Master of the Syllabus

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syllabus

"A syllabus is an outline and summary of topics to be covered in a course. It is often either set out by an exam board, or prepared by the professor who teaches the course, and is usually given to each student during the first class session. A syllabus usually contains specific information about the course, such as information on how, where and when to contact the lecturer and teaching assistants; an outline of what will be covered in the course; a schedule of test dates and the due dates for assignments; the grading policy for the course; specific classroom rules; etc.Within many courses concluding in an exam, syllabi are used to ensure consistency between schools and that all teachers know what must be taught and what is not required. Exams can only test based on information included in the syllabus."

The contract; The policies; The expectations. The syllabus.

For a typical college freshman, this item called the syllabus is a new creature. In high school, you never received any piece of paper that detailed everything that you would be doing that year. You never received anything that listed your assignments or dates of exams months before hand. Maybe you knew the grading scale (90 or 93 and above for an A), but that was it!

Now, in college, you get this stack of stapled paper with a TON of info. Spend time with it. Get to know it. WRITE DOWN, in a calendar, all the due dates and the exam dates. Walk around the campus and find out where your professor’s office is. Take note of the office hours. Get to know how the professor feels about exams, grading, extra credit, papers, late work and attendance. I can guarantee that the professor wants you to attend class, turn work in on time, and do your homework…professors typically detest the lazy and whiny student. I can guarantee that your professor wants you to do this with minimal whining about how much information there is or how many assignments you have. He/she does not feel that the assignments are busy work, on the contrary, they are necessary for Mastery of Material.

There is an aside point to be made here…..MASTERY of MATERIAL. Some college freshmen are surprised to know that in college, C is the grade given for average work. Average in college is NOT a B. You have to be above average to get a B. You have to do EXCELLENT/OUTSTANDING work to get an A. It is mathematically impossible for everyone to be above average…(except in Lake Wobegon, http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/). Some people find it a major blow to their self-image to find out that they are “average.” A wise man once said….”getting a C in a college course, such as chemistry, IS an accomplishment. You may be average among your college peer group, but you are still ABOVE average…most people never even take chemistry, never get into college…let alone make a passing grade in it!!” Remember, most faculty lecture to the “A” student…not because they are elitist meanies, but because they want you to rise to the occasion and put forth a significant amount of effort; they want to get you out of your comfort zone and push you to learn something new. That something new, is detailed in the syllabus.