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Syllabus Elements

Instructions

When submitting a course proposal via curriculum.osu.edu, in addition to filling out the form, please attach a syllabus template document that adheres to the standards outlined below.

Rationale: This template was created in order to provide course developers with clear guidelines when creating courses and to make transparent ASC faculty curricular committee expectations for course approval. The guidelines are also intended to increase the expediency of the course approval process by streamlining the content and order in which committees and administrators see and enter course-related data.

Items are sorted into two categories: syllabus elements required for ASCC Subcommittee review and elements required for operational syllabi. Items required for ASCC Subcommittee review will be examined by the ASCC Subcommittees and evaluated during the course approval process for all in-person syllabi. Additional elements required for operational syllabi should be included on syllabi when distributed to students. 

If you have an existing operational syllabus which contains all the elements below, you may submit that document in lieu of this template. 

Exception: For variable “Topics” course proposals, at least two sample syllabi are required.

Required for ASCC Subcommittee Review

  1. Course number and title
  2. Format of instruction (e.g., in-person lecture, recitation, lab) and number of contact hours per week
  3. If the course is a GEN (New General Education) course, it must include the following:
    1. the GE category or categories it fulfills (e.g., GEN Foundation: Historical and Cultural Studies)
    2. the "GE Goals and Expected Learning Outcomes" boilerplate language pertaining to the appropriate area(s)
    3. a statement beneath these that explains how the course will satisfy the stated GEN Expected Learning Outcomes
  4. A description of the course
  5. A list of required texts and other course materials, and information on where they are available
  6. Information about the length and format of all papers, homework, laboratory assignments, and examinations
  7. Grading information, indicating the percentages assigned to various requirements
  8. A weekly topical outline of course meetings, including topics to be covered, readings, film screenings, and homework (The committee wants a sense of how much work is required of students.)
  9. All syllabi must have either a link to the statements below or these statements written out in their entirety within the syllabus. Syllabi should link to the Office of Undergraduate Education's Syllabus Policies & Statements webpage and/or copy-and-paste the below statements from the Office of Undergraduate Education's website.
    1. Academic Misconduct
    2. Student Life - Disability Services
    3. Religious Accommodations
    4. Intellectual Diversity

Additional Elements Required for Operational Syllabi (i.e., syllabus distributed to students) 

  1. A space for the instructor's contact information, including name, office location, phone, e-mail, and office hours
  2. A space for the name and contact information for the course coordinator, if the syllabus is standard for several sections
  3. A space for the meeting days and times and classroom location
  4. A grading scale
  5. Information about the scheduling of examinations and due dates for assignments
  6. A class attendance policy
  7. OPTIONAL: Instructors are welcome to include any other standard and/or recommended syllabus statements found on the Office of Undergraduate Education's Syllabus Policies & Statements webpage which they deem relevant for their course. 

(ASC Syllabus Template approved by the ASC CCI 5/9/08; revised ASCC 4/11/14; revised 11/13/15, Summer 2016 and Summer 2017; revised 09/23/2022; revised 09/08/2023; revised 03/01/2024; revised 08/29/2025)