Course Number & Title

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Contact Me

Name:

Email (preferred online contact information):

Phone #:

Mailbox:

Meet with Me

Office Hours:

Location:

When and where the class meets

Days/Time:

Building/Room/Zoom:

Where do I find course materials and texts?

Provide students with information about all course texts that they need to purchase: where will they get the texts, what options are available, what are the costs.

NOTE: Add the following statement

All other course materials are available on our LMS site. There you will also find other critical course content, such as recordings of live online class sessions, screen captured videos or PowerPoint presentation recordings created by the instructor, transcripts for instructor created video or audio recordings.

How is this course structured and what digital technology tools will we use? [adapt for your own purposes]

Insert your LMS

Our main course website is through         .          is the Learning Management System (LMS), designed to provide course information and management via the web. Only students enrolled in this course will have access to the course website.

For each week, there is a folder where you will find links to that week’s course materials and assignments. On          you will also find important course information, course announcements, your gradebook, a Q & A forum, a chat forum, and more. It is critical that you regularly open the course site to stay up-to-date with information. You can access          through         .

Zoom

We find ourselves in very different and difficult times caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately we won’t be able to see each other in person but that doesn’t mean that we can’t connect and see each other and cultivate a supportive learning community in this class. For this reason, I decided to schedule live Zoom class sessions every week. It is during those [x] minutes that we can develop personal connections and engage interactively with the week’s topics. In addition to the weekly live Zoom class sessions, you will engage in a variety of asynchronous learning activities that you complete on your own throughout the week.

Being active and engaged in this class will provide you with the deepest learning experience. I also think you will enjoy interacting with your peers and with me during the live class sessions so I strongly encourage you to join the Zoom class meetings. However, I understand that you might not be able to attend all of the Zoom sessions for a variety of reasons. Therefore, I will not be grading you on your attendance at the Zoom meetings. Instead, part of your grade will be based on your active participation in the course.

You can actively participate in the course in two ways:

1. By attending the weekly Zoom class sessions and actively participating in the discussions and learning activities.
2. By watching the recording of the Zoom class session and posting a VoiceThread response in which you add your own thoughts, comments, ideas and/or questions to the topic of the week.

Depending on how the pandemic develops throughout the semester, I will make adjustments as needed. Please reach out to me if you need other specific arrangements that will allow you to participate in the class.

Zoom is [your institution] preferred video conferencing platform for online meetings, class sessions, events, and more. Zoom features high-quality video and audio, screen sharing and collaboration, and improved usability and accessibility. Please download Zoom on your

desktop, laptop, or mobile devices so that you can access Zoom meetings. Please check out the IT webpage         

Google Docs

We will use Google docs regularly for collaborative note taking during our live class sessions through   . Google's suite of collaboration tools is customized especially for our campus. In order to access the Google docs, you will need to   

A bit about the course

I am excited for you to join me and your fellow students on this journey of learning together as we delve into the topic of [INSERT COURSE TOPIC]. Why does it matter to engage with this topic? [INSERT ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS AND/OR THEMES/BIG IDEAS THAT YOUR

STUDENTS WILL EXPLORE THROUGHOUT THE COURSE. Intrigue your students, motivate them to take an interest in exploring the topics of the course. State the broad course goals.]

This course satisfies the [INSERT] requirement. As a [INSERT] course, it [What is the purpose of the course? How does the course fit into the larger program/curriculum? GenEd? IE? Other requirement? Prerequisites?]

Diversity & Inclusion Statement

Consider including a statement in your syllabus in which you explicitly acknowledge your values and beliefs, and your commitment to cultivate an inclusive and equitable learning environment where differences are respected and valued. As you write this statement think about how you define diversity and how diversity, equity and inclusion inform your teaching philosophy. Let your students know how you intend to shape a positive class climate that will provide students with a sense of belonging within a mutually supportive community. You can find a variety of examples online and adapt these to fit your own personality, teaching style and philosophy, and disciplinary context: Sample Diversity & Inclusion Statements compiled by The Sheridan Center at Brown University; Diversity and Inclusion Syllabus Statements - San Diego State University; Eberly Center at Carnegie Mellon University

You could also frame it as a Hopes and Vision Statement.

My hopes and vision for the course

What is your teaching philosophy? What are your hopes and vision for this course? What beliefs and values inform your teaching of this course? What are your expectations for your role and your students’ roles? What is the format of your class? Include your broad goals for what you want students to walk away with as a result of this course.

