Learner-Centered Syllabi

This week, I worked with colleagues on syllabus guides, so I thought I would share recent research in case others might be reviewing their syllabus over the breaks and consider updating for the next term. The 2019 article entitled, "Project Syllabus: An Exploratory Study of Learner-Centered Syllabi" by Richmond et al. shares the attributes of a learner-centers syllabus (LCS) that includes a positive tone, collaborative opportunities, formative assessments, and a sense of ownership of the learning experience.

In this study, the authors assessed the learner-centeredness of over one hundred syllabi sampled from Project Syllabus. They operationalized a LCS which requires a shift from what the instructor intends to cover to a concern for what information and tools you can provide for your students to promote learning and intellectual development. Attributes for LCS could include:

Multiple means for access;
Rationale provided for assignments, activities, and methods is aligned with learning outcomes, and evidence for learning;
Collaboration required in substantive manner throughout course;
Students take responsibility for bringing additional knowledge to class via ongoing class discussion or regular presentations;
Independent investigation required, outside learning required, and share outside learning with class;
Grades are tied directly to learning objectives; students have some options for achieving points;
Periodic feedback mechanisms employed for the explicit purpose of ongoing formative and summative assessment of learning (e.g., One minute paper, Muddiest point, journal discussing project progress, response systems);
Multiple means of demonstrating outcomes and both self-evaluation, reflection and peer evaluation; and
Learning outcomes stated and are explicitly tied to specific evaluation strategies.

References

Richmond, A, Robin K., Morgan, K., Slattery, M., Mitchell, G. &Cooper, A. (2019). Project Syllabus: An Exploratory Study of Learner-Centered Syllabi, Teaching of Psychology, 46(1) 6-15.