Master Syllabus Template
for an
online course

Instructions
If it is your responsibility to develop the master syllabus for an online course, use the template on the following pages as a guide.

The purpose of a master syllabus is to provide a template with information to help an instructor create their own personal syllabus. It will identify information that must be in every syllabus as well as comments to help the instructor understand what other information to include.

What to do
Read comments typed in green that begin “Comments for you.” Fill in the appropriate information and change the font color to black.

Other comments typed in red that begin “Comments for instructors” should be left in the master syllabus for the instructors who use this template to build their personal syllabi.

When you are finished developing the master syllabus, delete this first page of instructions.

Send an electronic copy of the completed master syllabus to your division director or the VP of Instruction so it can be placed on the Clarendon College website.  (Send a PDF version of the document.) All instructors (including yourself) who teach this particular course will use the master syllabus from which to develop their individual syllabi.

MASTER SYLLABUS
(Revised  Comment for you: Fill in the semester it was created or revised such as Fall 2013)

Clarendon College
Comment for you: Insert the Course Number (Example: ENGL 1301)
Comment for you: Insert the Name of the Course (Example: English Composition  and Rhetoric I)
Online Course

This master syllabus is to be used as a template by all full-time and adjunct faculty who teach this course online. It contains the minimum information that should be in every syllabus used for this course. As you develop your personal syllabus from this template, read the comments throughout the document in red to help guide you as you add your own information. Delete the comments once you have read them, and delete this cover page. 

The syllabus format may be changed to your preferences as long as the required information remains in the syllabus.

SYLLABUS

CLARENDON COLLEGE
Division of      Comment for you: Type the name of the division your course is in,(Example: Division of Liberal Arts or Division of Science and Health). Contact the Dean of Instruction if you do not know what it is.

Foundational Component Area:  Comment for you: Type the name of the Foundational Component Area identified by  the THECB. Contact the Dean of Instruction if you do not know what it is.

Course Name:  Comment for you:  Type the course name here.
Credit Hours: Comment for you: Type the number of credit hours for the course here.
Comment to instructors: Fill in the following information. Delete any heading that is not applicable.
Semester: 
Instructor: 
Classroom Location:  Online
Instructor Contact Information:  Comment to instructors: Fill in appropriate information and delete information that does not apply. 

Office location:
Phone:  
Email:   
Fax:   
Other:  
The “Messages” feature in Moodle is the main method you should use to contact me. I will make every effort to check the course website every week day and respond to your message requests within 24 hours. Comment to instructors: Make appropriate changes to the response time information.

Online Course website:  Comment to instructors: Make appropriate changes to the information in red.
This online course uses Moodle as its online course management program. All instructions, tutorials, exams, and assignments are provided at the course website. All assignments will be submitted there.  Due dates for all assignments are listed in the “Course Schedule” at the course website. Most communication between you and your instructor and fellow classmates will be handled in Moodle through the “Messages” feature and discussion forums. You will be able to log into the course website once you have officially registered for the course and once you have been added to the course website. The course website will become available to you by the first day of the semester. If you register late, you will generally have access to the course within 24 hours after you register. In order to be successful in completing this 3-credit hour course, you should plan to spend between 6-9 hours per week on the course. 
The information explaining how to log into your course website can be obtained by going to Clarendon College’s home page, and clicking on the Login to Online Classes button. If you have any difficulty logging in, email our help desk at: administrator@clarendoncollege.edu
Required Enrollment Verification Activity
Students who fail to complete the Syllabus Agreement EVA activity (located in the Class Orientation section of the online course) by the official census date (February 4) cannot continue in the course and will receive a W (Withdrawn) at the end of the term. Students may also not be eligible for a refund. If you are receiving financial aid you may also be required to reimburse tuition and fees.
The census date for this term can be found on the Academic Calendar located at the Inside CC link on Clarendon College's home page. 
Course Description:
Comment to you: The information here should come directly from the course description available from one of these sources: 
•	current college catalog located at Quick Links on Clarendon College’s home page 
•	division director
•	academic courses: Lower Division Academic.Course Guide Manual at http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/index.cfm?objectid=6F049CAE-F54E-26E4-ED9F0DAC62FABF7D
•	workforce courses: Workforce Education Course Manual at http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/AAR/UndergraduateEd/WorkforceEd/wecm/)
Statement of Purpose
Comment to you: Insert appropriate information here.
Example of a Statement of Purpose: This course satisfies the humanities component of the core curriculum and is designed for transfer to a senior college or university.
Include this information only if the course is part of the core curriculum. If it isn’t, delete the Statement of Purpose heading in this master syllabus. Refer to the college catalog if you aren’t for sure whether your course is part of the core curriculum or not.
Required Instructional Materials:
Textbook:
Comment to you: If the textbook is not required, explain that in this section instead.
List textbook information in standard MLA format. 
Example:  Author’s Last Name, First Name. Name of Textbook. City: Publisher, Year.

Other Relevant Materials: 
Comment to instructors: List any relevant materials your students need if they are to be successful in your course (i.e. calculator, dictionary, thesaurus, etc.). If there are none, delete the title “Other Relevant Materials.”

