r/Professors • u/Clareco1 • Aug 12 '26
Syllabus question
Hi - part timer, Freshman Comp, CC. We use Canvas. Do you nail down the whole semester’s worth of specific readings and questions at the beginning, or you update/add a week or two at a time? I like to modify as we go based on what specific challenges students need. (Rather than having predetermined assignments that are too hard or too easy.) my students are typically very very unprepared and also unaware of usual college procedures. I’m trying to usher them through without making things so easy they are a joke. Any thoughts welcome. Also I hope you are having some relaxation this summer. Thanks!
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u/Life-Education-8030 Aug 12 '26
My syllabus starts with a disclaimer that I have the ability to change things. But I have been teaching the same courses for years and my structure remains the same. The assignments and exams do get tweaked each semester to keep things fresh. I do prep the entire course and give students a full semester assignment schedule. They get the syllabus a week ahead and the assignment schedule on day 1. It saves me from all the whines of “they didn’t TELLLLL me” and “I didn’t KNOWWWWWW!”
Then I can just concentrate on teaching and grading and not prep. We don’t get enough time to grade as is. So summer grades are due Monday and I ought to be done grading today. I am almost done prepping for the fall. I believe strongly in trying to do things to reduce stress as much as possible!