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Creating a Syllabus for a Large Online Course

Syllabus Teaching Strategies and Techniques

Creating a Syllabus for a Large Online Course

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A well-organized syllabus is essential for any online course, particularly large online courses. Peggy Semingson, associate professor of literacy studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, teaches online courses to groups of up to 300 to 400 students and finds that the syllabus plays an important role in setting expectations and tone and answering students' questions.

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A well-organized syllabus is essential for any online course, particularly large online courses. Peggy Semingson, associate professor of literacy studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, teaches online courses to groups of up to 300 to 400 students and finds that the syllabus plays an important role in setting expectations and tone and answering students' questions.

She offers the following advice on creating a syllabus.

Semingson sends the syllabus to students a couple of weeks before a course begins, providing adequate time for them to review it. She'll actually send it several times to ensure that students see it. And once the course begins, students will find the syllabus within the learning management system.

“The syllabus sets the tone. It lets students know the expectations for the entire course and whether it will be teacher-centered or learner-centered. If they know that they're going to be producing things, maybe they'll be more excited about the course. I'm trying to be more student-centered: having students create and produce,” Semingson says.