How to Prepare a Course Syllabus

The course syllabus is a brief introduction to the course and is used for all levels of the Vietnamese education system. It acts as a reference for students to understand more about the procedure, the content related to the subject, etc. However, drafting the course syllabus is more complicated than you think. Not only will you need to include basic information, but also include a legal description, limited liability notice, and unique school policy. Fortunately, despite all the challenges, you still have the ability to compile great subject curricula for whatever level of education you teach.

Table of Contents

Presenting basic information

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Get started with a new text page in your word processor. A word-processing program like Microsoft Word is often a good tool for creating course syllabuses. This is because the authoring software will give you the tools you need to build and format your syllabus.

If you have specific requirements for layout, alignment, and fonts for student documents and assignments, you should do the same for the course syllabus.
You should remember to make sure that your word processing software is capable of saving documents in the .pdf format. This way, it will be easy for you to share the non-editable version of the syllabus with your students.

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Write your identifying information at the top. The first step in creating a course syllabus is to write your identification at the top of the text. This information will tell students (and parents) everything there is to know about you, the office and classroom you teach, and the title of the course.

Type the course title at the top of the text. Next to the title (next to or below), you can add the semester, year, and course number.
Below the title, add your name (with title). For example: Dr. Tran Anh Tien.
Provide additional class locations and study times.
Insert your contact information such as your office number and hours, email address, and your workplace phone (if applicable).
Number the room and/or school phone number below the contact information.
Depending on the style, school and local regulations, you may change the information slightly.
You can also choose whether you want to display identifying information in the center, right, or left. ^{[1] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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Write a course description. The course description will present the course in a way that students (and parents) can understand its general content. The goal of the description is that other people will be able to read it and form a basic understanding of the course.

You should write the course description as one paragraph – about 4-6 sentences long.
It should introduce students to the course, its objectives, and scope, as well as describe who should take the course.
Briefly describe the course content. For example, if you teach Vietnamese History, you could explain how students learn from the Indochina War to the present. You should consider mentioning a few key facts or topics that you will focus on in the course.
Consult with the faculty or school to find out if they have a sample course description available. They will have a template if you teach the course on a regular basis. ^{[2] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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Outline course objectives. Course objectives should give students a sense of what they have accomplished in class. Goals can be as specific as they will learn a certain amount of content, or as general as they will develop skills in the classroom. To be able to create course goals, you should ask yourself a few questions about the class, including:

What will students learn from this course? If students are going to learn some specific content that serves as a prerequisite for another program or course, you should state this in this section.
What skills will they develop? If students will have to learn how to analyze and synthesize information, be clear.
What questions will they be able to answer? If the course focuses on a key issue or question in some specific area or in a subfield, you should cover it here. ^{[3] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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List all prerequisites for the course. A prerequisite is the course, content, or other qualification a student must attend in order to earn points. If the course includes any prerequisites, you should list them near the top of the syllabus.

Including the official title of which course is a prerequisite.
You should remember to add the course code and identification number.
If you teach a graduate-level class, be sure to make a note about whether undergraduates can take the course to earn extra points. You need to consult your faculty for more information. ^{[4] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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List all necessary items. You will also need to write down a list of all the supplies needed for the course. Although this list will include books, you can also add hardware, software, painting tools, etc. You must list all the supplies needed for the course in this list.

Provide the title, author, year, and International Standard Book Number (“ISBN”) for the textbook or workbook.
Do not write about common objects in any classroom, such as notebooks, paper, or pens.
As a rule of thumb, you should include tools you don’t often use in other classrooms, like calculators, software, or sketching tools.
If the tools are too expensive or difficult to find, you should provide suggestions on where to source them.

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Add a brief statement about the format and organization of the course. You will also need to present the format and organization of the course as you near the beginning of your syllabus. It will inform students about how the course content is delivered, how and/or where classes take place, and what is involved in the attendance that the student must take.

Describe how the course will be taught (via lecture, lab, or online video lecture).
Note the type of assignment to be assigned (question and answer, discussion, or lab assignment).
Depending on your school’s style and/or policy, you’ll want to add this to the course description. ^{[5] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

Outline policy and schedule

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Present your assessment and grading policy. You need to set aside a section for the rating and grading policy. It will tell students about the influence of the main factor in the classroom on their final score.

Many schools have specific requirements for the information that should be included in this section, so it’s a good idea to check with your administrator or department for instructions on what to write.
Include information about your grading scale. For example, a score of 10 is equivalent to 90 – 100%, and 80 – 89% for an 8, etc.
Explain how the assignment scores are assessed to determine the final score. For example, assignments would make up about 40% of the overall grade, end-of-term essays would make up 30%, and projects and/or homework would make up the remaining 30%.
State any other grading policies, such as whether you will skip the test or quiz with the lowest score.
You can also clearly state your reward points policy. If you’re not going to give bonus points, you should also make that clear. ^{[6] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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You also need to talk more about the policy of late submission, no submission, or no completion of assignments. Immediately after the assessment policy section, you should write down your assignment policy in detail. This will help students understand the impact and impact of late submission, failure to submit, or failure to complete assignments on their grades.

