This technique utilizes the Canvas course site to generate an interactive syllabus that will guide the students, step-by-step, through the requirements of the course.
At the start of the semester.
We, as instructors, are aware that most students do not read the syllabus. We go over the syllabus on the first day of the semester, outlining all of our policies, procedures, and grade requirements. It became very clear early in the semester that many of the students were unaware of the course policies, in spite of the time we spent reviewing it. This results in many questions from the students, attempts to turn in late assignments when late assignments are not accepted, or not being able to make up an exam because they did not follow the excused absence policy that was outlined.
An interactive syllabus can be used to present the course information. The interactive syllabus requires the students to engage with the material on the syllabus and, in many instances, requires them to answer questions regarding class assignments, policies, etc., in a way that requires the students to engage in the content actively. If correctly created, the interactive syllabus places the responsibility of knowing course policies on the students’ shoulders, freeing the instructor to focus on course content. Since I started using the interactive syllabus, I have saved myself a lot of time not having to answer all the students’ policy questions.
I use an interactive syllabus in all of my courses. It is set up using the “Start Here” module in Canvas. Each page in the Start Here module covers some aspect of the course:
Each page in the “Start Here” module functions as a prerequisite for the next page, and the student cannot progress through the syllabus unless they mark each page as done or answer all questions correctly. The questions in the interactive syllabus are used to verify the students’ understanding of the policy. I find the questions very helpful when the students ask for an exception to a policy that they agreed to and understood when they completed the interactive syllabus. It is hard for the students to argue about a course policy when they have verified that they understood it in the interactive syllabus. In addition, when students have questions about course policies, they can be quickly referred to the relevant page in the “Start Here” module to review. Utilizing the interactive syllabus has greatly reduced the time I spend reviewing course policies with students.
MacDonald, Laurie, Mercurio, Marge. (2005). Interactive Syllabus Improves Course Accessibility. Online Classroom. https://web-p-ebscohost-com.proxy.library.umkc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=11&sid=79ecf3b5-f200-4f27-9918-1b6ebdc61a5e%40redis
Gowsell, Kay A. (2017). Using Technology to Create an Interactive Syllabus. Online Classroom. 17(4) 1-6. http://www.magnapubs.com.
Every Learner Every Where. (2021). 4 Alternative Syllabus Formats that Promote Equity. Accessed January 24, 2024. https://www.everylearnereverywhere.org/blog/4-alternative-syllabus-formats-that-promote-equity/.