What Sections Should Your Syllabus Share?

A syllabus for an online course needs to account the integration of the technologies being used and also should be much more thorough than a syllabus for a face-to-face course in order to avoid the small questions which students will have (which might raise their anxiety). Over-explaining is encouraged in an online course; students who are nervous will get the answers they need, and all others can quickly skim through the documents feeling reassured that if they have a question later, they will be able to find the answer quickly.
Here are some specific sections you might include as headings in your syllabus for an online course.

• Instructor(s) and Department Contact Information
• Instructor(s)'s Teaching Philosophy and Course Pedagogy*
• About the Course
• Course Description (University Catalog)
• Prerequisites
• Competence Statement and Course Learning Objectives
  
• Required Textbook and Resources
  
• Are You Ready for This Online Course?
• Course Methods
• Measurement of Learning Outcomes
• College / University Policies
• Drop/Withdraw
• University Grading Policy
• Disability Services
• Communications
• Questions and Answers about the Course
• Email: When to Use and What to Include
  
• Major Life Trauma
• Return of Assignments / Feedback
• Attendance and Course Communications
• Instructor Policies and Requirements
• Preparation
• Quality of Response
• Professionalism and Respect
• Collaborative Work
• Plagiarism and Copyright
• Course Incomplete
• Late Work
• Extra Credit Policy
• Technology Expectations
• Backup Copies of Assignments / Save of Returned Assignments
• Online "Snow Days"- What to do if the IMS is down (alternatives)
• Technology Requirements and Expectations
• Computer Hardware and Software
• File Management
• Document File Names
• Campus Resources
• Other Free Resources
• Evaluations and Grading
  
• Required Competency Activities (if these are not completed; student fails course)
  
• List of Assessments and Instructions for Completion
  
• Course Orientation Assignments
• Chapter Quizzes
• No Trick Questions - Obvious Answers are Correct*
  
• Exams
• Discussions - Participation and Posting Expectations
  
• Weekly Research and Analysis Activities
• Peer Reviews
• Written Papers
• Projects and Presentations
• Grade Scale:
• Bonus / Extra Credit Opportunities

* Students in online courses might not get as much of a chance to see your personality or to gauge whether or not you are a "trickster." If you like to play "Devil's Advocate" in Discussions, or if you use humor to try to make your points - disclose that to students right up front - so that they know you are not making fun of them. Also - to reduce testing anxiety, it is helpful to clearly state something like "when taking quizzes and exams, you will not face any trick questions. If you are very well-studied, the answers should be obvious. Don't 'over-think' a question; always pick the answer which works best in the widest variety of situations."


As a separate document, a Schedule of Assignments should be created which indicates specific due dates, readings and topics, and activities/assignments which needs to be completed. Rather than burying this information in a syllabus, placing this information in a separate document makes it much easier for your students to reference.