The professor's great tasks are to communicate learning objectives clearly and precisely, and to convey how these will be measured so that students have the guidance they need for individual and group progress. The Course Syllabus and Self-Study One ready instrument for examining course requirements, faculty expectations and communication with students is the course syllabus. Nearly everyone who teaches a course prepares a syllabus. In the past, syllabi were often simple reading lists, but the course syllabus can serve as a primary tool for communication. Departmentally, the syllabus can function to make grading meaningful across sections of the same course and across classes by articulating departmental curricular goals.
Individual faculty can also set forth their teaching goals and learning objectives for each class.
In Winter 1997-98, Associate Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Affairs Dr. Barbara Hornum distributed a two page narrative on guidelines for syllabus construction to Deans and Program Directors for distribution to all faculty. Several rounding and coding errors have been corrected in this version of the report, which replaces the report issued in Winter Term 1998-99. Syllabus Analysis Goals Goals for the syllabus analysis project centered on student learning, especially the clear communication of course goals and objectives, and how attainment of these is measured. An additional set of goals included opening a dialog with the faculty on the syllabus as an assessment tool, obtaining a baseline knowledge of Drexel syllabi, identifying faculty who excel in syllabus construction, and identifying patterns of syllabus construction by colleges or departments. Approximately 2,100 courses were offered by Drexel University in Spring 1997-98.