Let me introduce myself to you

Connect with your students by telling your students a bit about your professional background, your interests, something personal, what you are passionate about, etc. Consider including a photo of yourself. If you work with Teaching Assistants, let them introduce themselves too.

What will you learn along the way? In other words, the Key Learning Objectives

INSERT INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONCRETE and MEASURABLE LEARNING OBJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE WHAT YOU WANT YOUR STUDENTS TO KNOW AND BE ABLE TO DO. USE ACTION VERBS. BLOOM’S TAXONOMY CAN GUIDE YOUR DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES.

Course readings, lectures, discussions, in-class activities and assignments are designed to help you:

• LEARNING OBJECTIVE #1
• LEARNING OBJECTIVE #2
• LEARNING OBJECTIVE #3, etc.

What will help you to be successful in this course?

Disability Accommodation and Inclusive Learning Statement

Your success in this class is important to me. We all learn differently and bring different strengths and needs to the class. If there are aspects of the course that prevent you from learning or make you feel excluded, please let me know as soon as possible. Together we’ll develop strategies to meet both your needs and the requirements of the course.

If you have a disability and require accommodations, please let me know as soon as possible. You will need to register with          Add information about where students can find more information.

There are also a range of resources on campus, including:

ADD hyperlinks to campus resources, such as the writing center, learning resource center, student success website, center for counseling, english as a second language program, etc.

What support is available for you?

1. Instructor Support: I will be present to guide and facilitate your learning. Each week, I will be available for personal check-ins in the form of Zoom video chats.
2. A Question Forum in our course site titled “I have a question. Does anyone know?”: This forum is for problems and solutions related to this course, including technical glitches,

questions about course material, and more. If you have a question or issue, post it here. If you can offer an answer or solution, please do so.

3. On the         [your campus] Information Technology page you can find          that will help you to familiarize yourself with the learning management system and tools instructors might use in their courses.

Regular communication is important! Here are our communication channels.

LMS Forums, Email, & Course Announcements

1. For general course questions, your first go-to stop should be our Q & A “Does Anyone Know” Forum. Check the F.A.Q section and if you don’t find the answer there, post your question to the forum to ask your peers. As long as you stay subscribed to the forum, you will be notified via email whenever a new post is made. If you know the answer to one of your classmates’ questions, please answer it!
2. If you can’t get an answer from the Q & A Forum or if you have a personal question or one related to your course work, please email me directly at [insert email address]. I will try to respond to emails within 24-48 hours.
3. Should you encounter a crisis that requires my immediate attention, you may call me at [insert phone number].
4. I will regularly communicate important information and course updates through the course announcements in         [LMS]. I will send out an announcement at the beginning of each week with an overview of that week's content, upcoming assignments and expectations. When necessary, I will send out an additional announcement later in the week with reminders or other important information.
5. Learning together should be fun and that happens when we have some space to also just informally chat with each other. For this reason, I created the ‘Cafe’ Forum. Here you can share with each other fun stuff, interesting things happening in the community, recommendations for movies, books, music, etc. Please keep it civil and remember to post only things that are not offensive to others.

Student/Office Hours

This is a time that I reserve for you. Meeting with me is an important part in supporting you throughout this course. Even if you don’t have specific questions, needs, and concerns, I would love to talk with you at least once during this semester. There are a couple of options to meet up:

1. Brief chats to get to know each other. Sign-up through [insert scheduling method] for a 5-10 minute Zoom meeting with me.
2. Drop-in Zoom meetings: [insert day of the week & time]. I will share the Zoom link via email.
3. Schedule a longer meeting with me if you need help with specific course content or your course work, or if you want to talk about other school and life matters, including future

plans. Depending on the circumstances, we can meet in my office on campus or via Zoom.

4. I may also schedule special Zoom meetings to meet with small groups to offer support as you work on projects, assignments or in preparation for exams.

Names & Pronouns

Everyone has the right to be addressed by the name and pronouns that they use for themselves. You can indicate your preferred/chosen first name and pronouns on SPIRE, which appear on class rosters. I am committed to ensuring that I address you with your chosen name and pronouns. Please let me know what name and pronouns I should use for you if they are not on the roster. Please remember: A student’s chosen name and pronouns are to be respected at all times in the classroom.

