Sample Syllabus


The Penn State Course in College Teaching


Overview:

This 8-week course provides an opportunity for instructors, professors, and graduate student teachers from all disciplines to share ideas and strategies for successful teaching. The course will include discussion and practice sessions based on information drawn from the teaching and learning literature, as well as from the experiences of each individual participant. The course is designed to allow the class to explore successful teaching and learning as a collaborative group. The course is coordinated by a facilitator that attends each session and provides continuity, while individual sessions are led by different unit instructors from the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence. The course materials and discussions provide you with practical and innovative ways to improve your teaching effectiveness and help you respond to the various learning needs of your students.


Intended Audience:

The course is for Penn State faculty of any rank or status and TAs who are currently teaching or who have recently taught and expect to do so again within the next semester or two. The course is not designed to meet the needs of first-time teachers. If you have questions about course fit, please contact the course coordinator as soon as possible.


Goals:

This course is intended to:

  • help you apply good principles of course design and planning
  • help you integrate teaching and assessment strategies to enhance student learning
  • help you effectively collect, analyze, and use student feedback
  • allow you to reflect on your beliefs and practices about teaching and learning
  • provide you opportunities to discuss teaching experiences and strategies with colleagues
  • familiarize you with resources on teaching and learning available at Penn State

Course Format:

We provide a structured, but flexible, atmosphere for the open exchange of ideas on important issues related to teaching and learning. Our primary instructional methods include discussion, simulation, and group activities, many of which you will help to plan and implement. The methods will vary with each session’s assigned topic, but each session will include time to address issues raised by individuals concerning both classroom experiences and professional development. The course facilitator will attend every session while members of the Schreyer Institute staff will serve as session instructors two consecutive sessions.


Session Format:

Each session is divided into two major components. The first thirty minutes of each class session is facilitated by the course coordinator and is reserved for debriefing and/or peer feedback on assignments. Peer feedback will typically occur in pairs or triads. The second component focuses on a new topic facilitated by session instructors. Session instructors will arrive in class during or after the debriefing/peer feedback segment.


Assignments:

Since the primary goals of this course are self-reflection and practical application, the course assignments are designed to provide participants with the opportunity to do both. Many of the activities and projects in this class have been designed to help you document your teaching so that by the end of the semester you will have a good start on your own teaching portfolio.
The assignments fall into two categories — weekly assignments and certificate assignments. For all assignments that involve a product, participants will have an opportunity to receive peer feedback at the beginning of the class session.

  • Weekly Assignments
    • Readings, questions, and activities pertaining to each session will help you reflect on the issues and articulate your ideas.
  • Certificate Assignments
    These four assignments are collected because they fulfill important course objectives. For more details, see the ANGEL Group site.
    1. course/syllabus revision and analysis
    2. design and analysis of a learning activity
    3. analysis of mid-semester feedback
    4. drafting and analysis of a teaching philosophy statement

Course Certificate:

The Schreyer Institute awards a certificate to participants who:

  • attend at least six of the eight sessions of the Course in College Teaching, and
  • complete the four certificate assignments listed above

While no formal "certification" process exists for college instructors, the Schreyer Institute does provide you with documentation of your participation in this course. The course certificate may be included in your teaching portfolio as evidence of your professional development as an instructor.


ANGEL:

When you register for the course, you will be added to an ANGEL group, which will contain most of the course materials. We will use features of ANGEL such as drop boxes and surveys, and we will discuss the impact of this type of technology on teaching and learning. You can access ANGEL at https://cms.psu.edu/. Log on using your Penn State User ID and password. Under "My Groups" click on the Folder labeled "Course in College Teaching."
Folders in ANGEL are organized by Session Weeks, and each Session Week folder contains the following subfolders:

  • Read for session - lists all things that you will need to read before the session
  • Assignments due by session - contains the instructions for all assignments you will need to prepare for that session, and the instructions and drop boxes for Certificate Assignments that are due by that session
  • Handouts given in session - all handouts and session agendas that will be given to you during the session
  • Optional and Post session - contains resources that you are NOT responsible for in class, but that were mentioned during class

Textbooks:

  1. Diane M. Enerson, R. Neill Johnson, Susannah Milner, and Kathryn M. Plank. The Penn State Teacher II: Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University, 1997.
  2. Wilbert J. McKeachie and Marilla Svinicki. McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. (New copies may be purchased at the Penn State Bookstore on the University Park Campus at the General Reading and Reference counter; new or used copies may also be purchased on-line.)

For those who are interested, the Schreyer Institute also has a large holding of articles and books on teaching. Please ask if you need help locating additional resources.



This publication is available in alternative media on request.

The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation for this course or have questions about the physical access provided, please let the instructor know.

The Pennsylvania State University prohibits discrimination and harassment against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status.