Call for Submissions:
Revisiting the Syllabus

Update (12/17/2019): Because of the overwhelming number of responses we have received to this call, we are no longer accepting submissions. We thank all the readers who have taken the time to share their syllabus ideas, observations, and concerns with us.

At the Teaching Professor, we’re planning on doing a series that revisits the syllabus, and we’re hoping you’ll help.

We’ll start with what we don’t want: a list of what should be on the syllabus. We know that’s important, but those lists abound, and we’d like to explore other aspects of this teaching tool. Here’s a question set that highlights some areas we think of interest:

You can respond with an article (800–2,000 words; submission guidelines are here). You can respond with something shorter and less formal—say, a couple of paragraphs. Shoot us an email that shares your ideas, opinions, observations, or concerns. Maybe you’ve got a question you think we ought to address. Beyond that, we’d welcome excerpts from your syllabus—or the whole thing if you’re willing to share it. Do you include a course description other than the one in the college catalog? What do you say about learning? How do you promote respect for others, encourage participation and recognize individual learning preferences? Is your syllabus illustrated?

We’re planning this series for spring semester, so we’d appreciate anything you choose to send by the end of November or early December. Among other resources, you can expect content you submit coming back as a collection of ideas, approaches, activities and alternatives, illustrated with lots of examples and probably some more questions.

Submit any material you have for this series to Maryellen Weimer at grg@psu.edu. And thanks in advance for contributing.

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Call for Submissions:
Revisiting the Syllabus

Update (12/17/2019): Because of the overwhelming number of responses we have received to this call, we are no longer accepting submissions. We thank all the readers who have taken the time to share their syllabus ideas, observations, and concerns with us.

At the Teaching Professor, we’re planning on doing a series that revisits the syllabus, and we’re hoping you’ll help.

We’ll start with what we don’t want: a list of what should be on the syllabus. We know that’s important, but those lists abound, and we’d like to explore other aspects of this teaching tool. Here’s a question set that highlights some areas we think of interest:

You can respond with an article (800–2,000 words; submission guidelines are here). You can respond with something shorter and less formal—say, a couple of paragraphs. Shoot us an email that shares your ideas, opinions, observations, or concerns. Maybe you’ve got a question you think we ought to address. Beyond that, we’d welcome excerpts from your syllabus—or the whole thing if you’re willing to share it. Do you include a course description other than the one in the college catalog? What do you say about learning? How do you promote respect for others, encourage participation and recognize individual learning preferences? Is your syllabus illustrated?

We’re planning this series for spring semester, so we’d appreciate anything you choose to send by the end of November or early December. Among other resources, you can expect content you submit coming back as a collection of ideas, approaches, activities and alternatives, illustrated with lots of examples and probably some more questions.

Submit any material you have for this series to Maryellen Weimer at grg@psu.edu. And thanks in advance for contributing.