Syllabus Scavenger Hunt

In our discussion this morning, we chatted about our syllabi. The consensus was that (most) students don’t really read the syllabi in their courses.

One strategy to get around this that I’ve implemented this year is having them complete a Syllabus Scavenger Hunt on the first day of class. I briefly introduce the syllabus to the students, then I break them into small groups. Working collaboratively, they discover the answers to the following questions about the syllabus for the course. (I’ve included the Syllabus Scavenger Hunt as a Word doc, also.) Feel free to adapt as needed . . .

1. What is your professor’s name?
2. Where is your professor’s office located?
3. List two ways you can get in touch with your professor.
4. What materials will you need for this course?
5. When is your first assignment due?
6. How will quizzes be conducted?
7. When is the final exam?
8. How will your grade be determined in this course? (How many points is each assignment worth?)
9. What is your professor’s opinion on cell phones and other electronic devices in class?
10. Check any of the following items which are true regarding doing well in this class.

    Attend class regularly
    Read the material
    Complete assignments
    Study
    Prepare to adequately discuss information and issues
    Spend half of each class text messaging your friends and the other half dozing
    Devote as much time to developing “creative” excuses why your work isn’t done as actually doing the work
11. Also, list two questions that you have about this course that are not answered on the syllabus.

RR5B – Learner-Centered Teaching February 7, 2008 Meeting Minutes

Reading Roundtable #5B held their 2nd meeting on Thursday, February 7, 2008 from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
 Members in attendance:

Barbara Nixon, Comm. Arts

Bill Yang, School of Economics

Melissa Weddell, Recreation & Tourism Management

Virginia DeRoma, Psychology

Abby Brooks-Fitzgerald, Comm. Arts

Margery L Collins, Writing & Linguistics

Stacy Kluge, CET

 Absent:

Kimberly Zgonc, Teaching & Learning

 Barbara facilitated the meeting; Stacy acted as the meeting recorder.  The group discussed Chapters 1 & 2. The discussion was guided by the following questions:

• Do you now teach in the way that you were taught? Or have you adapted your teaching style over time?
• Weimer says, “College should be the time when and the place where students develop prowess as learners” (2002, p. 5). What are some ways that we can do this?
• Which of the strategies mentioned in this chapter have you tried? What was your level of success?
• What led to syllabi becoming so directive? Is it, as Weimer suggests some faculty members believe, because students “lack intellectual maturity, do not have good study skills, are not well prepared, do not like the content area, take courses to get grades, and do not care about learning” (2002, p. 25)?
• How does my syllabus compare to those discussed as exemplars?
• How much freedom can students handle?
• The example on page 43 about the student who did not keep track of his own grades throughout the term and was surprised when he failed was a great one. Has something like this happened to you? What can we do to help students understand why tracking their own progress is to their distinct advantage?
• What are your thoughts on faculty members who entertain their students?

 Additional information is available at the Learner-Centered Teaching blog: http://learnercentered.wordpress.com/   Respectfully submitted,Stacy Kluge