Each course syllabus contributes to the total picture of a university's course offerings. Course descriptions and requirements should reflect the institution s current mission and values with the understanding that the curriculum will evolve as the institution develops. Syllabi also demonstrate to accreditation reviewers that the institution is meeting its academic mission. The collection of course syllabi within a department should reflect the goals of that department for imparting knowledge to students, the sequence of course work for academic majors and minors and the selection of courses for breadth and depth of information. The course syllabi assist the department in meeting the obligations of the university to fulfill the Oregon University System approved program of course work by documenting the scope of the curriculum.
Students select and pay for courses.
They have a right to know what will be taught and how they will be graded. While subjectivity cannot always be taken out of grading, the grading criteria should be described as objectively as possible. Issues of academic freedom Within a syllabus, there is a balance between the obligation of the university to implement the description in the university catalog and to allow for academic freedom in the teaching of courses. All prefixes and numbers must be approved and in the Western catalog or on file in the Provost's Office. Within that basic framework, the course content, teaching methods, requirements and grading are at the discretion of the instructor.