
Convincing Students to Read the Syllabus
It seems like the most basic of course tasks: reading the syllabus. Yet, so often, student don’t do it. If
August 2026



August 3, 2026 | By Regan A. R. Gurung
August 3, 2026 | By Kellie M. Kuhn, Robert K. Noyd, and Daniel W. Detzi
August 3, 2026 | By Robert Macy and Ray Eddy
“Feedback must become a basic component of course design. Since grading drains the teacher’s time to design assignments, monitor results, and make improvements, its importance must be downgraded. Ultimately instructors can best aid the feedback process by designing assignments with clear, relevant objectives, and redesign them in light of students’ learning. That requires sophisticated disciplinary knowledge and knowledge about the biological and psychological processes of learning. All that’s demanding, but the acquisition and correction of such knowledge is the exciting intellectual core of teaching.”
—Larry D. Spence, Maybe Teaching Is a Bad Idea

It seems like the most basic of course tasks: reading the syllabus. Yet, so often, student don’t do it. If

Imagine signing up to take a really exciting trip. It could be roaming the African savanna, strolling the Himalayan foothills,

Getting feedback from students can help you build a better syllabus. They’re the ones you’ve designed it for. They’re the
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$19.00 $14.00/month
for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.
$19.00 a month thereafter. Cancel anytime.