It’s in the Syllabus! Or is it?: Designing a Transparent Syllabus

To participate in this session, all registered participants must bring or have access to a copy of their course syllabus in any stage (e.g., rough draft, revised draft, final). 

The syllabus is often students’ first introduction to your course, and can help set the tone for the rest of the semester, even before your first class meeting. When designed with a focus on transparency, the syllabus can signal to students that they are entering an inclusive learning space, and provide them with a clear guide of what they will learn and how they can demonstrate and monitor their learning. Participants will spend a majority of this interactive workshop in pairs reviewing each other’s syllabus from the student perspective. Register here.

Please note: In advance of this session, we ask that registered participants read the CTL’s online resource: Designing an Inclusive Syllabus, which will inform the session activities. We also ask that all registered participants have their syllabus easily accessible, as there will be opportunities for collaborative workshopping throughout the session. 

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify overarching considerations of transparent and inclusive syllabus design
• Identify the elements of a syllabus and inclusive moves within each element
• Enact small changes to their own syllabus to revise for inclusivity and transparency

Unable to join us for this workshop? Looking for more syllabus support? Join the CTL for drop-in syllabus office hours, in-person in Butler 213 or online, Monday August 26 from 10am-12pm, or email CTLFaculty@columbia.edu to schedule your 1-1 consultation. 

Columbia University makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. Contact ColumbiaCTL@columbia.edu or 212.854.1692 for accommodations.