More about retesting.
Be sure to include a policy for late submission. For example, many teachers or professors will often deduct 1 point for each day a student is late for an assignment.
If missing a test or not completing an assignment will impact a student’s score and make it difficult for them to pass, you need to address this in this section. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Provide class schedule. The class schedule is the most important part of a good curriculum. The class schedule or work schedule outlines how and where classes take place, content and assignments, throughout the semester (or school year).

The class schedule needs to be broken down by day on every subject.
List the due dates and deadlines for assignments.
Make a deadline list for reading assignments (from textbooks, other books, and electronic materials). ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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State the class or course policy. Course policies may include rules, and behavioral and academic expectations. This section will tell students about the manners they are expected to follow while in class or participating in a course activity.

Many colleges and universities have their own policies and statements that need to be included in this part of the curriculum, so you should consult your school’s guidelines.
Attendance Policy. Most schools have a attendance policy in place that you need to write into your curriculum. If your course attendance policy differs from the school’s, you should also make it clear.
Class Participation Policy. Describe exactly how students can participate and the impact this process has on their scores. .
Rules in the Classroom. You should remember to clearly state the policy on eating in class, using phones or laptops during class, talking while the teacher is giving a lecture, using electronic devices to record lectures, and any other rules. different about going to school early or late. ^{[9] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

Explain more about school rules and administrative regulations

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Inform students about academic support services at your school. Your school (all levels) can provide academic support services to students. These services will often promote student success and are likely to be available to both students with and without disabilities.

You should make it clear to your students that they do not need to be disabled to benefit from academic support services.
If your school has a resource center dedicated to learning, you should include it in your curriculum.
The school may also ask you to describe its academic support service policy – you should check with your administrator. ^{[10] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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Write a curriculum change policy. An important part that you need to remember is the curriculum change policy. The curriculum change policy will let students know that you have the right to change the curriculum during the course and will notify them in advance.

Your policy will include a timetable of topics, lectures, assignments, and readings.
Most schools require you to note that you will not make changes that could significantly affect how students are assessed during the course. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Provide more information about the school’s course add/cancellation policy, if applicable. The school will often require you to disclose the policy of course cancellation or course addition/cancellation. This is a policy to help students understand that they have the right not to attend a class without penalty.

Include the last day the student can cancel the course without penalty.
Add any relevant information about this policy.
Consider presenting the school’s first day of school policy. Your school may require students to attend school on the first day or else they will be dropped from the course. ^{[12] X Research Source}

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Indicate the honorary charter. Most schools will require you to include a fraud or plagiarism policy regarding the school’s honor code. In this case, the school will provide you with a copy of the honors charter.

They may also send you ready-made templates to add to your syllabus.
You will need to include the full details of the honors charter in your syllabus.
You will probably have to summarize it in your textbook. ^{[13] X Research Source}

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Briefly describe the school’s emergency response, if any. You will have to provide on-campus students with instructions for school emergencies as well as in specific situations. These methods include:

What to do when the school is faced with a closure order.
Measures to take in the event of a bomb threat.
Instructions on what to do in the event of a fire. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Includes legal information

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State the school policy regarding religious holidays. In the United States, federal law prohibits racial discrimination based on religion. As a result, many secondary and post-secondary schools have had to enforce a policy of allowing students to miss school during religious holidays.

You may need to let students know that their right to miss school during a religious holiday is always protected.
Inform students that they need to contact you before leaving school or are unable to submit assignments due to these types of holidays.
Include rules so students know if they can make up for schoolwork they missed because of religious holidays. ^{[15] X Research Source}

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Regarding the Law on Education and the Law on Universal Secondary Education of Vietnam, Vietnamese law requires schools to provide support and create favorable conditions for children with disabilities to attend school. So you’ll need to include some more terms about this, as well as an explanation of how your school supports it.

Usually, students need to register with a counselor or disability center.
Administrators or students can provide school documents to teachers.
Students must submit documentation of their recognized disability to the school during the admissions process or shortly thereafter. ^{[16] X Trusted Source US Department of Labor Go to source}

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Insert a section on federal privacy laws, if applicable. In the US, college and university teachers can write an explanation of the Family Rights and Personal Privacy Act (FERPA) in their textbooks. FERPA protects the privacy of students and/or parents, depending on age and type of school.

FERPA states that teachers and other postsecondary school personnel are not permitted to discuss a student’s grades, grades, or class attendance with anyone without the student’s prior consent. document.
FERPA applies to students 18 years of age or older, or any student attending a post-secondary institution.
Consider notifying students that they may waive their privacy rights if they sign the document.
For students under the age of 18 at secondary school, the right to FERPA will be held by the student’s parent or legal guardian. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Advice

Many universities and colleges provide detailed instructions, help, and sample curriculum for teachers and staff preparing their first course syllabus.

Steps

Presenting basic information

Outline policy and schedule

Explain more about school rules and administrative regulations

Includes legal information

Advice

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