Many of the decisions affecting the success of a course take place well before the first day of class. Careful planning at the syllabus design stage not only makes teaching easier and more enjoyable, ...

Both minimalist and maximalist approaches to syllabus design have their proponents: concise syllabi are easier to navigate, while detailed ones offer a more precise picture of the course structure.

A syllabus has many audiences—department chairs, Core committees, colleagues—but it should serve students, its most important audience. A well-designed syllabus does much more than convey policies: ...