Course Syllabus Policy

Custodian of Policy: Vice President of Academic Affairs

Relevant Minnesota State System Policy: Board Policy 3.22

Effective Date: Spring 2021

Last Review: Fall 2020

Next Review: 2027

Policy

The course syllabus is prepared to clearly notify students of course content, course requirements, and course expectations. Each student enrolled in a course shall be provided a course syllabus during the first week of class. For courses offered in a condensed format, the timeframe for distribution will be adjusted accordingly.

Definitions

Intellectual Property Rights: The syllabus remains the intellectual property of the professor.

Syllabus: A syllabus is a summary of the main points of a course and includes the following required and optional elements.

Note: In addition to the required elements for the syllabus content below, in accordance with the Course Online Presence Policy, the syllabus must be accessible to students in the campus Learning Management System (LMS).

Required Syllabus Elements:

  1. Course Number, Title
  2. Instructor Information (name, office hours, contact information)
  3. Course Description (from the MSU Moorhead Bulletin)
  4. Required Texts/Readings
  5. Course Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes (from the MSUM published course outline)
  6. Course Requirements (include all extracurricular events with times/dates)
  7. Evaluation Standards/Course Grading Policy
  8. Course Outline or Major Content Areas (from the MSUM published course outline)
  9. Attendance Policy (see also the MSUM Student Absence Policy)
  10. Academic Honesty (see also the MSUM Academic Honesty Policy)
  11. Accessibility Resources policy and required syllabus wording
  12. Sexual Violence Prevention Statement (see below)
  13. Anti-Bias Statement (see below)

Optional Syllabus Elements:

  1. Conceptual Framework
  2. Instructional Strategies
  3. Building Emergency Plan statement.
  4. Other

Sexual Violence Prevention Statement:

Acts of sexual violence are intolerable. MSUM expects all members of the campus community to act in a manner that does not infringe on the rights of others. We are committed to eliminating all acts of sexual violence.

MSUM faculty and staff are concerned about the well-being and development of our students. We are obligated to share information with the MSUM Title IX Coordinator in certain situations to help ensure that the students’ safety and welfare is being addressed, consistent with the requirements of the law. These disclosures include but are not limited to reports of sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking.

If you have experienced or know someone who has experienced sexual violence, services and resources are available. You may also choose to file a report. For further information, contact Kara Gravley-Stack, Dean of Students/Title IX Coordinator, kara.gravleystack@mnstate.edu, 218.477.2391or Troy Schmidt, Assistant Dean of Students/Deputy Title IX Coordinator; troy.schmidt@mnstate.edu, 218.477.2174; both located in Flora Frick 153. Additional information is available at: www.mnstate.edu/titleix

Anti-bias Statement:

Minnesota State University Moorhead has an enduring commitment to enhancing Minnesota’s quality of life by developing and fostering understanding and appreciation of a free and diverse society and providing equal opportunity for all its students and employees. Incidents of hate and bias are inconsistent with the mission and values of MSUM.

MSUM acknowledges that it occupies the ancestral land of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), Dakota (Sisseton, Wahpeton) and Yanktonai Dakota First Nations. We will strive to build toward better relationship between our university and the indigenous people still present with us.

A bias incident is an act of bigotry, harassment, or intimidation that is motivated in whole or in part by bias based on an individual's or group's actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or familial status.

If you are a student who has experienced or witnessed a hate or bias incident, we want to address the incident and provide you with resources. Contact the Campus Diversity Officer, Jered Pigeon at jered.pigeon@mnstate.edu, 218.477.2047, 114 CMU or the Dean of Students, Kara Gravley-Stack at kara.gravleystack@mnstate.edu, 218.477.4222, 153 Flora Frick Hall. Additional information is available at: https://www.mnstate.edu/oscar/

Rationale

Faculty members use course syllabi to organize class information and communicate the instructor's plan for conducting the course. A course syllabus helps clarify course goals and objectives, assessment and evaluation standards, grading policies, and student responsibilities associated with the course. Students use course syllabi as guides to student learning and course expectations.