A well-crafted syllabus video can be a powerful tool to engage students, clarify expectations, and set the tone for a successful semester. Here’s a guide to help you create a helpful and informative video: 

Planning and Preparation: 

1. Identify your goals: What key information do you want students to gain from the video? 
2. Structure your content: Organize the video into clear sections, covering essential aspects like course overview, learning objectives, expectations, assessments, and resources. 
3. Keep it concise and engaging: Aim for a video length between 5-10 minutes. Use visuals, humor, or storytelling to keep students engaged. 
4. Scriptwriting: Prepare a clear and concise script that highlights key points and avoids excessive reading from the syllabus. 
5. Technology and recording: Choose an appropriate recording platform (webcam, screen recording software) and ensure good audio and video quality. 

Production Tips: 

• Introduce yourself: Briefly introduce yourself, your background, and teaching philosophy. 
• Use visuals: Incorporate slides, images, infographics, or screen recordings to enhance the information. 
• Vary your delivery: Use a conversational tone, change your pace and volume, and avoid monotone delivery. 
• Add captions and transcripts: Make your video accessible for all students by including captions and transcripts. 
• Proofread and edit: Ensure your video is free of errors and flows smoothly. 

Delivery and Sharing: 

• Post the video on a platform accessible to students: Upload the video to your learning management system, YouTube (with appropriate privacy settings), or your university’s media platform. 
• Embed the video in your syllabus: Provide easy access to the video within your syllabus document. 
• Encourage engagement: Consider including a call to action at the end of the video, encouraging students to reach out with any questions. 

Additional Tips: 

• Showcase your enthusiasm: Your passion for the subject matter will come through and engage students. 
• Be authentic and approachable: Let your personality shine through and show students you’re there to support their learning. 

• Address student concerns: Briefly touch on common student anxieties or questions related to the course. 
• Highlight resources: Mention additional resources available to students, such as office hours, tutoring services, or online support platforms. 

While the syllabus is a crucial document, simply handing it out and expecting students to absorb all the information might not be the most effective approach. A graded, low-stakes syllabus quiz can serve several valuable purposes, while still incentivizing students to engage with the material: 

• Enhances engagement: It transforms passive reading into an active learning experience, encouraging students to pay closer attention to key details in the syllabus. 
• Promotes understanding: By answering questions, students solidify their grasp of important course information like deadlines, policies, and expectations. 
• Identifies early confusion: The quiz can reveal areas where students might have misunderstandings or require further clarification. This allows you to address these concerns early on, preventing confusion and frustration later in the semester. 
• Fosters communication: Discussing quiz results as a class provides an opportunity to clarify any lingering doubts and emphasize important points from the syllabus. 
• Sets expectations for accountability: The quiz subtly communicates that course expectations are important and that students are expected to be familiar with the syllabus content. 

Grading Approach: 

Instead of a high-stakes assessment, consider implementing a graded quiz with a low weightage in the overall course grade. This incentivizes students to take the quiz seriously while maintaining a focus on learning rather than solely achieving a high score. 

Mastery Learning Approach: 

To further emphasize understanding over simply getting a passing grade, you can adopt a mastery learning approach. This allows students to retake the quiz until they achieve a perfect score (100%). This approach: 

• Empowers students: It gives them control over their learning and encourages them to seek clarification until they fully grasp the material. 
• Reduces anxiety: By removing the pressure of a single attempt, students can focus on learning without the fear of failure. 
• Promotes self-directed learning: Students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning and identify areas where they need to improve. 

Implementation: 

• Administer the quiz early: Conduct the quiz within the first week of the semester, while the information is still fresh in students’ minds. 
• Clearly communicate the grading approach: Explain that the quiz is graded but contributes a minimal percentage to the final grade. Emphasize the opportunity for multiple attempts and the focus on mastery. 

• Review and discuss: Dedicate some class time to reviewing the quiz results and addressing any common misconceptions or areas of confusion. 
• Offer support: Remind students of available resources and encourage them to reach out with any questions or concerns they might have. 

Additional Tips: 

• Emphasize the purpose: Explain to students the benefits of taking the quiz and how it can help them succeed in the course. 
• Offer anonymity: Allow students to take the quiz anonymously to encourage honest participation without fear of penalty. 
• Use online platforms: Consider using online quizzing platforms like Canvas or Google Forms for easy administration and anonymous grading. 

By incorporating these suggestions, you can create a graded, low-stakes syllabus quiz that effectively promotes student engagement, understanding, and accountability, while fostering a positive learning environment that emphasizes mastery and growth. 

• Utilize interactive activities: Engage students in activities like “jigsaw reading” or “gallery walks” to explore key aspects of the syllabus, promoting active learning and deeper understanding.

