adult and near-adult learners benefit from greater access to decision-making in their learning: ownership leads to increased enthusiasm, focus, and retention. Add some language about students’ opportunities to decide… on project topics, on whether to drop a low quiz grade, on what the class electronics policy will be, on whether to revise Essay #1, on bonus-credit options, or something else.

4. Build optimistic relationships: If your syllabus leans too much on boldfaced “Thou shalt not” language, you might imply a more pessimistic view of students than you actually feel. All faculty need to set boundaries and make expectations clear, but it’s not entirely true that you “shouldn’t smile until October.” Give your syllabus language a review from the point of view of someone who doesn’t already know you as the engaged, enthusiastic, supportive person you are, and see if there’s at least one place where you can dial some negative language back to better showcase that person. Maybe there’s a policy that’s more stringent than you really need, or one that you could phrase in less dire language, or perhaps just one where you could take out the boldface.

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:

• Student Support and Advocacy Center (SSAC)
• Counseling and Psychological Services
• The Learning Services Office or field-specific tutoring
• The Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment
• LBGTQ+ Resources
• University Career Services
• University Writing Center

Information and links regarding these and other student support offices are available on our Student Support Resources on Campus page.