What Belongs in the Syllabus?

Based on my experience and the best practices recommended by our university Center for Teaching and Learning, here is a handy checklist for what’s required / recommended for your syllabus.

Governance and LASC Language

At Worcester State, the Gen Ed curriculum is called LASC (Liberal Arts and Sciences Curriculum).

Make sure you are aware of — and please list on your syllabus — any LASC designations for the course you are assigned to teach — these can be found on the Course-Specific Resource pages. Courses taught for LASC need to address Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs, in WSU-speak) on several levels: university wide “Overarching” as well as “Content Area”-specific SLOs, and they should also align with department-level SLOs for introductory courses.

In addition, our 100-level courses are considered “Foundation” courses across the Massachusetts public higher education system, and you may (but are not required to) adopt the statewide SLOs for your appropriate course (see MassTransfer Pathways SLOs). See the Student Learning Outcomes page for more information.

Reminder, most LASC courses cannot count in more than one Content Area in an individual student’s Degree Audit (even if they are approved in multiple areas), nor can they count toward the student’s first / primary Major. LASC courses can double-count for LASC and a student’s Minor or Second Major.

In all cases, if you are teaching a course with a LASC designation, make sure you are familiar with the category descriptors the course is approved to fulfill. As you design your course, align its SLOs such that students can accomplish those outcomes by the end of the semester.

Basic information about LASC can be found at worcester.edu/LASC-Core-Course-Requirements/

Jump to:

Syllabus: What’s Required? What’s Recommended?
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
MassTransfer Pathway SLOs
Bloom’s Taxonomy

Student Accessibility Services

On our campus learning disabilities and other academic accommodations are handled by the Office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS), located in Admin 133. Their contact email is 508-929-8733 and their email is SAS@worcester.edu.

We may not be entitled to know a student’s diagnosis, but any student seeking accommodation should provide SAS documentation to all of her/his instructors. Please do not provide “special” accommodations for any student who has not provided SAS documentation.

We are required by law to accommodate a student’s documented disability, to respect student privacy (FERPA) and to ensure equity and a climate of inclusion in our classrooms. The university and the SAS office provides periodic training available to all faculty; see our administrative assistant or department chair for recent training materials.

Here is the May 2018 sample statement SAS recommends be included in all university syllabi.

Next Module: Textbooks and Academic Support