Syllabus
A real “aha” moment for me was when I learned that the syllabus, being the first thing students ever see about you or your class, really sets the tone for your students and can significantly impact sense of belonging. I now put a lot more effort into what I’m saying and how I’m saying it, and I have moved away from “scaring” students and toward being welcoming, engaging, and affirming that they can succeed in the course.
4.5 SYLLABUS
Wondering what should be included in your syllabi? This page will guide you in the right direction but, as always, check with your chair for specifics for your department and course. We'll start with the official university policy on syllabi.
Syllabus Policy 
To better inform students about the requirements, content, and methodology of the university’s undergraduate curricula, all faculty teaching undergraduate courses will distribute a written syllabus to each student in the course and/or post it on-line no later than the second week of classes. The syllabus should contain the following information:
- Course description
- Course objective(s)
- A brief list or summary of topics or projects covered
- Course requirements including:
- Methods of evaluation
- Tentative due dates for major assignments and/or exams
- Grading criteria including whether or not the plus/minus system will be used
- Contact information:
- Instructor’s name
- Office hours and location
- CSUN email address
- Campus phone number if applicable
- If the syllabus is revised after the first class meeting, date(s) of revision(s)
There are additional requirements for General Education courses, Writing Intensive courses, or courses that meet the Information Competence requirement.
Other Syllabus Considerations
Of course, your syllabus can do much more that just list the information required by the syllabus policy.
- When you hold consciousness about Who Our Students Are, then you will be more prepared to cultivate the right learning environment and experiences for student success!
- Check out required and best practices for your syllabus listed in Faculty Development's Teaching Toolkit.
- Don't forget to make sure your syllabus is accessible to all students—here's a guide to help you do that.
- The syllabus provides an excellent opportunity to share campus resources with your students; You can find some samples of how CSUN faculty highlight student campus resources.
- Do you have any interest in trying something new with your syllabi? Find out what comprises a learner-centered syllabus to optimize students' chances to master course material.
- If you're thinking about including a statement in your syllabus on how students may use artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, our Teaching Toolkit offers a number of sample syllabus statements on A.I. that can be modified to align with your course policies.
Preparing Your Course in a Rush: A Shortcut
On rare occasions we find ourselves with a canceled course, a new last-minute course assignment, or even hired the first week of the semester. What do we do when we only have days or even hours before we meet our students and we need to get the essentials done? We have a couple resources just for this situation!
- Check out this shortcut resource (Preparing Your Course in a Rush Links to an external site.), which directs you to the essential areas you need to know before finalizing your syllabus. Remember, this is a shortcut which means it is not comprehensive.
- Our version of a more comprehensive approach to prepping your course is reading each page in this teaching module. The dessert is at the end where you'll find our First Week(s) Checklist.
✔️ To Do:
📌 Write your syllabus, ensuring it meets the CSUN Syllabus Policy
📌 Make sure your syllabus is fully accessible
📌 Consider linking to student resources and making your syllabus into a learner-centered syllabus
Now your syllabus is complete. You're ready to begin managing your class roster and waitlist.