Courses proposed for Gen Ed (Re)Certification are required to include syllabi with required content. This page provides resources, a template, as well as exemplary language for campus syllabi and additional resources. It is highly encouraged that sponsors read through the information below carefully and use the provided template and/or language to ensure the syllabi follows campus guidelines and is easily reviewed by the Gen Ed Board.
Syllabus Resources
There are a number of resources to assist in syllabus creation and content development, and we have included a few of them below.
Requirement of Gen Ed Syllabus for (Re)Certification
Syllabi are required for Gen Ed proposals (Certification and Recertification) as the Gen Ed Board reviews both the responses to the Gen Ed prompts and the course syllabus/syllabi to determine if a course meets the Gen Ed guidelines.
Future Syllabus (Recertification & Certification)
A future syllabus is required to submit for all Gen Ed course proposals (Recertification and Certification) and must follow the Required Elements of the Gen Ed Future Syllabus. The future syllabus should be compiled by faculty who will teach the course in a future semester. If there are different modalities, instructors, or variations, additional syllabi may be submitted (explained in Additional Syllabi section below) or a compiled syllabus with the standard/common readings. This is required so the Gen Ed Board reviewers are able to review the course based on what is planned to be taught in an upcoming semester, and the syllabus includes all required elements of the Gen Ed syllabus. The future syllabus allows sponsors to review and adapt the course to ensure the course is meeting all Gen Ed guidelines and concepts and these are displayed in the syllabus, to integrate the Gen Ed Learning Outcomes and Assessment into the course and syllabus, to make updates to any of the content covered or the format of the course, and make any other adjustments. In some cases the future syllabus may be very similar to the previous syllabus if there is not a plan to make adjustments, while in other cases the future syllabus may be drastically different from the previous due to instructor and/or content changes. General Dates (“Week 1; Class 1”) may be used in the syllabus under the Course Schedule if the course will not be offered in the next semester where specific dates are not set.
Previous Syllabus (Recertification only)
A previous syllabus (or syllabi) is required for all courses submitted for Gen Ed Recertification, in addition to the future syllabus. The previous syllabus should be the actual syllabus used in a recent offering of the course. The previous syllabus does not need to meet the syllabus requirements of the future syllabus (but should be used for the future teaching of the course). Gen Ed Board reviewers will look over the previous syllabus to understand how the course has been taught most recently and will review the future syllabus to see how the course will be instructed in the future, ensuring all required elements are included. If the course has been taught by different instructors or in different modalities or variations, additional syllabi may be submitted (explained in the Additional Syllabus section directly below).
Additional Syllabus
Additional syllabi should be included if the course will be offered in different modalities (in-person, online, etc.), by different instructors with variations in the way the content is presented, or for approved Advanced Composition special topics courses. A syllabus for each variation offered and/or a master syllabus with key components should be included for Gen Ed review. These are important as the Gen Ed Board will review to ensure each variation meets the Gen Ed guidelines.
Referencing Syllabus in Gen Ed Responses
It is important that responses to the Gen Ed proposal prompts are consistent with the syllabus, and whenever possible, the responses should reference or include specific evidence from the syllabus to help support the responses so the GEB Reviewers are able to see how the guideline/criteria will be met within the course. References to the syllabus may include readings, assignments, projects, class discussion topics, lectures, and any other way the course will fulfill the criteria.
Required Elements of the Gen Ed Future Syllabus
Certain sections and course details are required for all Gen Ed Future Syllabi submitted for Gen Ed Recertification and Certification, while other sections are highly recommended.
Gen Ed Syllabus Template
All Gen Ed courses are highly encouraged to use the Syllabus Template or follow a very similar format including headers and language (template language may be found on the Provost Syllabus Resources Website) to make the information easy and clear for both students taking the course and for Gen Ed Board reviewers to locate during (Re)Certification. Instructors may insert additional information and/or sections as needed for their course, add their unit wordmark, or adapt language or formatting as needed, as long as the required content is easily found. This information supplements any additional guidelines from an instructor’s college or unit. We encourage instructors to also consult other resources (e.g., from CITL or their respective college/unit), and units to adopt their own syllabus template which is consistent with the Gen Ed Syllabus Template. Example Gen Ed Course Syllabi submitted with Gen Ed proposals over the past year are provided by clicking the button below.
Proposals not including the required elements will be rolled back to the sponsor to correct prior to review (use the Gen Ed Syllabus Check to verify all required items are included). Proposals not following the Gen Ed syllabus template, format, content, and language have a much higher chance to be rolled back.