To learn more read: Intro Handout on Pronouns https://www.umass.edu/stonewall/sites/default/files/pronouns_intro.pdf

What you need to know about Academic Honesty and Plagiarism

We want our learning environment to be honest and fair. [Your campus] has an ADD HYPERLINK to Academic Honesty Policy that includes cheating and plagiarism as forms of dishonesty.

What is plagiarism? Generally speaking, it is any attempt to take credit for work done by another person. Yet, all scholars rely on the work of others to shape their own knowledge and interpretations.

This means: In your writing, you must acknowledge the importance of other works through footnotes and/or direct textual references to influential books, articles, media texts (yes, including Internet resources!), and ideas. When you…

• use other people’s sentences, words, or concepts…
• summarize or paraphrase ideas or opinions…

you need to use quotation marks and/or cite your source.

Working with a professor, tutor, or friend to clarify your ideas and organization for a paper or presentation is generally not plagiarism. Using an outline or thesis given to you by someone else without substantial modification is plagiarism.

If you have any questions about what may constitute plagiarism, please consult with me and/or our Writing Center/

Attendance & Participation

[EXPLAIN YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION, AND WAYS TO DISCUSS THIS WITH YOU IF NEED BE]

Example:

Learning shouldn’t be done in isolation; it is a social activity. To afford you opportunities to engage directly with me and your peers, you have the option of attending class in-person or joining live class sessions via Zoom. The choice is yours. Please try your best to attend as many face-to-face class meetings as possible. If you can’t attend a live class session, please let me know in advance via [hyperlink to your email].

There will also be online learning activities that will allow you to engage with your classmates. Both attendance of live class sessions and participation in online activities are essential for your success in the blended learning experience of this course.

Being active and engaged in class will provide you with the deepest learning experience. To get the most out of this class, you will need to actively engage with the materials and resources provided in [LMS].

Strong participation means completing learning activities, being actively involved in discussions, asking interesting questions, and demonstrating that you read and have thought about the material - whether during live class sessions or as part of online learning activities. Participation translates through showing curiosity about others’ perspectives on an issue, demonstrating respect for others opinions and ideas through acknowledging their view and asking for clarification when you aren’t sure. During live class sessions, participation also means focusing on what is going on (being present), stepping up when you have a contribution and stepping back when it is time for others to talk.

Attendance and active participation are   % of your grade. and you will receive full credit if you attend each class. Absences due to your own illness, family illness or death, religious observances, or other extenuating circumstances will need documentation. Please make an appointment to meet with me to determine. [x #] unexcused absence is permitted. More absences will impact your grade. [explain how]

Student athletes, members of the band, and on occasion, students who are members of other groups will be allowed to miss class for games and other special events and make up work will be assigned.

See          for University attendance policies for religious observances.

Our Class Participation Agreements

Check out this document with [Our Class Participation Agreements], which provides some general expectations necessary for cultivating an inclusive and supportive learning community in this class.

Please read the document carefully and engage actively with it by adding those norms that you'd like other course participants to agree to so that you and your classmates can fully participate in the class.

10 Successful Learning Tips

1. Check your email every day to receive announcements and reminders in a timely manner.
2. Check our [        ] course site frequently.
3. Look ahead and create a study calendar for the whole semester. Use the course calendar and put the due dates for all assignments on your own calendar. A note on due dates: you can submit an assignment at ANY TIME prior to the due date. Once you know when an assignment is due, don't wait until the day before to start working on it.
4. Plan ahead! To be successful, keep up with all the materials and assignments, monitor and participate in discussion postings, and complete the assignments in accordance with the course schedule.
5. Space your learning throughout each week. This is commonly known as distributed practice or distributed learning. It has been scientifically proven to be a much more effective approach of learning than massed practice, meaning cramming your learning experience within big chunks of time.
6. The course materials are presented to you in a sequential order. It includes the readings and other course texts as well as required learning activities and assignments. I recommend that you engage with the materials in the presented order to allow the most beneficial learning outcome.
7. Arrange a learning schedule that meets your individual needs for focused learning. Block off time at least during two days each week for engaging with the course materials and completing your assignments. You will need to invest approximately 8-10 hours per week for reading, writing your reading logs, watching videos, and completing the various course assignments. Better even: check in daily and make your online class part of your daily schedule!
8. Set up an inspirational and quiet learning environment either in your home or another space, like a library, that is conducive to focused and interrupted learning.
9. If you encounter any technical issues, resolve them as quickly as possible. Most technical problems result from improper computer settings. If you encounter problems you cannot resolve, get help. Click the [hyperlink LMS Help link] to locate a resolution and/or a contact.
10. Speak up! Asking for help is part of learning. Refer back to the section in the syllabus on communication.

