• Home |
• Webmail |
• eLion |
• Angel |
• Library |
• News & Events |
• Athletics |
• Intranet |
• Search

Course Syllabus

A syllabus is a medium for conveying the structure of the course as well as the operating procedures that the students and the instructor will follow. Each course must have a written syllabus that must be distributed to the students within the first ten calendar days of a semester or its equivalent.  Changes to the syllabus shall also be given to the student in writing (see Policy 43-00).  Copies of all syllabi must be submitted to the Division Head within the first ten days of a semester or its equivalent. 
A syllabus should contain at least the following items:

1. Instructor Information
• The Instructor’s name, office location, office telephone number, email address
2. Office Hours: 
   • Full-time faculty members are expected to schedule at least five office hours per week for each week of the semester, scheduled over at least three days of the week.  Part-time and evening faculty should also schedule at least one office hour weekly per section taught for student conferences.  See the full Office Hours Policy for more details.
3. Course Information and Objective
   • Year and semester, course title and number, when and where the classes meet, including any additional class meetings, day or evening exams, or field trips.  You may not change the date, time and place of class meetings without approval of the Registrar and the Division Head.  Note: (Senate Policy 34-83) “No instructor has the right to change the regular schedule of classes or to allow students to attend other sections of the same course without the consent of the dean of the college or the campus executive officer in which the course is taught, except when a student is directed to change from one section of a course to another section of the course by the instructor's department head.”
   • The text(s), author(s), edition, and any special equipment or out-of-class activities that will be required.  Supplementary readings and other required or recommended material.  Availability of textbooks in library or on library electronic reserve.
   • A course objective that, in most cases, is an expansion of the catalogue course description. This objective should identify the intended audience for the course and any pre- or co-requisites.
   • It is strongly recommended that each syllabus contains a list of clearly stated learning outcomes for the course.
4. Grading
   • Give an explicit description of the method by which the grade is to be calculated and state the number of tests and the numerical equivalents of letter grades.  If attendance and/or participation are to be part of the course grade, their weight or proportion in the final grade must be stated.  See Senate Policy 47-00, 48-00, and 49-00 for more information about grades. Please note that most grade disputes occur because of deduction of points, lowering of grades, or automatic failure because of instructor’s attendance policy.  See the Course Policy section below, for more details.
5. Academic Integrity
   • The University requires that you include an Academic Integrity Statement in your syllabus. In addition, you should include a statement of your course-specific policies, including those relating to collaborative work.  Please see Senate Policy 49-20 for more details.  

Sample Statement: Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner. It is a basic guiding principle for all academic activity at the Pennsylvania State University, and all members of the University community are expected to act in accordance with this principle. Consistent with this expectation, the University's Code of conduct states that all students should act with personal integrity, respect other students’ dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts.

• Please be advised that the university does not have a “zero-tolerance” policy for imposing academic sanctions. Please refer to the document, Precedent Guidelines for Imposing Academic Sanctions .
• The Abington College Academic Integrity Conduct Disposition Form must be used. Please consult other relevant Academic Integrity information.
6. Course Policy
   • You must include your course policies on the following topics:

• Attendance, Lateness, and make-up opportunities:  Class attendance by students is expected and encouraged. Students who miss class due to legitimate, unavoidable reasons such as illness, injury, family emergency or religious observance should have the opportunity to make up evaluative events. While notifying the instructor in a timely manner is a key expectation, the University Faculty Senate policy does not mandate official documentation of student illness or other unavoidable reasons for absence. Instead, the view is that as faculty engage students in mature practices and dialogue—in place of requiring an official record of a funeral or doctor's office visit—students will rise to the occasion.  Any grade-lowering policy because of attendance should distinguish between legitimate and unexcused absences.

Students should be provided with a reasonable opportunity to make up missed work.  Ordinarily, it is inappropriate to substitute for the missed assignment the weighting of a semester’s work that does not include the missed assignment.  Completion of all assignments assures the greatest chance for students to develop heightened understanding and content mastery that is unavailable through the weighting process.  The opportunity to complete all assignments supports the university’s desire to enable students to make responsible situational decisions without endangering their academic work.

