CETLA | Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, & Assessment

During General Registration, students can review previous syllabi before selecting courses. With such knowledge, they should be better prepared to handle their course load. Better preparation, in turn, could reduce the number of Add/Drops. Better preparation could also reduce the number of withdrawals and failures.
Because the database facilitates the exchange of teaching ideas, it can help faculty who are (1) planning to teach an existing course for the first time, (2) teaching multiple sections of the same course, (3) employing the same technologies or similar strategies, and (4) exploring new teaching methods.
Chairs, program directors, and APT committees can see at a glance what their faculty are doing in the classroom without having to store and search through voluminous files of hard-copy syllabi. Using the database’s search engine, they can quickly identify and quantify the use of certain topics, texts, or teaching methods throughout the department for administrative review and annual reports. They can also reduce course content duplication within and across departments.
Because the database is online, chairs will no longer have to discard old syllabi to make room for new ones in their filing cabinets. As a result, archivists and researchers should be able to trace the pedagogical evolution of academic departments and programs.
The syllabus database can simplify the work of the University’s self-study committee as it seeks to assess teaching at Howard. The Provost and other senior administrators should also find it easier to fulfill the requests of accrediting teams for documentation of teaching excellence.

Q 2. Do I still have to give my students the syllabus?

If you choose the ENABLE PRINTING option when you add or edit your syllabus, the printout will become the legally binding copy, so you won’t need to distribute copies in class. However, if you do not enable printing, you will still have to give your students copies in class or via your class website.

Q 3. Do I still have to give my chairperson the syllabus?

You can post your syllabus in the database instead of submitting a copy to your chairperson, unless your chairperson insists on collecting a hard copy. If your chairperson needs hard copies for an accrediting body, at the chairperson’s request, we can enable an accrediting site visit team to view and print a department’s syllabi. If the department is small, we can even provide the printouts.

Q 4. Who can post a syllabus?

Only faculty who are currently assigned courses within Bison Web can post syllabi and only their OWN syllabi. For security reasons, faculty members must log into Bison Web to post a syllabus. If you are team-teaching and your teaching assignment does not appear in Bison Web, email cetla@howard.edu for advice.

Q 5. Where can I post my syllabus?

You can post your syllabus while on or off campus. If off campus, you can post via any Internet service.

Q 6. What do I need to know to post a syllabus?

You need to know your Bison Web ID and password so that you can log into Bison Web. If you don’t know yours, contact Ms. LaTrice Covington in Enrollment Management (lacovington@howard.edu). However, as you will see from the instructions below (see Q6), you do NOT need special computer skills to post in the database. The procedure is user-friendly: Bison Web will automatically fill in most of the fields in the syllabus entry form; you only have to copy and paste your syllabus into the window and—if you wish—check boxes for optional fields.

Q 7. How can I post my syllabus?

It’s easy! Just follow the instructions posted below under How to Access the Syllabus Database.

Q 8. What will the syllabus look like when it has been posted?

Now that we have added a "rich text box," your syllabus will look the same: It will retain any special highlighting or formatting (e.g., boldface, italics, bullets, exponents, or active hyperlinks).

Q 9. When should I post my syllabus?

We urge you to post before or soon after classes begin. One reason we integrated the database into Bison Web was to make posting convenient: You will see the link to add your syllabus in Bison Web when you log in to view your class rosters for the new semester.

Q 10. What if my syllabus is already posted in Blackboard or on the Web?

You will still need to copy and paste the syllabus into the database entry form so that your syllabus will be accessible and permanent. However, if you want to refer users to your Blackboard or class website, you may type the URL in the “Personal Web Site” field on the database entry form.

Q 11. Can I edit my syllabus?

You can edit the syllabus during the current semester.

Q 12. Can I post syllabi for previous semesters?

No.

Q 13. What should I do if I have trouble posting?

Contact CETLA (cetla@howard.edu or 202-806-0870) or, for hands-on assistance, drop by during the Open Lab hours posted on our calendar (see OUR CALENDARS on our homepage, http://www.cetla.howard.edu ). Do not waste time struggling on your own; please contact us at the first sign of trouble.