Preparation: 

1. Divide the syllabus into sections: Break down the “Expectations” section into smaller, manageable chunks (e.g., attendance policy, academic integrity, participation guidelines, communication protocols). 

1. Prepare copies: Make multiple copies of the syllabus, ensuring each copy has a single section highlighted or labeled. 

1. Form expert groups: Divide the class into groups with the same number of students as there are sections in the syllabus. Each group will become “experts” on their assigned section. 

Activity: 

1. Distribute materials: Give each student a copy of the syllabus with a different section highlighted. 

1. Expert reading: Within their groups, students read and discuss their assigned section, ensuring they understand its key points and implications. Encourage them to take notes and identify any questions they might have. 

1. Jigsaw formation: Instruct students to reform groups, ensuring each new group has one member from each “expert” group. 

1. Sharing expertise: Each student takes turns explaining their assigned section to their new group, acting as the “expert” on that topic. Encourage them to answer questions and clarify any confusion. 

1. Class discussion: After all sections have been shared, facilitate a class discussion to address any lingering questions or concerns. You can also use this opportunity to clarify specific points or emphasize the importance of adhering to these expectations. 

Benefits: 

• Active learning: Jigsaw reading promotes active engagement with the syllabus content, encouraging students to not just read but also analyze, discuss, and internalize the information. 
• Collaboration: Working in different groups fosters communication and teamwork skills. 
• Deeper understanding: By explaining the material to others, students solidify their own understanding of the expectations. 
• Shared ownership: The collaborative nature of the activity can help students feel more invested in upholding the established expectations. 

• Co-create a class contract: Work with students to establish ground rules for respectful behavior, collaboration, and communication within the classroom. This fosters a sense of shared responsibility and ownership over the learning environment. 
• Incorporate role-playing scenarios: Simulate real-life situations related to academic integrity, participation, or communication challenges. This allows students to practice applying expectations and develop problem-solving skills. 

By employing these strategies, you can move beyond simply presenting expectations and actively engage students in the process. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of ownership, promotes clarity, and sets the stage for a semester of mutual respect, academic success, and a positive learning community. 

Reasons for Co-Creation: 

Traditionally, course norms and outcomes are established by instructors, often presented as a set of expectations and objectives. However, a shift towards student co-creation offers several compelling advantages: 

• Increased ownership: When students actively participate in shaping the learning environment, they feel a greater sense of ownership and responsibility for upholding the established norms and achieving the identified outcomes. 
• Enhanced engagement: The collaborative process fosters active participation and investment in the course, leading to a more engaged and motivated learning experience. 
• Improved understanding: By actively discussing and defining expectations and goals, students gain a deeper understanding of their roles and responsibilities within the course. 
• Diverse perspectives: Incorporating student voices ensures that the norms and outcomes are inclusive and reflect the needs and concerns of the entire class. 

Benefits of Co-Creation: 

• Stronger sense of community: Collaborative norm and outcome setting fosters a sense of shared responsibility and creates a more positive and supportive learning environment. 
• Reduced conflict: By establishing expectations and goals together, potential misunderstandings or conflicts can be minimized, leading to a smoother learning experience for everyone. 

• Increased accountability: Students are more likely to adhere to norms and strive towards outcomes they helped define, leading to improved academic performance and personal growth. 
• Alignment with diverse needs: The co-creation process allows for tailoring norms and outcomes to address the specific needs and learning styles of the student population. 

Directions for Implementation: 

• Facilitate discussions: Initiate open discussions at the beginning of the semester, encouraging students to share their expectations for the course,preferred learning environment, and desired learning outcomes. 
• Brainstorming activities: Utilize brainstorming activities like mind maps, group discussions, or online polls to gather student input on potential norms and outcomes. 
• Collaborative refinement: Work collaboratively with students to refine the proposed norms and outcomes, ensuring clarity, feasibility, and alignment with course objectives. 
• Documentation and agreement: Document the co-created norms and outcomes in a clear and accessible format, such as a course syllabus or online document. 
• Regular review and reflection: Regularly revisit the established norms and outcomes throughout the semester, allowing for adjustments and adaptations based on student feedback and evolving needs. 

Additional Tips: 

• Set clear guidelines: Provide students with a framework or guiding questions to facilitate the co-creation process. 
• Emphasize respect and inclusivity: Encourage respectful dialogue and ensure all voices are heard and valued during the discussions. 
• Connect to course content: Link the co-created norms and outcomes to the course content and learning objectives, demonstrating their relevance and importance. 
• Celebrate ownership: Acknowledge and celebrate student contributions throughout the co-creation process, reinforcing their sense of ownership and responsibility. 

By implementing student co-created course norms and outcomes, you can foster a collaborative learning environment, empower students to take ownership of their learning, and ultimately create a more engaging and successful learning experience for everyone involved.