Syllabus Detail and Students' Perceptions of Teacher Effectiveness

• Published in: Teaching of psychology Vol. 37; no. 3; pp. 186 - 189
• Main Authors: Saville, Bryan K., Zinn, Tracy E., Brown, Allison R., Marchuk, Kimberly A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-07-2010; Routledge; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: College Faculty; Course Descriptions; Educational Psychology; Higher Education; Likert Scales; Student Attitudes; Students; Teacher Behavior; Teacher Effectiveness; Teaching; Undergraduate Students; Virginia; Virginia
• ISSN: 0098-6283; 1532-8023
• DOI: 10.1080/00986283.2010.488523

Although syllabi provide students with important course information, they can also affect perceptions of teaching effectiveness. To test this idea, we distributed 2 versions of a hypothetical course syllabus, a brief version and a detailed version, and asked students to rate the teacher of the course on qualities associated with master teaching. Students in the detailed syllabus group rated the teacher as possessing more of these qualities; they were also more likely to report that they would recommend the course to others and take another course from the teacher. Thus, in addition to serving a communicative function, a detailed syllabus might signal to students that their teacher is competent and wants them to do well.