SEARCHING FOR A SYLLABUS

Q 14. How can I search the database?

It’s easy! Just follow the instructions posted below under How to Search the Syllabus Database.

Q 15. What should I do if I have trouble searching?

Q 16. Who can access my syllabus?

Only Howard University faculty, staff, and students can access your syllabus.

Q 17. Could someone print, copy, download, or edit my syllabus?

To protect your intellectual property, the database was designed to prevent users from printing, copying, downloading, editing, and even “screen capturing” someone else’s syllabus. However, if they wish, faculty can allow their students and other HU users to print out their syllabi.

How to Add a Syllabus to the Database

Click here to watch a video.

Note: To access the media player controls, scroll down when the video begins.

To add your course syllabus to the database

1. Log into BISON Web and select FACULTY SERVICES from Banner’s main menu.

2. Select COURSE SYLLABUS ADD/EDIT from the Faculty Services menu.

3. Select the semester and year from the drop-down list.

4. Click on the ADD link to open the syllabus database entry page.

5. Another window will open. Open your syllabus file in your word processor and click on SELECT ALL (1) then COPY (2).
(Note: If you have MS Word 2007, see the next picture.)

In MS Word 2007, you will find SELECT ALL on the far right…

.....and COPY on the far left.

Then on the Syllabus Database page, right-click in the specified field and select PASTE.

Note: The CRN, SECTION, COURSE NUMBER, COURSE TITLE, SEMESTER, YEAR, SCHOOL, DEPARTMENT, and INSTRUCTOR fields should be filled automatically. If they are not, follow the directions on the page.

You may add PERSONAL WEB SITE and EMAIL information.

6. Select the instructional methods you use. Then click SUBMIT to enter your syllabus into the database. You will return to BISON Web.

How to Edit a Syllabus in the Database

Click here to watch a video.

Note: To access the media player controls, scroll down when the video begins.

Click on the EDIT link to open the database edit page.

How to Search the Syllabus Database

Note: The system uses pop-ups to display the results of your search, so you may have to disable your pop-up blockers to view the results. (See http://www.nacubo.org/x4242.xml for help.)

1. Click SYLLABUS SEARCH PAGE on CETLA's homepage.

2. Login.

3. Enter your search criteria and click the SUBMIT button.

ID01 Syllabus Tutorial

Below are resources that can help you design a syllabus that conforms to Howard University guidelines (Office of the Provost, 1997) and promotes effective teaching, learning, and assessment. If you successfully complete the following sequence, you can also earn professional development credit.

1. View a Sample Syllabus and Award-Winning Syllabi across the Disciplines

2. Check Your Current Syllabus or Build a New Syllabus

3. How to Access the Syllabus Database

4. Email CETLA to Request Credit

Additional Resources:

Angelo, Thomas A., and K. Patricia Cross. “Teaching Goals Inventory.” <http://www.uiowa.edu/~centeach/tgi/background.html>. An interactive module that will help you identify your course goals.

Howard University Assessment. 2003 March. 2 August 2004 <http://www.howard.edu/assessment>. A template that helps you specify your goals, objectives, and performance criteria to prepare you for assessing an academic unit or course.

Howard University Special Student Services. 2002. 8 August 2004 <http://www.howard.edu/administration/studentspecialservices/disabledstudents.htm>. A site that lists ways that you can accommodate students who have disabilities (see "Accommodations").

“Syllabus.” Online College Teaching. San Francisco State University 2004. 2 August 2004 <http://oct.sfusu.edu/design/syllabus/index.html>. A comprehensive module on constructing syllabi.

World Lecture Hall. 2 August 2004 <http://www.utexas.edu/world/lecture/>. An easy-to-search database of syllabi from around the world.

Tutorials

Post Your Syllabus in the HU Database

Syllabus Database FAQs

How to Add a Syllabus to the Database

How to Edit a Syllabus in the Database

How to Search the Syllabus Database

ID01 Syllabus Tutorial