All:

As you know, the master syllabi for all courses at ACC should be posted on the master syllabus repository.  Updates can be done at any time and any new master syllabi should be sent to syllabi@austincc.edu .

Class syllabi are one of the most effective ways to communicate to students what we want them to know and learn in our courses.  They are also a critical means by which we can make them aware of the many support services available to them here at ACC.  As Steve Christopher noted on a recent post to the faculty list serve, survey data suggests that a significant number of our students have been food insecure in the past month.  So making students aware of these support services is more important than ever.

A task force has been working to revise the master syllabus template, and it was open to all faculty for comment.  A lot of great input was given and incorporated into the final version, which was discussed several times by the Curriculum & Programs Committee, a shared governance group, and formally approved at their last meeting.  The revised template is attached and available at the master syllabus website.  An updated checklist is given as well.

As mentioned above, a key part of the revision was to include more information for students about support services here at the college.  The reorganization around Guided Pathways has also moved some things around, and the revision reflects that as well.

A couple of things to note:

• The college policies section is available as a separate handout on the website.  While it should be distributed on the first day along with the course syllabus proper, it can be given as a separate document if that is preferred.  Unlike the course-specific information, the college policies section will be the same from class to class.
• The syllabus/college policies documents should be made available in BlackBoard by the first class day.  Whether they are printed and distributed to the students is left to the instructor’s discretion, though faculty will presumably go over the key points either way.

The master syllabi for each course are expected to be examined and revised as appropriate by the department as part of the program review process.  Still, course master syllabi can be updated any time, and I hope your departments will consider including the revisions for the fall semester.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. See Master Syllabus Template here.

All the best,

Ron