How to read a course syllabus or outline

A course outline or syllabus is your guide to a course. Your professor will provide it to you on or before the first day of class. This post includes some of the most common elements of a course outline or syllabus.

• Where is my instructor’s contact information?
• What are the required items and readings?
• What will I learn in the course?
• What are the course policies and regulations?
• How will I be graded?
• When are the due dates for my assignments?
• Is the online course synchronous or asynchronous?
• What about additional supports and resources?

 

Book an appointment with an academic coach at the Centre for Academic Communication.

You can find the name of your instructor, their contact information, and their office hours. Office hours are times when you can meet with your instructor to ask questions. These might be online or in person depending on the course.

Many courses have a textbook. Instructors often include a series of required readings, with information that helps you find them, or information about visual or other materials you need. These may be items such as calculators, clickers or computer software.

Most outlines have a brief overview of the course content and often include the learning outcomes of the course, concepts and skills the course helps you to engage with. The course schedule is where you will find what happens and when.

Policies and regulations ensure the classroom environment works well for everyone. These include:

 

• Attendance requirements
• Accessibility and accommodation information from the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL)
• Information on academic concessions: what to do if you can’t complete your coursework due to extenuating circumstances
• Information on Academic Integrity: explaining how you can maintain your credibility in the academic environment and help protect that of others
• Self-conduct in class and how to provide feedback for the course

The assignments and other methods of being graded for your work will be listed in the course syllabus. There may be many ways your professor can evaluate your performance in the course.

There are also many different types of work that that can be graded, depending on the course and type of discipline it represents: e.g., attendance, participation, journals, individual or group assignments, tests and exams, live presentations, performances, fieldwork, written short reflections, exhibition projects, research essays, interview work, lab work, you name it!

Pay particular attention to expectations if you are taking a course in a discipline that is new to you: Theatre, Electrical Engineering or Commerce courses will have very different requirements and ways to assess you.

Make sure you know when the due dates are. Some dates are strict, while some may be flexible. You can use all this information to plan your time.

Tip: Using a planner or calendar at the beginning of the term to track all important deadlines will help you stay on track and lessen anxieties in trying to remember it all! Learn more on UVicLearn with the article Backwards planning for time management.

If you are taking an online course, it may be: Synchronous (live, real-time); or Asynchronous (flexible time-frame). In practice, many courses have synchronous and asynchronous elements.

A syllabus will also have an additional set of resources and supports that are available to you. There may be links, but also standard statements about the importance of some of these areas, such as: 

 

• Centre for Academic Communication
• Math and Stats Assistance Centre
• University of Victoria Libraries
• Equity in the classroom
• Accessible learning
• Student Conduct and Policies
• Student Wellness Centre (including Counselling and Health Services)
• Sexualized Violence Resource Office

• the Ombudsperson and much more