Student Requirements
Comment to instructors: List any particular requirements you have of the students if they are to be successful in the course. If there are none, delete the title “Student Requirements.”

Methods of Instruction
Comment to instructors: List all instructional delivery types that you will plan on using (i.e. PowerPoint lectures, videos, textbook, internet research, chat, etc.) If there are none, delete the title “Methods of Instruction.”

Core Objectives
Comment to you:  Fill in this information using the comments below:
If your course is an academic course, refer to the required Core Objectives at  the THECB’s website  for information you should place here. Use the Foundational Component Areas information at that same link to determine which core objectives must go in your course. If your course does not fit one of those areas, you must at a minimum include the Critical thinking skills and Communications core objectives in your course. If you have questions, contact your division director.

Add additional broad objectives for your course if appropriate.

If your course is a workforce course, refer to the Workforce Education Course Manual at THECB’s website. If your course has Course Objectives listed, then list them in this section. Otherwise, delete this section of the syllabus.

Learning Outcomes
Comment to you:  Fill in this information using the comments below:

•	For academic courses, refer to the Academic Course Guide Manual at THECB’s website.
(http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/aar/undergraduateed/workforceed/acgm.htm)

Look for your course in the latest manual to see if required learning outcomes have been included. If they have not, it is your choice to determine what learning outcomes to include.

List them in a numbered list. 

•	For workforce courses, refer to the Workforce Education Course Manual at THECB’s website. (http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/AAR/UndergraduateEd/WorkforceEd/wecm/)

List them in a numbered list.

Comment to you: You may add additional learning outcomes all instructors must include if appropriate. If you do, make sure they are written using “measurable” terms.

Very important! With each learning outcome, you must  identify the activity (or activities) used to assess the learning outcome.  All of your core objectives must be assessed somewhere through your learning outcomes.

Following are examples of how to do this:

Example 1: Scenario where you have an activity that assesses your critical thinking, communication, and personal responsibility core objectives through the learning outcome:
Learning Outcome Example:  Analyze the ethical responsibilities involved in technical communication. (Assesses CT, COM, and PR with identify a specific activity (or activities) used to assess this learning outcome.)

Example 2: Scenario where you have an activity that doesn’t necessarily assess any of the core objectives:
Learning Outcome Example:   Recognize, analyze, and accommodate diverse audiences. (Assessed with identify a specific activity (or activities) used to assess this learning outcome.)

Course Expectations: Make changes to text in red as appropriate. 
•	You may expect a response time from me of a day (24hrs) for messages or email, and perhaps two to three days for Forum grades
•	Etiquette expectations (netiquette) for all types of communication: You are expected to take responsibility in helping to maintain a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. Please be polite and maintain a professional tone in your writing. NO abusive language will be tolerated in this course.

Computer/Technology Requirement: This course uses a variety of web resources that require a good Internet connection and an up-to-date browser. You should use the latest version of  Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Internet Explorer.

Grading Policies:
Comment to instructors: Include a breakdown of how your course will be graded. All academic courses are required to have a final exam or its equivalent. It is at your professional discretion to weight the components of your course. However, to ensure course quality, your grading criteria must include minimum grading criteria. Reword this section to include the following minimum grading criteria:

Comment to you: Type here the specific minimum grading criteria all faculty teaching this course should include in their individual syllabus.

Example of minimum grading criteria: Quizzes should comprise at least 50% of the total course grade and Assignments should comprise at least 30% of the total course grade. 

The final semester grades will be figured as set in the current catalog:
90 to 100 = A 	80 to 89 = B	70 to 79 = C 	60 to 69 = D	Below 59 = F

Your official final course grade will appear in your Student Portal.

Grades earned for each graded activity will be available in Moodle. However, in your Moodle gradebook, assume that any activity you did not complete is a zero, even if a hyphen appears beside the activity in the gradebook. The current course average shown in the Moodle gradebook will not be correct until I have replaced the hyphens with zeroes.

Personal Policies
Comment to instructors: In this section list all of your personal policies regarding such things as academic integrity incidents (cheating, plagiarism, or other dishonest acts), late assignment(s), missed examination(s), safety, collaborative work, extra credit, etc. 

College Policies

Comment: The following Online Attendance Policy is required for all online courses. Simply delete this comment and leave everything else as is.

Online Attendance Policy

Also include your personal policy about how you will take Weekly attendance is mandatory in all online courses.  Specific activities will be identified each week that must be completed in order for students to be considered “in attendance.”  Students are also expected to log into their online course(s) at least twice a week.  online attendance. An example is below.

My personal attendance policy:
For this course, I will submit an attendance report each Monday morning and on the census date. Students who are following the online attendance policy are marked "present." Students can be placed on academic probation or lose financial aid for chronic non-attendance.

Comment: The following Academic Integrity Policy information is required and comes directly from the student handbook. Simply delete this comment and leave everything else as is.

