Your course syllabus is the document in which you define course policies and procedures and establish course requirements. The rules and procedures for each course should be clearly stated in the syllabus and easily accessible, and be understood by teacher and student alike.
A printed version of the syllabus should be distributed at the first meeting of the class. Instructors may also choose to make the syllabus available prior to the start of the semester, either in print form or on the appropriate departmental World Wide Web page. Any changes in requirements or deadlines should be announced to the class and confirmed in an updated print version of the syllabus.
It is recommended that a syllabus include the following:
"During the semester I am [or, the instructor is] prepared to meet individually [by appointment] with any and all students enrolled in this course. I would like especially to meet with students with disabilities who are registered with the Coordinator of Disability Services (368-5230) and who may need individual arrangements."
The following items may be essential or useful for some courses:
See Highlights of CWRU policies regarding classes and the classroom, which you may print, photocopy and distribute with your syllabus.
When designing your course and syllabus, be sure to check it against the official course description found in the General Bulletin. Does your plan for this particular semester differ from the official description in any way? Are you teaching the same subject matter and requiring the same level and nature of student work as described there? When a course is taught repeatedly, small changes will be made each semester. Make sure those changes remain small and don't fundamentally alter the course from the plan advertised in the University Bulletin and approved by the University Undergraduate Faculty. If you do find the course should be changed from its original conception, you must submit a Course Action Form as described in the next paragraph.
Proposing a new course or changing an existing course
New courses must be approved by a series of committees and academic administrators. The important document is called the
"Course Action Form." While departmental procedures for proposing courses may vary, the form must ultimately be signed by
the department chair, by the college or school curriculum committee chair, by the dean, and by the chair of the curriculum
committee of the University Undergraduate Faculty (UUF).
Course Action Forms are required not only for proposals of new courses, but also for renaming, renumbering or dropping courses, for changing credit hours or numbers of lecture or lab hours, for changing pre-requisites or catalogue descriptions, or for making significant changes in course content. In addition, information on whether the course is being proposed for inclusion on the General Education course list, or whether the course is graded or Pass/No Pass, must be provided. (source: University Undergraduate Faculty)
You must propose your course within your department first, and then forward the form (along with certain required attachments) to the dean's office, whence it will be referred to the appropriate curriculum committee (Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Nursing, or Management). That committee will examine the form to make sure all the questions are answered and that the supporting documents are complete, and most importantly that the proposed course or course change is appropriate. Approved course proposals are forwarded to the UUF Curriculum Committee (UUFCC), which reviews those aspects of the proposal affecting core curricula or undergraduate programs involving more than one college. If concerns are expressed, the UUFCC will return the proposal to the dean with an explanation of its concerns.
The proposal must pass all these tests before it is forwarded to the Registrar for inclusion in the course database. The originating department must check that the course number of a new course has not been used in the preceding five years.
The various committees examine the syllabus and look especially for a description of how the student's work is to be evaluated. They also look for specification of the differences between the requirements for undergraduate and graduate students in 300/400 dual-numbered courses. They look for assurances that the proposing department has consulted with other departments which might be affected by the proposal (especially when changes in courses required by other departments are proposed).
For a course to be listed in the Schedule of Classes for a given semester, the deadlines for final course approvals are February 1 for Fall and Summer course offerings and October 1 for Spring course offerings. All signed course approvals must be received by the Registrar prior to the start of the term for which the course is requested and should be received prior to open registration for that term.
Semester course offerings are planned by the department chair or official department designee and finalized well in advance of the upcoming semester. Spring semester course offerings are finalized in early October; summer and fall course offerings are finalized in early February. Before the schedule is finalized, any course changes such as meeting times, enrollment limits, or permit requirements must be approved by the department chair or scheduling designee and then forwarded to the Registrar for entry into the student information system. Any changes made after the schedule is finalized must be approved by the department chair and the appropriate academic dean's office before being forwarded to the Registrar.
CWRU has an official schedule grid into which all course times must fall. Courses offered on
Monday, Wednesday and Friday are scheduled for 50 minutes beginning on the half hour from 8:30 to 4:30 pm, and those
offered on Tuesday and Thursday are scheduled for 75 minutes beginning at 8:30 am.
There is a period of time on
Thursdays from 11:30 to 1:00 when no courses may be scheduled. This is sometimes referred to as "The Provost's Hour."
This time is set aside for academic events other than classes such as reviews, exams, or special seminars.
Contact hours for courses should be similar to the number of credit hours for which the course is offered. Normally, three-credit-hour courses other than laboratories meet for 150 minutes of class time each week throughout the semester. Further clarification and approval for non-standard contact time should be sought from the appropriate dean's office.
Other things to think about when planning a course include special room requirements, such as accessibility for the disabled, particular room layouts, or special equipment such as electronic media. Any special room needs should be made clear to the department chair or scheduling designee well in advance of schedule finalization.
Careful attention must be paid to courses that are cross-listed with courses in other departments. Any cancellations, changes of course times or other substantive changes must be carefully coordinated with the appropriate representative from the other department. The Registrar's office depends on interdepartmental communication and will not initiate 'parallel' changes to cross listed courses.
The room reservation process begins two semesters ahead of time when scheduling documents are distributed to each department chair; special requests or needs, such as wheelchair accessibility or particular locations, must be brought to the department chair or Registrar's attention as early as possible. You will need to have a sense of the projected class enrollment so that you or the appropriate person in your department can reserve a room of the right size. You are not generally obligated to set an enrollment limit, but your department may have official limits on the size of certain classes. You should also be aware that if you do not set a limit, the Registrar's office will continue to enroll students throughout the Drop/Add period; this means that your enrollment could grow to exceed the capacity of the room, and your class will have to be moved. To reserve classrooms for academic events other than courses (e.g., reviews, exams, etc.), please use the form on the Registrar's website.
