The University of Alabama, Office for Academic Affairs

Syllabus Policy

Unit:  Academic Affairs
Contact: Luoheng Han
Title:  Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
Effective Date: 8/1/2016
Revision Date: 08/01/2022

 
 

Purpose

Course syllabi aid faculty to organize class information and communicate the instructor's plan for conducting the course. A course syllabus helps clarify course goals and student learning outcomes, assessment and evaluation standards, grading policies, and student responsibilities associated with the course. Course syllabi aid students as guides to student learning and course expectations.  The purpose of this policy is to establish minimum standards for syllabus content and management.

Policy

A complete syllabus for each course section, regardless of delivery method, must be distributed to students on, or before, the first day of class. Items that must appear in a completed syllabus include:
  • Course Title*
  • Course and Section Number*
  • Term*
  • Instructor’s Name*
  • Office Hours (including virtual hours for online or hybrid sections)
  • Contact Information (Location, Phone, Email, etc.)*
  • Prerequisites*
  • Course Description and Credit Hours*
  • Required Texts*
  • Student Learning Outcomes*
  • Other Course Materials
  • Outline of Topics
  • Exams and Assignments
  • Grading Policy
  • Policy on Missed Exams and Coursework
  • Attendance Policy
  • Elasticity Statement
  • Required University and College policies (or the URL for relevant policies)*
* Items may be prepopulated in UA's online syllabus management system.

Instructors must enter into the University's online syllabus management system the required syllabus items for each course section assigned to the instructor, on or before the first day of class. Any faculty who fail to adhere to this policy will be subject to progressive discipline, as described in the Faculty Handbook. The syllabus entered in the online syllabus management system is the official syllabus for the course section and will be used for any required documentation related to transfer equivalency, accreditation, and/or adjudication of student academic grievances and academic misconduct.

Students must be given timely notice of any changes in the syllabus (elasticity statement). Any special considerations, (e.g., opportunities to earn extra credit) offered to a student shall be available to all students in the class.

The department chairperson is responsible for ensuring that all faculty have entered a complete syllabus, with all required components, on or before the first day of class. The department chairperson is also responsible for initiating progressive discipline actions if the faculty member fails to do so. 

Administrators of UA's online syllabus management system are responsible for maintaining the required fields in university and specialized templates. The online management system and syllabi produced therein must be ADA compliant. 

A catalog syllabus must be created during the course approval process in the online syllabus management system and will be made available to students during the student registration period for the term in which the course is being offered. A catalog syllabus is a basic syllabus created for new course approval.  The catalog syllabus does not contain specific dates, such as assignment due dates, that vary by section and semester offered. However, it must contain the following: 
  • Course Title
  • Course Number
  • Prerequisites
  • Course Description
  • Credit Hours
  • Student Learning Outcomes

Scope

The policy applies to all instructors of record assigned to teach for-credit course sections with an assigned percent of effort that is greater than zero, all academic department chairs, college/school deans, and online syllabus management system administrators.		 
 

Office of the Provost

Approved by Dr. Lesley Reid, Associate Provost, 08/01/2022