PART 1: COURSE SYLLABUS GUIDELINES AND EXAMPLES

1. Course Syllabus Guidelines and Template – Classroom
   This site explains the required elements for all course syllabi at Sandhills Community College. Please read this document before downloading the Course Syllabus Template or any of the the sample syllabi below.
2. Course Syllabus Guidelines and Template – Distance Learning and Hybrid
   This site describes the Blackboard course design for all distance learning and hybrid courses. The site includes a sample online syllabus that follows the required Blackboard course template for for all DL and hybrid courses at Sandhills Community College. The site also includes links to the Modules section of a Blackboard course to show how the assignments and assessments are organized for students. Distance learning and hybrid instructors also have access to a Blackboard Course Template and Sample Blackboard Course to copy materials for their own courses.
3. Distance Learning Instructor Help
   This site from Sandhills Distance Learning provides resources for the hybrid and distance learning instructor.
4. Download Course Syllabus Template in MS Word
   This document provides the Course Syllabus Template that you can edit by adding your syllabus information to the appropriate sections.
5. Download SCC Policy Statements in MS Word
   If you would like a one-page list of the SCC Policy Statements to distribute to your students, download this file.
6. Download Course Syllabus Example 1 in MS Word
   This document provides an example of a course syllabus that follows the guidelines.
7. Download Course Syllabus Example 2 in MS Word
   This example of a humanities course syllabus includes specific student learning outcomes for each module of study and rubrics for assessing the writing and discussion assignments. As you read this syllabus, notice that it is designed to be used in both a classroom class and a distance learning class. Some classroom discussion and writing assignments are handled differently in the distance learning class, but both are designed to meet the same student learning outcomes and assessment measures. The differences are noted for students in the appropriate sections of the syllabus so that students and other constituents (other faculty, or colleges, accreditation agencies) can see that the same student outcomes are expected in each type of course.

PART 2: STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Faculty Job Description and Evaluation Criteria
   This page from the Faculty and Staff Handbook, as revised in 2002, explains the policies for faculty teaching performance. These policies follow the mission of Sandhills Community College, the principles of academic freedom and academic integrity, and the goals of student learning outcomes.
2. Teacher-Centered vs. Learner-Centered Paradigms
   This 2-page PDF document provides two comparisons of learner-centered instruction and instructor-centered learning published in 2000 in Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses by Huba and Freed and in 2004 in Assessing Academic Programs in Higher Education by Allen.
3. Assessing Student Learning: Principles of Good Practice
   Since 1996, this major policy statement of the American Association for Higher Education has provided a clear framework for colleges to develop programs that are based upon student learning outcomes.
4. Learning Taxonomies
   Learning can be classified into three catgories of outcomes: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. Open this link to learn how to identify and plan for student learning outcomes in these three areas.
5. Writing Instructional Goals, Objectives and Outcomes
   This section from the University of Connecticut's Assessment Primer site describes the movement from objective-based, to competency-based, to outcomes-based, etc. education. Through several pages, the site explains the process of defining the college mission that leads to program goals, then to program outcomes, and finally to course unit outcomes that are expressed in terms of student learning. Whether you are a department chair, program coordinator, or instructor, be sure to download one of the following documents to guide you in writing instructional goals, objectives and outcomes.
   • Program Mission Statement
   • Program or Course Goals
   • Program or Course Objectives/Outcomes
6. Writing Instructional Objectives
   This section from the University of Connecticut's Assessment Primer site defines instructional objectives in terms of student learning outcomes and then explains how to write program, course, and learning unit outcomes and assessments. Within this section you will learn the difference between course objectives and course outcomes and then how to write clearly defined course objectives and student learning outcomes. The section also explains how to measure whether students have reached the desired outcomes. You can also download the short document titled How to Write Program Objectives/Outcomes.
7. Why Assessment?
   This introductory page from the University of Connecticut's assessment site explains the importance of assessment for a learner-centered approach to teaching. The site includes a framework for colleges to use to develop program, course, and learning unit goals that are consistent with the college's mission statement. The site also explains how to design program, general education, course, and learning unit outcomes and assessments for the benefit of students, courses, and programs.
8. Why Aren't Grades Enough?
   This four-page document is provided by the University of Connecticut's Office of Assessment to explain why grades in courses are insufficient for assessing student outcomes at the program level. The document provides information from North Carolina State University's Office of Assessment, California State University's Office of Academic Programs, and ABET (formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology).
9. Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide
   This interactive guide from the University of Wisconsin provides tools for science, technology, engineering and mathematics instructors to "tell students what . . . is important to learn. The tests commonly used in college science and math courses usually emphasize fact-based knowledge and algorithmic problem solving. Innovative assessment methods emphasize deeper levels of learning and give instructors valuable feedback during a course."
10. Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs
    These "best practices" that were endorsed by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2000 for online programs also apply to traditional classroom instruction.
11. Communication Skills in the Workplace
    This article is reprinted from the March 1996 issue of the North Carolina Conference of English Instructors' CEI Newsletter. The article present the findings of a research study of what North Carolina employers expect of their successful employees. The article also includes the "Five Competencies" recommended by the U. S. Department of Labor, which were published as the SCANS Report. Instructors may wish to use this document to motivate their students to develop effective communication skills.
12. Unique and Significant Contributions of the Humanities
    In 1988, the National Council for Occupational Education (NCOE) and the Community College Humanities Association (CCHA) established the Shared Vision Task Force to examine the potential contributions of the humanities to occupational degree programs. The 2-year national study of community colleges, industries, and professions concluded that humanities courses make 10 contributions to students in applied science degree programs. These contributions help students develop 4 skills required by the workplace: (1) working with others, (2) solving problems, (3) making decisions, and (4) adapting to change. Read this 3-page document for a list and explanation of the "unique and significant contributions of the humanities."