Creating a Syllabus

A successful General Education syllabus will accomplish several things. It will be informative, explain how the course engages proposed learning objectives, involve students and welcome their assessment, and celebrate the value of the Gen Ed experience. An ideal syllabus will explain in detail how the course achieves both the overall Gen Ed learning objectives and the specific learning objectives of the curriculum area designation of the course. It will clearly link learning activities with these objectives.

Faculty who design a course as a Gen Ed should also consider its relation to other courses, both those within the faculty member’s department and within the Gen Ed curriculum areas as a whole. For example, in some cases, courses may count as prerequisites. In others, intellectual links may be forged between a community of Gen Ed faculty.

It is recommended that you follow four stages in creating a syllabus and moving it towards the formal approval process:

• Review the Learning Objectives for all Gen Ed courses.
• Review the Curriculum Areas and Designations to determine the category best suited for your course.
• Construct a syllabus
• Consult the Course Application Process for instructions on submitting your proposal.

For further information, contact the General Education Council.

Tell us what you think about this Gen Ed website