MODEL FOR PROFESSIONAL COURSE SYLLABUS
College of Veterinary Medicine
Texas A&M University
INTRODUCTION: The following model is provided to the CVM faculty teaching courses in the professional curriculum to help develop a more standardized syllabus, to show what should be included in a course syllabus, to share with faculty what others are using and to meet our legal requirements. Instructors have the academic freedom to set forth additional requirements and grading in their courses and this model is only a basic guide to support them.
VXXX 9XX COURSE SYLLABUS
Name of the Course
Fall or Spring Semester – 200X
INSTRUCTORS:
Names of the Instructors in the Course and include the Course Coordinator. You may want to include Office Number, Telephone Number, E-mail Address and Office Hours.
MEETING TIMES:
Lectures: Give the time and days of the week.
Laboratories: Give the time and days of the week for each class section
CLASS/LAB LOCATION: Provide this if you know at the time of preparing the syllabus.
CREDIT HOURS: X Hours
REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS:
Title, Author, Publisher
Class Notes – May want to indicate where these are to be purchased
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
List these as appropriate and provide any explanation as to the
source and use of these materials.
EQUIPMENT:
List any needed equipment or instruments, such as those for anatomy,
surgery, clinical skills, etc.
COURSE GOAL(S): Provide the overall course goal or goals
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Provide the overall objective for the course
SPECIAL PROVISIONS:
In this section, you may list special provisions that apply to the course or laboratories, such as the laboratory procedures for anatomy, clean-up requirements, care of teaching materials, class or laboratory review sessions, etc.
ATTENDANCE:
Instructors may use their own wording here or use the wording in the Professional Student Handbook. It would be appropriate to refer the students to the Professional Student Handbook for the official college policy on Excused and Authorized Absences. Class and laboratory attendance may also count in the evaluation and grading policies for the course. Attendance during major, mid-term and final examinations should be stated, as well as make-up examinations. The Professional Student Handbook includes language that requires a doctor’s documentation for missing a major or final examination.
EVALUATION/GRADING OF THE COURSE:
This section and wording should be very specific as to what criteria will be used and how the students will be evaluated and graded. Specific wording on how the final grade will be determined should be included and you may want to list the points. You will want to make a statement about whether or not you post the grades and the new use of the Web CT for grade posting. Include wording about review of examinations or any re-grading and the time frame for this to occur, requirement for attendance, use of pop-quizzes and how they would count in the final grade, instructions for take-home examinations, policy on make-up examinations may be included here or under Attendance or both, how subjective evaluation may be used, other factors you may want to use.
HONOR CODE AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS:
Instructors are referred to the Professional Student Handbook for introductory wording and specific quotations. Most course syllabi contain the following introductory wording from the Professional Student Handbook: “Since the integrity of the veterinary medical profession is a reflection of the sum of the integrity of its members, veterinary medical students should conduct themselves…..in an exemplary ethical and professional manner.” Other suggested wording for the specific course may include: Scholastic dishonesty, in any form, will not be tolerated. There is no situation that warrants cheating and all professional students are expected to uphold complete scholastic honesty and integrity and should never consider cheating. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, looking at examination of another student, consulting notes or references during an examination, providing information or seeking information from another student during an examination or between laboratory and written examination sessions, accessing an unauthorized website during an examination, plagiarism, etc.
The CVM faculty approved an Honor Code Statement to be included on all examinations and the wording below is required to be in the course syllabus.
On all examinations, students are required to confirm their compliance the College Honor Code by writing and/or signing the following statement:
“On my honor, I have neither given nor received an aid on this examination.”
(Student Signature)
A student who does not sign this pledge will be asked to do so before the examination will be graded. The pledge serves as both a commitment to scholastic integrity and as a reminder to the student and the instructor of the College Honor Code. Absence of the signed pledge does not remove an examination from coverage by the College Honor Code.
Many instructors include the following: The instructor reserves the right to dismiss from the course and administer a course grade of “F” to any student involved in incidents of scholastic dishonesty.
ADA POLICY STATEMENT: (Required Statement in the Syllabus)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe that you have a disability requiring accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life Services for Students with Disabilities in Room 126 of the Koldus Building promptly at the beginning of the semester. The phone number of this office is 845-1637.
HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL STATEMENT:
This statement is included in the gross anatomy courses and may be obtained from the department or instructors who teach these courses. The policy on Pregnant Women in the Professional Student Handbook may be restated here in this section.
MISCELLANEOUS:
The instructor may include items here that deal with dress and professional grooming, hats and caps, use of tobacco products, classroom behavior and other issues as appropriated.
CVM COURSE EVALUATION:
All instructors are asked to include the following: “All students are expected and requested to complete the CVM Course Evaluation Form on the website near the end of each semester. Students will be notified by e-mail and in class when the Evaluation Forms are to be completed.”
CLASSROOM COMMUNICATION FORM:
This form may be attached with the following instructions: “A copy of the Classroom Communication Form is attached and students should feel free to use this form should they feel the need arises during the semester.”
Instructors may obtain a copy of this form from the Office of the Associate Dean for Professional Programs or from the TAMU website.
OTHER OPTIONAL ITEMS TO INCLUDE
LECTURE/LABORATORY SCHEDULE AND TOPICS:
Some instructors attach the course schedule per lecture topic and the assigned instructors teaching on the specific dates or the specific laboratory schedule and the procedures or topics being covered.
STUDENT EXPECTATION:
Some instructors define the student expectations as to what they are expected to know coming into the course from previous courses, to do in the course being taken, etc.
PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING:
A number of instructors include a statement regarding their personal philosophy of teaching and how they relate to the class and to students.
(This has been given as a model for instructors to use and to consider when writing the syllabus. An instructor is free to customize the syllabus to meet the course needs, provided that the required elements such as grading, ADA, Honor Code, etc. are included. A course syllabus is a University requirement and forms a contract with the student. Therefore, it is an important document which the instructor should carefully construct, have reviewed by peers and adhere to throughout the course.)
