Syllabus Policy & Templates

Introduction

While a syllabus is an essential component of good teaching, student learning, and outcomes assessment, it is also a guide used in the resolution of conflicts that may arise between students and their instructors. While a faculty member has great flexibility in the design and content of a syllabus for a course, core information should be found in every syllabus for courses offered at CU Denver.

See the Syllabi Templates in ourAppendix below.

Policy Statement

All faculty members must have a current syllabus for each course and must provide a syllabus to students at the first class meeting of every course. For details (including recommended boilerplate statements), please see the appended CU Denver Syllabus Template.

By census date of each term, all faculty members must provide their Dean’s office with updated electronic copies of the syllabi for all courses they are teaching that term. The campus record retention schedule requires syllabi to be retained by the instructor until no longer needed for reference.

CU Denver Syllabus Requirements

Course Overview and Course Information

Campus location (Denver or Anschutz Medical Campus) Academic School/College

Course title (official SIS title), number, prefix, and section designation. Indicate if the course is part of the undergraduate core. Here is a listing of all core courses.

Semester/term and year

Class meeting day(s) and time(s)

Catalog description and any additional information including requisites.

Basic Instructor Information

Instructor’s name (including co-instructors and/or teaching assistants)

Instructor’s office location (building and room #)

Instructor’s contact Information (phone number(s) and email address(es))

Instructor’s office hours and statement of availability (for face-to-face, hybrid and online courses)

Course Goals/Outcomes

Overall learning objectives

Major topics

Rationale (instructor’s statement relating course content to student’s academic or professional growth, etc.)

Evaluation

Requirements (papers, oral reports, projects, quizzes, tests, final exams, etc.), including points, deliverables, and due dates

Instructor’s grading policy

Instructor’s attendance, participation, and late-work policies. If attendance is part of a student’s grade, details in writing are mandatory as lack of information may become the source of student complaints and appeals.

If the course is a “slash” undergraduate/graduate course, differing outcomes, assignments requirements, and evaluation metrics for graduate students must be articulated to distinguish them from undergraduate outcomes, assignments, requirements, and metrics.

Syllabus Revisions

In general, syllabi should not be changed once the semester begins, though unforeseen circumstances may lead to changes. Students should be notified in a timely manner in writing (via email/Canvas, etc.) of any changes to the syllabus.

Course Procedures

Materials (required as well as recommended texts, equipment, software, and supplies)

Course calendar/schedule (may include appropriate links to CU Denver academic calendar)

Course-related (and/or School/College-related) policies and procedures, (with appropriate links) such as attendance, late work, incompletes, communication, participation, notification of changes

Research/library-related skills needed for successful completion of course.

University wide policies that are relevant to the syllabus:

Student Code of Conduct

Accommodations

Academic Freedom

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Attendance (Campus Policy 7030)

Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures

Grade Appeal Policy

Appendix: Syllabus Template

Five Year Syllabi Review

SEHD Syllabus Template

CU Syllabus Template