Syllabus Template Guidebook

REQUIRED ELEMENTS

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Use the catalog description for your course. Catalogs may be found here: https://www.msubillings.edu/catalogs/

COURSE OUTCOMES

Outcomes should be clearly specified in all courses.

If your course is a General Education Course, you must also include the General Education Learning Outcomes appropriate to the category.

COURSE TEXTBOOK AND OTHER REQUIRED MATERIALS

Include all materials that are required for this course. If you have materials in D2L, specify those as well.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS (ASSIGNMENTS)

Include all elements that will be graded as well as what each element is worth in relation to the total grade.

GRADING SCALE

Below are examples of the generally accepted grading scales. You may adapt these as fits your needs but be sure to include a clear explanation of what scale you use.

Plus/Minus Scale:

93 – 100% A%
90 – 92.9% A-
87 – 89.9% B+
83 – 86.9% B
80 – 82.9% B-
77 – 79.9% C+
73 – 76.9% C
70 – 72.9% C-
67 – 69.9% D+
63 – 66.9% D
60 – 62.9% D-
Below 60% F

 

No Plus/Minus:

90 – 100% A
80 – 89.9% B
70 – 79.9% C
60 – 60.9% D
Below 60% F

DSS STATEMENT

For University Campus classes:

Students with Disabilities:

MSU Billings is committed to providing equal access. If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me so that we can discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that disability-related accommodations are necessary, please contact Disability Support Services (657-2283; located in the College of Education, Room 135). We can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations.

For City College classes:

Students with Disabilities:

MSU Billings is committed to providing equal access. If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me so that we can discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that disability-related accommodations are necessary, please contact Disability Support Services (247-3029; located in the Tech Building, room A016). We can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Provide as much detail as is appropriate for your course content and course level including dates that major assignments and tests are due.

RECOMMENDED ELEMENTS

Below are examples of language related to recommended elements on a syllabus. Faculty can modify grading policies, communication policies, etc.... to fit the needs of their course.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT POLICY

The department and the University are committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct and academic excellence. Any student found guilty of plagiarism (knowingly taking and passing off as one’s own ideas, writing, words, visual images, or concepts of another), fabrication, misrepresentation, falsifying evidence, or purchasing papers (including those found on the Internet) will, without exception, receive a failing grade for the course. When using other authors’ ideas or words, you must pay proper homage to those authors by including complete references to your source; moreover, if you use four consecutive words from another author, you must use quotation marks around those words as well as citing their source; failure to do so counts as plagiarism. I will provide guidelines on proper citation techniques in D2L.

MSUB Academic Conduct Guidelines and Grievance Procedures for Students https://www.msubillings.edu/provost/pdf/academic-affairs-policies-and-procedures.pdf

ASSIGNMENT AND GRADING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Deadlines and submission guidelines

Faculty can explain their policies for deadlines and submission of assignments.

Help with papers

Faculty can outline their policy related to help with papers. For example:

Please contact me and/or schedule an appointment with me for a time at least 72 hours in advance of a due date if you would like me to take a quick look at a draft of the paper or have a question about the topic or structure of a paper. That said, I cannot provide in-depth proofreading or remedial writing help. For a closer reading of your work and detailed writing assistance, you should consult the Academic Support Center—and yes, they do have online assistance. In any case, please do not e-mail me items to examine the day before an assignment’s due date. Plan ahead!

Discussions of your progress

It is against federal law for me to discuss your progress or grades in this class with anyone but you. Please do not commission friends, relatives, coaches or other professors to discuss your grade with me.

Grading policies

Faculty can outline specific polices related to grading. For example:

Grade changes: Please do not ask me or have anyone else ask me to change a semester grade in order to protect your GPA, major-requirement status, scholarship, job, or athletic-team status. I cannot and will not change a semester grade. It is your job to earn your grade throughout the term. If you are having difficulty in the class, please talk to me as soon as possible so that we can work together on overcoming obstacles to your success.

Grading criteria: Grades cannot be assigned to recognize how hard or long a student has worked on a project. I cannot measure time, effort, or energy expended, but only the visible outcome of your endeavors: the finished product. Grades are based on announced standards, not comparisons to other students’ work or other professors’ grading systems.

Grade clarifications, reactions, and discussions: Students have the right and responsibility to ask for clarification of grading standards at any reasonable time, although waiting to do so until the last week of class is generally not a good idea. I will be happy to discuss a grade with you, but will not do so within 24 hours of handing back an assignment. Please honor my “24-hour rule”: wait at least 24 hours after receiving your grade before contacting me to comment on it or to request a meeting to discuss it.

MSUB POLICY REGARDING “INCOMPLETES”

Incomplete “I” Grade: An Incomplete is given only when a student has been in attendance for at least three-fourths of the semester and has completed all other work on time but has been prevented by circumstances beyond his/her control from completing all of the requirements of the course.

https://www.msubillings.edu/provost/pdf/academic-affairs-policies-and-procedures.pdf

EARLY ALERT

In this course your knowledge will be assessed early and often. I believe it is my responsibility as a faculty member to make you aware of your academic standing in my course. I also believe it is the responsibility of this institution to meet your unique academic needs. It is with this in mind that I use our institution’s Academic Early Alert System. If I feel you are in danger of not being successful in this course, I reserve the right to place an Academic Alert on your behalf. This is not a punishment. It does not go onto any transcript-type record. The academic alert is merely a tool that allows me to work closely with the advising center and other student services groups to help you overcome your academic or life hurdles which will hopefully lead to future success.

COMMUNICATION AND EMAIL ETIQUETTE

Faculty can include a policy related to communication and email. For example:

Communication between student and faculty is expected to be professional and respectful. Profanity or vulgarity is not accepted. When utilizing email for communication, please make sure to include:

Student name
Course

This will help expedite response time and allow me to help you more efficiently. I check my email on a regular basis and will usually respond to students right away. Students will receive a response within 24 – 36 hours at the latest, with the exception of Sundays. Students are expected to check email on a regular basis. All class communication will be via D2L email, discussion boards, and Announcements on D2L.