The importance of a syllabus:
Your syllabus is a contract with your students.
It provides the framework for a great learning experience.
It protects them and it protects you.
For example, suppose you mess up and give a major exam that is WAY too easy, and then decide to
add another--harder--exam to the coursework to try to bring the average back down. Is that fair to the students?
No. It is your job to get it right the FIRST time. That is what you are being paid to do.
Suppose your give a take home test and two students collaborate on it and then when you notice
that their answers are identical and initiate the process of giving them an "F" they take it up with the dean and
point out that your syllabus said nothing about not being allowed to work together on take-home projects. So the dean
sides with them. Is that fair to you? No.
The solution is to use a syllabus that spells out your grading criteria and expectations for the
course.
You are looking for a win/win here. It's good for you and it's good for your students.
I like to give the students a day by day class schedule on the back of their syllabus. They can
use the schedule to keep track of their progress in class. There is no question, "how they are doing." I walk them
through the entries. I point out the items that are graded and how many points they will get for each graded
item.
when I'm using someone else's curriculum that I'm not used to yet I generally don't put down on
the schedule which chapter we will be covering each day. Not that it isn't a good idea--because it is. I would only do
that if I've taught out of a particular text book for a couple of semesters and have a feeling for how it flows. What
works best for me is to simply write on the board or type on the overhead (projector) which chapters we will be doing
over the next few days. I tell the students at the beginning of the semester how far I plan on getting through the
book--that way if they want to "read ahead" they can.
Lately I've been using my own curriculum to teach from and it flows like clockwork--so my recent
syllabi have indeed listed the exact lesson we are covering each day. I'll post a few of my older syllabi and
also my current recommendation.