Please use this checklist to determine whether your course syllabus includes all necessary information. Syllabi must be provided to students on the first day of class.
Course Information (Required)
- Instructor name, office, office hours, and contact information (a valid uiowa.edu email address and a telephone number, if available);
- If the instructor is a teaching assistant, the syllabus should also include the course supervisor's name, office, office hours, and contact information;
- Department name, office number, DEO name, DEO contact information;
- Goals and objectives of the course;
- Course content and schedule of topics;
- List of readings and/or other anticipated course materials;
- Expectations for attendance, assignments, and examinations;
- Including a statement about the use of Artificial Intelligence. See Artificial Intelligence Tools and Teaching for some sample statements.
- Dates and times of any examinations scheduled outside of class time, including final exam;
- Grading procedures including whether plus/minus grading will be used;
- Resources for obtaining additional help, such as tutors, teaching assistants, or the College of Education Writing Resource (grad students only);
- Any changes in information about the course from that which appears in official university notices, such as the General Catalog or MyUI;
- A statement describing what forms of electronic communications, if any, will be employed for student contact and the expectations for typical response times. Reference should be made to university policy, which specifies that students are responsible for all official correspondence sent to their standard University of Iowa email address (@uiowa.edu).
College and University Policies (Required)
- College policy on student complaints about faculty action – you must link or copy text directly from this webpage: Student Complaint Procedures
- College policy on student academic misconduct – you must link or copy text directly from this webpage: Policy on Student Academic Misconduct
- University policies – you must link or copy text directly from this webpage: University Course Policies and Resources for Students
- Other policies or standards required for accredited programs (for instance, teacher or counselor education programs)
Recommended Elements (Optional)
- A short statement about the role of collaboration in the class. Specify if collaboration is allowed on assignments and, if so, your expectations for a student’s individual performance. Be very clear if collaboration is not allowed or is considered academic misconduct. Stress the student’s responsibility for understanding these boundaries and for asking for clarification.
- Statement of the value of diversity for this class. The following section, quoted from a faculty syllabus, might be a helpful example as you craft your own language for inclusion in your syllabus.
- Respect for Diversity: It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well-served by this course, that students' learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, culture, perspective, and other background characteristics. Your suggestions about how to improve the value of diversity in this course are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups.
Last Updated: December 2024