- General Requirements for all Course Syllabi
- Syllabi Requirements for Specific Programs and Courses
- Statement for Students with Special Learning Needs
- Statement Regarding Academic Dishonesty
General Requirements for all Course Syllabi
University accrediting agencies, such as the North Central Association, now view course syllabi as
parts of the contract between the University and its students and will examine course syllabi for
evidence that the University is accomplishing its instructional mission.
Instructors are expected to distribute course syllabi to students in all their classes at the beginning of each term.
Syllabi for all courses must state course prerequisites, goals, and content, and must clearly describe all factors that affect a student's final course grade, such as attendance, major graded assignments, class participation, extra credit, etc.
Syllabi Requirements for Specific Programs and Courses
Composition
The Director of Composition, in consultation with the Composition Committee, and other writing instructors, will develop and make suggested sample day-by-day course syllabi available to instructors teaching ENGL 101 and 299.
The Director of Composition will also distribute copies of appropriate General Education goals and objectives to be followed by all instructors of ENGL 101, 190, and 299.
General Literature
The General Literature 113 Course Committee will distribute copies of General Education Goals and Objectives to be followed by instructors of ENGL 113.
Writing–to–Learn
The Director of the Writing–Across–the–Curriculum Program will inform instructors of special requirements for syllabi of Writing–to–Learn courses.
Technical/Professional Writing
The Director of Technical Writing, in consultation with the Technical Writing Committee, will develop and distribute a course syllabus to be followed by instructors of ENGL 301.
English Education
National and state teacher education accreditation standards require syllabi for courses in the Bachelor of Science in Education in English degree program (see B. S. Ed. Program Guide for a list of required courses).
The Director of English Education will provide faculty teaching B. S. Ed. courses with models showing the kinds of information recommended for these required syllabi. The Director is also responsible for insuring that syllabi for teacher education courses meet national and state standards.
Statement for Students with Special Learning Needs
Faculty should also include a brief statement informing students with physical or learning
disabilities where they may go to arrange for special assistance.
To read a complete discussion of Students with Special Learning Needs in this manual.
Statement Regarding Academic Dishonesty
In addition, it should be noted that article 30 of the PSU "Code of Student Rights and
Responsibilities"contains the following passage:
"Every instructor should make clear, at the beginning of each course, his or her rules for the preparation of classroom assignments, collateral reading notebooks, or other outside work, in order that his or her students may not, through ignorance, subject themselves to the charge of Academic misconduct."
Instructors should, therefore, seriously consider including in course syllabi definitions of cheating and plagiarism and clear statements of possible consequences of these acts of Academic dishonesty. Instructors may wish to include in their syllabi some variation of the following statement regarding Academic dishonesty:
- You must submit for a grade only your own original work.
- You must not give or receive unauthorized aid on papers, reports, exams, quizzes, or other assignments.
- Submitting graded assignments that are not your own original work or on which you have given or received unauthorized aid is cheating.
- If you have questions on what constitutes appropriate aid on your assignments, please consult with me.
- Words and ideas taken from any source must be carefully documented in your papers.
- The deliberate and unauthorized use of words and ideas from an unacknowledged source without appropriate documentation is plagiarism.
- If you have questions about how to document your assignments appropriately, please consult with me.
- proven instances of cheating or plagiarism make you liable to a variety of penalties, including failure of the assignment, failure of the course, and/or expulsion.
To read a complete discussion of academic dishonesty, see the Academic Dishonesty section in this manual.
