Equitable Syllabus Design Series: Topic Intro | Part 1 | Part 2
Equitable Syllabus Design
Key Takeaway
At a Glance
Quick overview of the teaching strategy and what it involves.
A syllabus, as an academic guide, curates basic information about a course. As equity-minded educators, through the syllabus, we can give all our students opportunities to succeed, regardless of one’s starting point and social location (Ambrose et al., 2010; Center of Urban Education, 2020). Equity-mindedness is also a set of practices we employ to ensure we are creating an inclusive classroom and not unintentionally recreating structural or systemic inequities (Refaei & Kumar, 2021; Denaro et al., 2022).
What Research Shows
Key findings from research studies about the effectiveness of this strategy.
Educational researchers stress that a syllabus can be viewed as: a first impression to a course (Gannon, 2018, 2020); a learning tool for students to familiarize themselves with common practices, outcomes, and expectations (Gannon, 2020; Slattery & Carlson, 2005); a communicative tool of classroom norms, practices, language, and conduct (Harnish & Bridges, 2011); a contract and document of accountability between instructor & students (Foraciari & Lund Dean, 2014; Center of Urban Education at the University of Southern California, 2020); and a site for transformative change and an equity tool to disrupt historical norms (Zanotti, 2020).
- 80% of UCD students agree or strongly agree that diversity is important to them.
- 63% of UCD students agree or strongly agree that they feel comfortable with the climate for diversity and inclusiveness in their classes (UCUES, 2022).
Actionable Teaching Strategies
Concrete ideas and activities instructors can implement immediately in their courses.
Consider these guiding principles for equity:
- Demystifying. Make the information easily understandable and accessible to the students by questioning and removing assumptions within one’s syllabus design (e.g., “Any student would know about the function of office hours”).
- Welcoming. Use warm inclusive language and tone (e.g., I encourage you all to turn in your papers on time…) instead of using cold punishing language (e.g., late papers will NOT be accepted).
- Validating. Affirm students’ ability to succeed and capability of achieving their desired education and other professional goals.
- Creating partnership. Help students see the relevance and value of their learning experiences in order to foster a collaborative environment where students feel respected, empowered, and motivated to succeed.
- Representing. Incorporate photos of the authors of readings to showcase the backgrounds of knowledge discussed in class.
- Deconstructing. Create assignments that provide opportunities for the students to think critically about their assumptions and stereotypes about different social positions and their privileges or disadvantages.
Student Voice
Comments and experiences from students about how this approach affects learning.
- “I was really excited about our reading list for this class and enjoyed reading content from someone who shares my identity.”
- “On the first day, the professor really explained the course objectives, why they were important for work beyond this class, described their expectations, and linked us to all kinds of support available from them and on campus. This helped me meet expectations and stay on track.”
Reflect on Practice
Questions to help you adapt the strategy to your own classroom context.
- How does your syllabus represent and welcome all students’ backgrounds in the classroom?
- How do your syllabus and course materials encourage students' engagement and motivation to learn course content?
- How does your syllabus clearly express a teaching philosophy, awareness, and commitment to support the academic successes of diverse students?