Syllabus Policy

  • Date Issued: August 1, 2024
  • Last Modified: Aug 7, 2024
  • Effective Date: August 1, 2024
  • Approved By: Provost
  • Sponsor(s): Provost
  • Responsible Office(s):

Policy Statement

A syllabus outlines the academic relationship between instructors and students in a course. Used as the basis for communication and accountability, a syllabus conveys course expectations, organizes required information, sets the tone for the learning environment and assists students in navigating the course. A syllabus helps document and clarify essential information, such as course goals, learning objectives, evaluation and grading standards, key dates and assignments and expectations for student and instructor behavior.

For every credit-bearing course at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) the Instructor of Record (hereafter Instructor) is required to create a course syllabus that includes, at minimum, the required elements defined in this policy. The Instructor must adhere to the following:

  1. Provide the syllabus (either as a hard copy or online) to every student enrolled in the course by the end of the first class session, and
  2. Archive all syllabi in one of two ways by the end of the semester:
    1. Use of Simple Syllabus, or
    2. Submitting syllabus to unit syllabus repository.

Instructors must include the following information in any syllabus shared with a student(s):

  1. Instructor Information
    1. Instructor’s name, contact information, and office location and hours
  1. Course Details
    The following items below with an asterisk (*) will auto-populate if Simple Syllabus is used.
    1. *Course subject code, number and title as it appears in the catalog
    2. *Days, times and location(s) course meets
    3. *Course instructional mode (e.g., in-person class, hybrid classroom class, hybrid online class, online class)
    4. *Course description as it appears in the catalog
    5. *Number of credit hours assigned to the course
    6. *Course pre-requisites/co-requisites
    7. List of required texts and instructional materials
    8. Course schedule and assignments
    9. *Course learning outcomes
    10. Evaluation criteria with grading scale
    11. Instructor’s attendance/participation policy
    12. Policy on late assignments
    13. Other course details (i.e., feedback, recommended technology, technology assistance)
      1. UM System Student Learning Support
      2. UM System Teaching Tools
  1. Resource and Policy Information
    The following required information must be referenced or directly on the syllabus. All resources and policy information will auto-populate if Simple Syllabus is used.
    1. Important Dates — 16-week session
    2. Basic Needs and Kangaroo Pantry
    3. Academic Calendar
    4. Academic Integrity and Standard of Conduct (links to CRR 200.010 Standard of Conduct)
    5. Academic Support and Mentoring and RooLearning+
    6. UMKC Attendance Policy
    7. Campus Safety
    8. UMKC Connect
    9. Grade Appeal Policy
    10. Privacy Policy and Webcam Policy
    11. Student Accessibility Services
    12. Counseling Services and Student Health and Wellness
    13. UMKC’s Policy on Suicide Prevention Resources (PDF)
    14. Equal Opportunity and Educational Access
    15. Right to Free Expression
    16. Expressions of Perceived Bias

Recommended elements

In addition to the required elements defined in this policy, Instructors are encouraged to add, as appropriate, the following information to any syllabus shared with a student(s).

  1. Additional Course Information and Resources
    1. Statement that information listed on the syllabus may be subject to change, including how the Instructor will communicate changes to students and document such modifications.

Instructors are encouraged to include on the syllabus any other pertinent information that students should be informed of at the beginning of the course and to update the syllabus as needed.

Instructors are encouraged to clearly communicate and document any subsequent changes to their course syllabi.

Exclusions or special circumstances

Course syllabi may be subject to additional programmatic accreditation requirements not defined in this policy.

Individualized courses corresponding to masters' thesis, dissertation, practicum, internships, independent study and research hours may not be subject to this policy.

Non-credit-bearing courses are not subject to this policy; however, Instructors of such courses are encouraged to use the principles of this policy to ensure students have the information needed to be successful.

Clinical Exclusion: Clinical courses may be excluded per academic unit guidelines.

Reason for Policy

To establish the requirement that every UMKC course must have a syllabus on file with the university and to articulate the required and recommended information to be included within all syllabi.

Who Should Read this Policy?

All instructors of record for all UMKC courses.

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

Getting Stated with Simple Syllabus

Contacts

NA

Exclusions

None

History and Updates

None

Appendices

None