Biology Adjuncts – Syllabus Policies and Recommendations

*Ideas and comments from full-time bio faculty.

From district:

MCCCD strives to create a productive learning environment for all students. Students will be notified of course content and instructor expectations through a course syllabus. The course syllabus serves as an implicit agreement between the instructor and students.

Students have a responsibility to read the entire syllabus carefully. A course syllabus will be made available to students during the first meeting of a class. A paper copy of the course syllabus must be submitted to the division/department office at the college no later than the end of the first week of class.

The following minimum information will be included in the course syllabus:

• College name
• Instructor’s name, office/room number, telephone number, and e-mail address
• Office hours or academic support hours
• While you are not obligated to have office hours, it is recommended that you are available 15 min or so before and after class to help your students be more successful. Another option is to tell students you are always checking email or even be available at certain times via email. One last option is to have a discussion on Blackboard using the discussion board feature.

Your students can also visit the full-time faculty during their office hours. Please refer students to the appropriate full-time instructor. Provide the email address to our webpage for faculty info:

http://www.estrellamountain.edu/academics/academic_division/math_science/biofac.asp

• Course information:  name, prefix and number, section number, semester and year, course description, and course objectives
• Grading standards and practices

      * Many of the full-time faculty use straight scale when calculating grades, but the final call is up to you. You need to make sure, however, your grading scale and policies are clearly stated and then make sure to follow them. If you change them during the semester you may run into trouble. Remember, the syllabus is a contract between you and the student. Once you have given it out you need to use caution if you are altering anything, especially anything to do with grades.

• Attendance requirements
• List of required and recommended texts and materials
• Information about exams, papers, and other assignments

*LAB SCHEDULE: make sure you have it included and make sure it is labeled TENTATIVE LAB SCHEDULE.

• Statement to students with disabilities asking them to register with the appropriate office at the college if they require special accommodations

      * If you have a disability that may have some impact on your work in this class and for which                       you may require accommodations, you need to contact Disability Resources and Services (KOMB-119) at 623.935.8935 or 623.935.8928 TTY or ramona.shingler@emcmail.maricopa.edu. Also discuss your situation with your instructor.

• Statement indicating information included in the syllabus may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

      *This is called a Disclaimer, this can help at times if you need to do something different than what is stated in your syllabus.

One more mandatory item:

• The critical thinking and communication definitions that have been adopted by EMCC.

An instructor may also consider including the following optional information:

• Expectations for student behavior

      *Advise students that biology courses will be demanding, and even if attendance is not        mandatory, it is not a good time to plan vacations or weddings.

• Expectations for academic conduct (See “academic misconduct” in the catalog common pages)
• Statement of instructional methods to be used; e.g., cooperative or group learning, projects, service learning, etc.
• Information about student learning support services
• District competencies for that course. The easiest way to do this is to bring up EMCC’s class schedule and then click on your class.
• Other policies that the instructor deems necessary. 

Link to an example bio syllabus template