Although syllabi feel like a start-of-the-semester topic, they are also a powerful end-of-semester tool for reflecting and planning for the future. While syllabi are commonly viewed as static course documents that outline expectations, assignments, and schedules, they can also serve as powerful tools for critical reflection on teaching. By taking the time to thoughtfully construct and continuously update your syllabus, you can articulate your teaching values and practices more thoughtfully, facilitate an intentional course (re-)design process to ensure the course components are aligned with each other, and chart a path for your own growth and teaching innovation. The syllabus becomes an artifact of teaching practice that can inform one's teaching portfolio and ongoing reflective practice.
In this pedagogical article, we’ll share some insights from University of Iowa instructors who have been using their syllabi as a catalyst for reflection and continuous improvement. Whether used for big-picture pedagogical refinement or just-in-time notetaking, syllabi can function as documentation of an instructor's reflective teaching practice over time. They provide a central place to articulate insights, chart changes, and reflect deeply on how learning happens. The ongoing process of purposefully creating and updating syllabi cultivates an orientation toward continuous improvement, growth, experimentation, and innovation.
The “plus-one" approach
Applying the "plus-one" approach from Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a sustainable way to make your syllabus and course more inclusive over time. Rather than attempting a complete transformation all at once, identify areas where students struggle and then add "just one more way" to make your syllabus more accessible, transparent, welcoming, or engaging for students.
Designating syllabus revision as a focused, in-between-semesters practice.
Dr. Kelly Danaher, assistant professor of instruction in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, has put the "plus-one" approach into practice through incremental syllabus revisions each semester to more clearly articulate the purpose behind her instructional methods, like explaining to students why coming to class and completing assignments would support their learning. The Center for Teaching’s Inclusive Syllabi Asynchronous Workshop also prompted her to modify several syllabus sections.
Danaher describes how this iterative process of refining syllabi has helped crystallize her teaching philosophy over time:
“Over the past two years, I’ve slowly modified each of my syllabi section-by-section. I had already adopted transparency in teaching and learning into my teaching philosophy, so when I discovered the learning-focused syllabus (Palmer et al., 2016), changing from a ‘what of learning’—a more content-focused designed—to ‘why and how of learning’ was easy. In fact, I had been doing much of this already, but having the learner-centered framework with examples helped me intentionally craft my syllabi.”
Reviewing and annotating your syllabus throughout a semester.
While Danaher focuses on articulating pedagogical rationale, Dr. Lindsay Jarratt, a postdoctoral scholar at the Office of Assessment and an adjunct instructor in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies in the College of Education, has adopted a practical "plus-one" approach - using her syllabus as a tool for capturing in-the-moment teaching insights throughout a semester. These “live chronicle” syllabus annotations are not shared with the class and are instead used as a solo reflection tool for the instructor.
Jarratt explains, "I always have the best intentions of journaling or note-taking about my courses from week-to-week, but ultimately end up letting it fall by the wayside as the semester picks up speed."
Instead, Jarratt writes brief comments directly in the master syllabus to remind herself of the things she doesn't want to lose sight of in future years. These insights include tweaks to make on assignments, adjustments to ICON organization, or topics to add or remove.
“Because it only takes me a minute at most, I’ve been much more successful in keeping track of the insights I don’t want to lose,” says Jarratt.
Beyond serving as a capture tool, Jarratt's syllabus becomes the main record of semester experiences that informs subsequent course iterations. She says that it also helps her avoid feeling like she has not met pre-semester expectations for herself while sustaining a manageable approach to continuous improvement.
Engaging in end-of-semester reflection and syllabus annotation
Even if the semester is ending, it’s not too late to start annotating your syllabus. The final weeks offer opportunities for capturing observations from the last days of class, summative assessments, and student questions. This low-effort process will support your future revisions and serve as comprehensive evidence of teaching. The end of the semester is a good time to make edits and notes so you'll have a head start next time.
The described approaches can be combined so that you can draw from your in-semester annotations during the revision period in between semesters to use your syllabus as a structured space for reflection. As Danaher puts it, "Each iteration of my syllabi, from minor edits to large-scale modifications, has been an opportunity to reflect on my instructional practices."
The Center for Teaching also encourages you to annotate your syllabus so you can use it for a teaching portfolio.
For those seeking to start this type of reflective process, resources like the University of Iowa's Inclusive Syllabus Asynchronous Workshop, the upcoming August 2024 syllabus retreat, and the Handbook for Teaching Excellence can offer inspiration and practical strategies for transforming your syllabus into a living, iterative tool for development. For a one-on-one consultation, please email us at teaching@uiowa.edu.
Note:
See Kelly Danaher’s Social Cognition syllabus published at The Society for the Teaching of Psychology’s syllabus sharing resource Project Syllabus.
References:
Brookfield, S. D. (2017). Becoming a critically reflective teacher (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Palmer, M. S., Wheeler, L. B., & Aneece, I. (2016). Does the document matter? The evolving role of syllabi in higher education. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 48 (4), 36–47.