Syllabus Elements: Detailed Information and Sample Statements

Provide students with your location, contact information, availability, and any expectations around interactions. You may also include a short biography to help make you more familiar and approachable.

Required

• Information about your availability for consultation (in-person and, where appropriate, by other means of communication) outside of class.

Recommended

• Pronouns and Means of Address.

• Office hours as prescribed by MUNFA and LUMUN collective agreements (i.e., not less than 2 hours per course per week, to a maximum of 5 hours per week).
• A statement regarding response times for inquiries. e.g.,

A short biography or information about who you are, particularly if you are teaching online.

Recommended

• Memorial University’s Land Acknowledgement (which may be obtained from the Office of Indigenous Affairs). If used in a syllabus, it is also recommended to deliver the acknowledgement verbally during the first synchronous or face-to-face class.

Along with the standard course information (course name and number), you may highlight:

• the focus of your course,
• its purpose or relevance,
• questions that are addressed by your course,
• times and locations of lectures, labs, and tutorials, and/or
• indicate where your course fits within the context of the program,
• including any accreditation units for professional programs.

Required

• Any required prerequisites or corequisites.

Recommended

• Course Information. Course lecture/lab/tutorial times should be added here. For Engineering, and possibly other accredited professional programs include accreditation units.

• Course description. Descriptions are available from the University Calendar.

• Course expectations such as classroom etiquette, importance of attendance, use of formative/ungraded evaluations during class, and/or professional conduct statement.

• Statement of fair warning. Outline content that may be personally offensive or otherwise troubling. Include instructions for students seeking alternate accommodations.

• An In-person course welcome with safety message. e.g.,

Recommended

• Course format

  • e.g., team taught, synchronous lectures, laboratories, tutorials, field work.
• A statement regarding transition to remote learning. e.g.,

Clearly outline what you want students to be able to demonstrate at the end of your course. These broader course goals do not necessarily result in measurable behaviour, but they will provide students with a clear purpose to focus studies on, and provide direction for the specific learning outcomes and assessment strategies within the course.

Recommended

• Big ideas, essential understandings, theories, or approaches students will learn.
• Equations, strategies, and core knowledge students will apply.
• Key skills students will develop (e.g., specific laboratory skills, critical thinking).
• Threshold concepts or attitudes students will develop (e.g., evolutionary thinking, art is discourse, uncertainty in measurements, deconstruction, opportunity costs).

For more information, visit this page which explains the definition, characteristics, and benefits of learning outcomes.

List any textbooks, articles, books, media, or other resources that students should consult. Be clear about which resources are required in the course and why, which are optional, and where these resources may be accessed. You may also wish to include a statement regarding how the text and resources will be used and how students should approach them.

Required

• Required textbooks, materials, or other resources that must be purchased by students.

Recommended

• Any additional resources that students should access. e.g.,

  • Brightspace,
  • online programs and tools,
  • free classroom response systems,
  • library reserves, or
  • additional readings.

Clearly outline how students will be evaluated in your course. This includes how assignments are counted, participation expectations, how overall grades are calculated, and submission policies (e.g., how late submissions or missed assessments will be handled).

Required

Wherever possible, an explanation of the alternate evaluation which will be offered to students who are unable to complete a part of the evaluation due to acceptable cause, as described under Exemptions from Parts of the Evaluation (University Regulation 6.7.5), or otherwise communicated by Memorial University.

With the exception of final examinations, and in accordance with Scheduling of Parts of the Evaluation (University Regulation 6.7.3), the probable dates of all in-class parts of the evaluation, and the probable dates on which all take-home parts of the evaluation are due.

Recommended

• Information regarding any final examinations. This may include the format, cumulative nature of the exam, and/or final exam policies. Policies can be indicated by a simple reference to University Regulations 6.8, or specific aspects of the policy may be highlighted for students.

• Information regarding any supplementary exams, if a faculty, department, or school offers them. Information must abide by the Supplementary Examinations Regulations as outlined in the University Calendar for that specific faculty, department or school.

Recommended (COVID-19 Related Changes)

• With the potential for rapid transition to all remote learning, and the further likelihood of students occasionally remaining home if feeling unwell, syllabus statements to clarify plans and contingencies for assessment will be important. One strategy is to simply plan for all assessments to be online, another strategy will be to develop alternate modes of assessment to use as needed.

• A statement for all online assessments. e.g.,

• A statement for alternative assessments. e.g.,

Students should be made aware of other policies relating to the course, as well as applicable university wide policies.

Required

• A statement of Memorial University of Newfoundland’s commitment to accommodation of students with disabilities. e.g.,

• A statement regarding academic integrity, including a reference to the entry on Academic Misconduct (University Regulation 6.12). e.g.,

Recommended

• Information around expectations and use of AI text generation tools, like ChatGPT, should be integrated within the academic integrity statement.  This includes information about how it may / may not be used in originally created content.

• Information regarding any restrictions around the use of visual and/or audio recording during classes, excluding any provisions made for students with special needs.

• Information regarding any restrictions or classroom etiquette around the use of personal electronic devices or programs during class (e.g., social media, phones, laptops, tablets), excluding any provisions made for students with special needs.

• In line with the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Act, a statement regarding student equity and the provision of a safe learning environment regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, social origin, religious creed, religion, age, disability, disfigurement, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, family status, source of income, or political opinion.

Recommended

• A statement regarding student health needs and doctors’ notes. e.g.,

• A statement regarding remaining home when unwell. e.g.,

Memorial University offers a broad range of supports that may not be known to your students. Instructors are encouraged to direct students to academic supports as well as:

• Student Life Academic Supports, and
• MUNSU’s Listing of Student Resource Centres.

Recommended

• A list, statement, or link outlining available academic supports including, but not limited to:
  • Memorial University Libraries,
  • The Glenn Roy Blundon Centre,
  • The Writing Centre,
  • CITL Support Centre,
  • Information Technology Services,
  • Academic Advising, and
  • other help centres.
• A list and links to student life supports including, but not limited to:
  • MUN Chaplaincy,
  • Sexual Harassment Office,
  • Disability Information and Support Centre,
  • Sexuality And Gender Advocacy,
  • Student Parent Assistance and Resource Centre,
  • Students Older Than Average,
  • Intersections — A Resource Centre for Marginalized Genders, and
  • specific departmental societies. e.g.,

Instructors may wish to include a statement regarding the use of any feedback mechanisms used in the course, such as:

• instructor developed feedback forms,
• prior-learning assessments,
• learning outcomes questionnaires, or
• the Course Evaluation Questionnaire.

Recommended

• A brief statement regarding:
  • the timing of feedback,
  • how feedback is used, and
  • the value of feedback in improving the course for current and/or future students.

A tentative schedule helps to ensure course expectations are clear, and aids students in time management during their studies.

Recommended (Required in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences)

• A tentative timeline (e.g., a table) of topics broken down by week, including any tutorials, online meetings, assignments, tests, or assigned readings.

• An indication of alignment with any required resources (e.g., what sections of the text correspond with scheduled topics or lectures).

• A statement regarding the procedure for lecture or laboratory cancellations.

• An intellectual property statement regarding lecture and course material (e.g., permissions required for the reproduction of material).

It is recommended that instructors consult with their respective departments, schools, or faculties to determine if there are additional discipline-based regulations or standard syllabi formats required.

• Specific requirements for HSS: 2020 Undergraduate Syllabus Template (docx)

Recommended