Instructors should also provide opportunities to make up work for students who miss classes for regularly scheduled, University-approved curricular and extracurricular activities.  Instructors should provide, within reason, opportunity to make up work for students who miss class for regularly scheduled, University-approved curricular and extracurricular activities (such as Martin Luther King Day of Service, field trips, debate trips, choir trips, and athletic contests). However, if such scheduled trips are considered by the instructor to be hurting the student's scholastic performance, the instructor should present such evidence for necessary action to the Division Head.  The Division Head will in turn consult with the Associate Dean for an appropriate course of action.  Please see Senate Policy 42-27  for the Senate Policy on Class Attendance.

• Class participation must be defined clearly, particularly if it affects the grade.
• Missed quizzes, tests, reports/papers, turning in late assignments and the procedure to be followed by student if he or she cannot be present in class to take a quiz or hand in an assignment.
• The use of a calculator.
• The procedure you will follow if you must cancel a class.
7. Students with Disabilities
   • You should include a statement regarding students with disabilities.  You may want to use the following language:
     Penn State encourages academically qualified students with disabilities to take advantage of its educational programs. Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this class should contact the disability liaison Anne Prior, 315 Sutherland, Tel. 215-881-7537. 
8. Learning Center Statement
   • You should include a statement informing and encouraging students to use the Learning Center in 315 Sutherland.  You may want to use the following language:
     Free peer and professional tutoring and study skill coaching are available at the Learning Center (Room 315 Sutherland, 215-881-7538).  Students striving for an “A” and students struggling for a “C” agree that they benefit from tutoring sessions.  To find out how the Learning Center can help you, call or visit Mondays through Thursdays from 9:00 to 5:30 p.m. and Fridays from 9:00 to 4:00 p.m.
9. Course Calendar
   • The syllabus should contain a tentative topical outline including midterm tests, the final exam, and assignments due dates.  Include the final exam date, time, and place.

Click here for Course Attendance Frequently Asked Questions

More information about syllabi can be found at the “Teaching and Learning with Technology” website.

FACULTY HANDBOOK

Abington College Undergraduate Research Activities (ACURA) Academic Administration Academic Integrity Academic Ranks Advising-Faculty Advising-Professional Affirmative Action Policy Annual Review Book Orders Class Attendance and Absence-Students Excused Absence for Athletic Competition Class Cancellation by Faculty Class Lists Class Schedule Creation Guidlines Computer Labs Conflict of Interest Course Prerequisites Deferred Grades Disability Services Drop/Add, Late Drop History of Penn State Abington Faculty Appointments Faculty Activity Report (FAR) Faculty Handbook Calendar Faculty Review Committee First Year Engagement Food General Education; Writing Across the Curriculum,United States Cultures (US), and International Cultures (IL) General Examination Policy Final Examination Policy Make - Up Exam guidelines Grade Correction Grade Mediation and Adjudication Grade Submission Grading System Guidelines for Collecting and Distributing Student Work HR-40 Review Honors Independent Study

Internal Funds Career Development Professorship (CDP) Faculty Development Grants (FDG) Faculty Teaching Innovation Fellowship The Outstanding Research Fellowship Summer Faculty Fellowships (SFF) Summer Grants Fellowships (SGF) Labs Learning Center Library University Libraries Copyright Policies Mail, Telephone, Supplies, Photocopying and Recycling Mid-Semester Evaluation (EPR) New Employees New Program Procedure Nondiscrimination Policy Office Hours Overload Policy Parking, Key Requests, Identification Cards Professional Organization Membership Promotion and Tenure Promotion to Senior Lecturer Registration Reporting of Consulting Activities Resignation of Faculty Members Retirement of Faculty Members Sabbatical Leaves Scholarly Activity & Faculty Development - External Grants Secure IDs Sexual Harassment Policy Student Ratings of Teaching Effectiveness SRTE's Supplemental Methods of Evaluating Teaching Effectiveness Student Records and Confidentiality Summer Session Teaching Appointments Syllabus Smoking Teaching Load Travel Visiting Scholar Position Weather Emergency Withdrawal

Academics
Majors/Minors Registration & Schedules Faculty Advising First Year Engagement International Undergraduate Research Honors Instructional Design Testing Center