Use of Electronic Devices

[EXPLAIN HOW STUDENTS CAN USE ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN YOUR CLASSES. BE MINDFUL THAT THE USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES IS AN ISSUE OF ACCESSIBILITY]

Example 1:

While using computers and other electronic devices in class opens new learning possibilities for students, it can also be distracting.

Please use your electronic devices only for class related purposes, such as during lecture and notetaking times and if you need them as a means to make course content accessible.

Please set your phone on silent (not on vibrate) in class. If there are significant circumstances, such as a family emergency for which you may need to answer a phone call, please let me know before the start of class and put your phone on vibrate so you can quietly exit class and answer the call.

In addition, no portion of the class can be audio or video recorded without my and your fellow students’ consent. Doing so violates other students' privacy and could inhibit other students’ participation and interfere with their learning. These expectations will help you maintain focus in class as well as allow privacy in the space for open dialogue.

Example 2:

I ask you to limit computer and cell phone use in class. Technology can be distracting and I want you to be present and engaged in class. So, please, keep your cell phones and other electronic devices in your bag or out of (your) sight. Please check in with me if you need to use a laptop for class purposes, for example, for taking notes. If you do, I expect you to refrain from messaging, emails, and the use of social media.

Title IX

If you have been the victim of sexual violence, gender discrimination, or sexual harassment, the university can provide you with a variety of support resources and accommodations. ADD SPECIFICS FOR YOUR CAMPUS.

What are you expected to do throughout the semester? A.k.a. Assignments, Exams & Other Assessments

Assignment #1: Title – Due Date – Grade Allocation

Describe the assignment and what the purpose is for it. How does the assignment link to the learning outcomes? Include information about where students will receive more information about the assignment (in-class, on the course website, handout, etc.), how students will go about this assignment (individually, in groups/teams, flexible), what resources they might need and where they can find them, any requirements, and how you will grade the assignment (rubric, checklist, TA, etc.). Design assessments, assignments and exams flexibly to meet the needs of students who may experience disruption in learning because of COVID-19 related issues as well as for those with documented disabilities.

Assignment #2: Title – Due Date – Grade Allocation

See above, repeat for each assignment

Assignment #3: Title – Due Date – Grade Allocation

How will you be graded?

Grade Distribution Per Assignment

EXPLAIN IN DETAILS BELOW. CONSIDER USING DIVERSE ASSESSMENT METHODS SO THAT STUDENTS CAN DEMONSTRATE THEIR LEARNING IN VARIOUS WAYS.

Assignment Grade Distribution

• # credits (Attendance)
• # credits (Participation)
• # credits (Quiz)
• # credits (Writing Assignments)
• # credits (Project)
• # credits (Reflection)
• # credits [Exam]

CONSIDER ADDING A GRAPHIC TO VISUALLY REPRESENT THE VALUE OF EACH ASSIGNMENT IN RELATION TO THE OVERALL GRADE.

Grading Scale

CHECK IF THIS IS THE GRADING SCALE USED BY YOUR DEPARTMENT!

Deadlines, Late Work and Missed Work

EXPLAIN YOUR POLICY. CONSIDER SOME FLEXIBILITY, FOR EXAMPLE BY BUILDING IN EXTENDED DEADLINES AND ALLOWING MISSED WORK TO BE MADE UP FOR PARTIAL CREDIT.

Example:

Deadlines work both ways, and I will do my best to get all assignments graded and back to you in a timely manner. I have scheduled the due dates for assignments to align course content with in-class activities and your developing learning in this class.

Generally, assignments are due by the date posted on the syllabus and/or our [LMS] site. I will accept assignments for full credit until          [INSERT] following that week’s classes. If you know in advance that you cannot fulfill a required assignment you must email me at least 2 weeks prior so we can make other arrangements. If you suddenly need an extension, you must contact me at least 24 hours in advance of when the assignment is due.

If you don’t turn in an assignment at all, you will receive 0. You can make up missed work for partial credit. [INSERT FOR HOW MUCH AND ANY ADDITIONAL INFO]

Course Schedule