The Course Syllabus
For many students, the course syllabus may be the most detail available to them about the nature and requirements of a course. If a syllabus is confusing, lacking in critical information, or contains too much non-essential detail, it may be the closest a student ever comes to the course content, since many students may withdraw or transfer from the course based on their perception of the syllabus.
A company specializing in spa treatments and cosmetic application once based its advertising promotion on the tag line "You only get one chance to make a first impression," and the wisdom encapsulated in that statement can be applied to design of a course syllabus as well. Case 1 in this unit will test your ability to identify the barriers that were inadvertently created by well-meaning faculty:
