The syllabus of a course tends to be a long text-heavy document detailing the topics and requirements of a course. The Provost’s Office at Hunter College provides a syllabus template that you can use as a guideline.

Below are some creative examples of syllabi created by Hunter faculty using tools that present the content of the syllabus in a more visually appealing way.

Prof. Jack Kinesberg used Google docs for his Sociolinguistics course syllabus and included language and headings easily understandable by students.

María Hernández-Ojeda used Padlet to create the syllabus for her Spanish course Representations of the Spanish Civil War in Literature, Film, and Art.

Encouraging Students to Focus on the Content of the Syllabus

To encourage students to read the syllabus carefully, some professors create low-stakes or no-stakes assignments for students to complete in the early days of the semester. Sample activities include:

• annotate the syllabus with questions or comments using a social annotation tool such as Hypothesis
• take a quiz using the course’s learning management system based on the syllabus with questions such as “When is the first major assignment due?” or “How many times am I required to go to office hours?”
• do a scavenger hunt through the syllabus for frequently asked questions
• enter all important due dates on your phone or paper calendar and add reminders one week before the due dates