The language included in certain sections below and on the syllabus template may be adopted in whole or used as a guideline to input these elements into syllabi.
Sections not applicable to the course that are not required of all Gen Ed syllabi (noted by “(if applicable)” next to the section below) may be left off of the syllabus
Required Gen Ed Future Syllabus Items:
Course Information
- Course Rubric (Subject) & Number (e.g., AAS 100)
- Title of Course
- Course Term & Year (e.g., Spring 2023)
- Course Duration (e.g., Full Semester; 8 week)
- Contact Hours: (e.g., Tuesday & Thursday 10-11:50am; two 80-minute lecture periods each week)
- Course Format: (e.g., in-person; virtual & synchronous)
- Course Location: Physical Room #, Zoom link, etc. (if unknown for future term, may use most recent location)
- Weekly Hours of Expected Student Work, apart from instruction time: (e.g., 4 hours outside of class per week)
- Credit Hours: # (e.g., 4)
Instructor Information
- Instructor: (Name)
- Instructor contact information: (e.g., email address, phone)
- Instructor Drop-in hours for students/Office Hours: Times the Instructor is available for student open hours
- Be clear about your office hours. Many college students are often unfamiliar with terms like ‘office hours’ (which they may believe to be hours their instructor is not available) so they may not stop by to get help without a more detailed explanation. Be clear about what they might discuss during your available hours and why it is important for students to use them. Be sure to explain when and where they will be held and how to reach out if they need to meet outside your stated times. You might also consider calling them something friendly like “Student Hours” or “Ask Me Anything Hours”. If you have a TA, explain their role in the course and what help students can expect from TAs versus the Instructor.
- Instructor office location: (e.g., physical room, Zoom link, etc.)
- Teaching Assistant Information: (if applicable) following same format as instructor
Course Details
- Course Description
Provide a general overview of the course, using the Course Catalog description for reference. - Learning Outcomes
Must include at least 3 learning outcomes for the course. Learning outcomes for General Education courses should align with the respective General Education learning outcomes for the category (or categories) in which the course is seeking approval or is approved. - General Education Categories
State any General Education categories the course meets or hopes to meet (e.g., This course satisfies General Education criteria for Cultural Studies – U.S. Minority Cultures.) - Prerequisites (if applicable)
List prerequisites for the course, if any. In most cases, Gen Ed courses should not have prerequisites (based on Gen Ed Course Criteria).
Course Materials/Learning Resources
- Learning Management System (if applicable)
- Required and Recommended Course Readings (if applicable)
- Required and Recommended Materials (if applicable)
- Required Equipment (if applicable)
- Required Software (if applicable)
Course Requirements, Course Policies, and Campus Policies
Include detailed information about the grading breakdown, assignments, late assignment policy, attendance and participation, absence policy, final letter grades, and other course and campus policies. While using one of the Gen Ed Syllabus Templates is highly recommended, the order and format of these items may be combined, customized, or reordered as long as the information is clearly marked and easy to find. Examples of these Sections and Syllabus Language is available on the Provost Syllabus Resources Website, including Grading Breakdown, Attendance & Participation Statements, Assignments, Grading Scale, and others.
- Grading Breakdown
Include a detailed breakdown of course grading. - Assignments
Include a brief description of all major assignments. Due dates of readings could be included in the “Course Schedule” section and could also be included in this section. Grading detail should either be included in the “Grading Breakdown” section, or may be combined with the list of assignments. - Late Assignment Policy
Outline the policy on late assignments (e.g., a certain number of points or percentage from total grade deducted each day after due date, no points are deducted if instructor is contacted a certain amount of time in advance of due date, etc.). - Class Attendance Policy & Participation
Expectations and/or grading based on class attendance/participation must be included so students are aware. The Student Code (Article 1, Part 5 – Class Attendance) states “Regular class attendance is expected of all students at the university.” - Absence Policy
The absence policy must be included in the syllabus. - Final Letter Grades/Grading Scale
Include information about how the final letter grades are determined. - Course Schedule
Include a detailed course schedule that includes the due dates of major assignments and exams. Typically provided at the very end of the syllabus, but based on instructor preference. - Academic Integrity
- Students with Disabilities
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- Mental Health
- Community of Care
- Disruptive Behavior
- Emergency Response Recommendations
- Religious Observances
- Sexual Misconduct Reporting Obligation
- Veterans and Military Students
Additional Campus Resources and Statements may be added beyond the required sections above. Some frequently used examples of these Sections and Syllabus Language is available on the Provost Syllabus Resources Website.