Some departments control the reservation of specific rooms in their main buildings. Check with your department secretary to see which rooms are available in your building and what the procedure is for reserving them.
Undergraduates who wish to reserve rooms that are controlled by the Registrar's Office of Room Control must make arrangements through Thwing Center, 368-2660, rather than contacting Room Control directly. Graduate students who wish to reserve rooms must make arrangements with their advisors.
Keep in mind that your room is reserved only for the duration of the class, a time block of 50 minutes, 75 minutes, or 150 minutes depending on the course schedule. Please plan your class sessions with this time block in mind. If you find you need extra time after class to answer student questions, please move your discussion to the hallway or your office so that the next class to use the room has adequate preparation time. If you are administering an examination during class time, do not assume you can remain in the room beyond your allotted class time; if you need to give a longer test, contact Room Control to reserve a separate room. If you intend to give scheduled exams outside of class time, you must submit this information during the official course scheduling process so that students are aware of all time requirements before registering. Keep in mind that giving a long test or extending discussion and lecture for another five minutes disadvantages students who have another class immediately after yours.
When planning for events for which you will require classroom space, always be aware of the academic calendar. Classroom space is a limited resource, and the Registrar's Office reserves the right to prioritize requests for space. For example, if you need the use of a classroom for colloquia or similar events, do not plan the event during finals week. Final exams take precedence over all other events at this time. In general, regular academic classes will always take precedence over other academic events--even academic seminars.
To reserve audio/visual equipment, contact the Audio/Visual Services Department at 368-3777. There is no charge for equipment for a roster class; to reserve equipment for other uses, such as a lecture or special event, you must fax a purchase requisition to 368-3408. Equipment availability may be limited; place your order as early as possible to ensure availability or allow time to make alternate arrangements.
In addition, some departments maintain their own supplies of audio/visual equipment. Check with your department to see what material is provided.
When you are planning your course outline and syllabus, you should be sure to note all specific dates and deadlines,
including the final exam. The semester's calendar of deadlines and events is available on the Registrar's website at
http://www.cwru.edu/provost/registrar/calendar.htm and the
final exam schedule may be found at
http://www.cwru.edu/provost/registrar/exams.htm and is
available well before the start of the semester. You should include the exam date on your syllabus so students are aware of
it from the start. You may wish to note when major religious holidays occur, and avoid scheduling exams on those dates.
Examinations other than the final are expected to be conducted during class time. If you plan to schedule longer exams
outside of class time, or common exams for multiple sections, the times must be scheduled during the official course
scheduling process. You may also use the Provost's Hour, Thursdays from 11:30 to 1:00, to administer examinations.
Final grades are due to the Office of the Registrar within forty-eight hours of the final exam, and at the latest, on the
second day after the last day of final examinations. Your exams should be planned with this deadline in mind.
Prior to the start of each semester, the University Bookstore will mail each instructor book order-forms, custom-publishing
order forms, and a history of the course materials that were used in the recent past. As an alternative to mailing or
faxing orders, you can place them through the website at
http://auxserv.baff.cwru.edu.
The textbook manager is located in the bookstore at Thwing Center. (It is a good idea to check with the bookstore well
before classes begin to ensure that the order has been placed.)
Textbook orders for the upcoming summer and fall semesters are requested in April and spring semester orders are requested
in October. The reason for the early requests is to provide the best possible pricing and service. It is advantageous to
send your order early. Any ordered book will be added to the CWRU Book-buy-back list. Used books will be purchased from
our students at 50% of the published new price. If you do not plan to use the book again, or if your order is not received
early enough, the used book will be purchased (at a lower buy-back rate) if it is wanted elsewhere. The "want" list is
cycled nationally through used-book vendors to locate requested books.
Newly published books will not be included in this search. Orders that cannot be filled by used-book vendors are then sent
to new-book publishers.
If you order a book which the students may not buy until well into the semester, you should inform the bookstore, since
books are routinely returned to the publishers 5 or 6 weeks into the semester. (There is a place for "date needed" on the
order form.)
New or visiting instructors may wish to consult with experienced colleagues for advice on textbook selection and ordering.
Preparing Course Packs/Custom Publishing
If you plan to use photocopied journal or book articles, you can prepare a custom-published course pack. To do so, complete
an order form outlining your preferred format, a bibliography, and a clean copy. The University Bookstore and Printing
Services will take care of copyright permissions, assume responsibility for all record keeping and handle distribution
through the bookstore.
Orders can be placed directly to the University Bookstore or any of the
Printing Service locations: Kelvin Smith Library
(lower level) 368-2553; WSOM (Sears 564) 368-2062; Gund Hall (Room A60) 368-4517; Health Sciences Bookstore (Room WB10)
368-2550. We encourage you to submit your orders at least six weeks prior to the start of the semester.
Kelvin Smith Library Reserve
Many instructors place books and articles on reserve at the Circulation Desk of Kelvin Smith Library. There students may
read material and copy useful portions for their own use. This is particularly useful for journal articles and for
material that may supplement required course reading. Instructors should place orders for library reserve material as
early as possible. For more information, contact the Kelvin Smith
Library Reserve at 368-3506.Planning for Exams
Final examinations must be given during the final examination period at the time assigned by the Registrar
(source: General Bulletin, chapter on Undergraduate
Studies). Any exception must be approved by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Under no circumstances are final
examinations to be given during the last regular week of classes, nor are exams or any required course activities to be
administered during the Reading Days, the last two weekdays immediately preceding the start of the final examination
period.Preparation of course material
Ordering Textbooks from the CWRU Bookstore
Introduction
Chapter Two: The Beginning of the Semester
Table of Contents
Index
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