Day one
It is important to have rules and policies of your class in the syllabus and have them sign a "received syllabus" form so they cannot say they never received it and have no clue about the rules.
Making sure all of the rules of the class such as make up policy, attendance policy, class content and expectations are all covered day one so they cannot come later with confusion of the rules. Letting the class know that you are avialable to work with them and to contact you for questions makes them feel more at ease about being nervous taking a new class.
Hi Helen,
Good way to get a class started and to reduce confusion/frustration on the part of the students. Having them sign that they have received and reviewed the syllabus containing the course requirements gives evidence that they know the expectations.
Gary
Another good policy to follow is to place your syllabus online (if this is an option for your school). That way if students lose the hard copy of the syllabus, they always have access to it online. This cuts down on students saying they never received it since it is always available online.
Hi Ashley,
Good advice for instructors. Just one more potential communication point between students and instructor.
Gary