Academic Integrity Policy
Clarendon College is committed to a philosophy of honesty and academic integrity. It is the responsibility of all members of the Clarendon College community to maintain academic integrity at Clarendon College by refusing to participate in or tolerate academic dishonesty. Any act of academic dishonesty will be regarded by the faculty and administration as a serious offense.
Academic dishonesty violations include, but are not limited to: (1) obtaining an examination, classroom activity, or laboratory exercise  by stealing or collusion; (2) discovering the content of an examination, classroom activity, laboratory exercise, or homework assignment  before it is given; (3) observing the work of another during an examination or providing answers to another during the course of an examination; (4) using an unauthorized source of information during an examination, classroom activity, laboratory exercise, or homework assignment ; (5) entering an office, classroom, laboratory, or building to obtain unfair advantage; (6) taking an examination for another person; (7) completing a classroom activity, laboratory exercise, homework assignment, or research paper for another person;  (8) altering grade records; (9) using any unauthorized  form of an electronic communication device during an examination, classroom activity, or laboratory exercise; and/or, (10) plagiarism.  (Plagiarism is defined as the using, stating, offering, or reporting as one’s own, an idea, expression, or production of another person’s work without proper credit. This includes, but is not limited to, turning in a paper purchased or acquired from any source, written by someone other than the student claiming credit, or stolen from another student.)
Students are responsible for reporting known acts of academic dishonesty to a faculty member, the program coordinator, the associate dean, and/or dean. Any student with knowledge of a violation who fails to report it shall him/herself be in violation and shall be considered to have committed an act of academic dishonesty. Additionally, any student who reports him/herself in violation of this code before it is likely that another might consider this possibility will be understood as repentant and acting in good faith. Though the confession will not excuse the student for the violation, the confession will be considered and the violation should not result in suspension from school except in the most extreme cases.
 While academic integrity and honesty are the responsibility of the individual student, each individual faculty member, teaching assistant, and/or laboratory instructor is responsible for classroom management and for maintaining ethical behavior within the classroom and/or laboratory. Faculty who discover or suspect a violation should discuss the matter with the suspected violator(s) and attempt to resolve the case at that point. In cases of convincing evidence, the faculty member should take appropriate action. The faculty member and student should complete a Counseling Sheet regarding the violation. (The Counseling Sheet should contain at a minimum the date and time of the violation, the course, the instructor’s name, the student’s name, an explanation of the infraction or facts of the case, and the resolution to the incident.) This form should be signed by the student, faculty member, program coordinator, and the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students will maintain a file on all violations. If a faculty member prefers to report the case directly to the Dean of Students, it remains his/her prerogative to do so. Additionally, if the faculty member and the accused student cannot reach a resolution or if the faculty member believes that suspension from school is the only fair sanction, the case should immediately be reported by the faculty member, in writing, to the Dean of Students. If the Dean of Students observes any trends in student behavior which involve more than one violation or act of academic dishonesty, the Dean is responsible for notifying all faculty members involved, for contacting the student(s) involved, and after consultation with the faculty member(s) involved for taking the appropriate action. The Dean of Students is responsible for the timely notification (normally within two weeks) to all parties of an action taken.
 Students wishing to appeal a disciplinary decision involving academic integrity or acts of academic dishonesty may do so through the Student Appeals and Grievance Procedure.

Comment: The following Withdrawing from (Dropping) the Course information and the Accommodations Statement are required. Leave it as is except for deleting this comment.
Withdrawing from (Dropping) the Course
If you decide that you are unable to complete this course or that it will be impossible to complete the course with a passing grade, you may drop the course and receive a “W” on your transcript instead.  (The last day to drop a course is available on the Academic Calendar, located at the Student link on the Clarendon College website.) Withdrawal from a course is a formal procedure that you must initiate.  If you do not go through the formal withdrawal procedure, you will receive whatever grade you have earned.
Whether to drop a class or not requires a lot of thought. According to Texas state law a student is only allowed to drop the same class twice before he/she will be charged triple the tuition amount for taking the class a third time or more.  Furthermore, beginning with the Fall 2007 semester, students in Texas may only drop a total of 6 courses throughout their entire undergraduate career.  After the 6th dropped class, he/she will no longer be able to withdraw from any classes.
Accommodations Statement
Clarendon College provides reasonable accommodations for persons with temporary or permanent disabilities. Should you require special accommodations, notify the Dean of Student Services. We will work with you to make whatever accommodations we need to make.
Student Rights and Responsibilities
Student Rights and Responsibilities are listed on the College website at: http://www.clarendoncollege.edu/Resources/Student%20Services/StudentRightsResponsibilities.pdf.

Tentative Course Schedule:
Comment: 
Include a listing of what will be covered during the course and a tentative timeframe. At a minimum, include a list of all graded activities and their due dates. 

You may also want to include something similar to the following paragraph:

This course schedule is also available in the Quick Links block in your Moodle course. The course schedule is subject to change. If changes are made, you will see an announcement from me in the Latest News block on the right side of your Moodle screen as well as in your Bulldog email or email listed in your Moodle profile. I will also change the course schedule itself to reflect any changes made.

Comment to instructors: You must also save this Course Schedule information as a separate document called “Course Schedule” and save it as a PDF file. It is to be placed at the Quick Links block in your Moodle course.