Tips for Sylli Week

The first week of class is often referred to by students in higher education as “Sylli Week” or “Chillabus Week.” It is often accompanied with student sentiment that it is not the best use of time or as a week where there is no actual learning taking place. After observing numerous first classes in Zoom and in person, I would argue student sentiments are not misplaced.

As an instructional consultant, the most common mistake I see educators making in the first class of the term, is how the syllabus is presented and utilized. Most begin by sharing their screen with the syllabus open and reading it line by line or picking different students to read sections aloud. This is not an engaging approach and will quickly set instructors up to lose the students’ interest quickly.

Why Do We Use Syllabi?

It is important to connect the syllabus to students using inclusive language. Using inclusive language is a great way to show your students that you are interested in building a learning community that welcomes everyone regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, abilities, etc.  Some objectives of the syllabus are listed below:

• Sets the tone for the class

• Communicates what, when and how the students will learn.

• Sets explicit expectations

• Provides pathways to success in the class. 

• Avoids misunderstandings about course policy.

Now that the objectives of a syllabus have been identified, the question of “How do we make presenting a syllabus more engaging?” remains.

The answer is to incorporate active learning strategies into presenting the syllabus. Active learning will engage students into actually “doing” (thinking, discussing, investigating and creating). Some examples of active learning for syllabi include, but are not limited to:

• Case study analysis

• Formulate a case study of a student who is struggling in class and ask your students how they envision that student learning and receiving help from the professor using language from the syllabus.

• Roleplay

• Provide a quick snippet of a scenario in the syllabus of what your policy for requesting extension on assignments looks like. 

• Scavenger hunts

• Gamify the experience by creating a digital scavenger hunt where students have to find hidden information embedded within the syllabus.

• Jigsaw activities

• Breaking students up into small groups and tasking them with different parts of the syllabus to analyze and gain expertise in. The groups can then present their findings to the whole class. 

Two Tools to Consider

Something I often advocate for is for instructors to utilize different digital tools to present the syllabus. One of the main issues with the syllabus, in its current form, is that it is a static document that is covered in the first week and then forgotten about. The first tool I recommend using is a Padlet to create a more collaborative, engaging, and informative document. An example of an interactive padlet is listed here. A Padlet is great for synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities and could be used as a collaborative document for students to gain access and ask questions throughout the course. Creators are notified anytime that a student poses a question in different sections of the padlet, which is just one of the many advantages to using it.

The second tool that would be fantastic for implementing active learning strategies around syllabi is a tool called Quizizz. Educators can prepare a quick lesson or quiz concerning the syllabus (or padlet) and launch it in the synchronous class, or provide a link for your students  to access asynchronously. A sample Quizizz around the padlet from above can be accessed here. 

Both of these tools are fantastic for student engagement and active learning. They can also be used term after term and can be copied over to create new instances for the next cohort of students. As clarification, no instructor should replace the syllabus document. These two tools are complementary and should be used together with a traditional syllabus document provided by the course lead. 

To strategize more about how to utilize these tools effectively, consider attending a Community of Practice with me, bi-weekly on Thursdays at 2:00 PM ET. All are welcome!