Now, having a decade+plus in high school teaching and a decade+plus in college/university teaching, I can state that creating syllabi in both locations is very different. In higher education, the plan-of-action needs to be delivered on day one so that the undergraduate/graduate students can plan accordingly. The syllabus becomes the blue print for the semester and the objectives for each course, already known, need to be met by the actions of every time an instructor meets with the students.
In high school, that is usually 180 days. In a college setting, that can be 12-15 times a semester, depending on holidays. Each class matters.
I awoke yesterday feeling a wee-bit better and decided it was time to finish one syllabus and tackle another. I'm teaching a new course this semester - Action Research - and I'm really excited for the knowledge it will afford me as a brilliant crew of graduate students work with me on their own pursuits. We are not a doctoral-granting graduate school, so it is not the norm of research that I learned while at Syracuse University. Still, the graduate students are capable of incredible scholarship and I'm anxious to pursue with them their individual interests, as we read Efrat Efron, Ruth Ravid, Django Paris, and Maisha Winn (amongst so many others).
As I'm putting together the syllabus, however, I'm realizing how important the document actually is. There is a tremendous amount of planning backwards and knowing where I want them in May, I need to lay out a plan of action every week from now until then so they can get there.
It's not as rough with the courses I've already taught, but a bit trickier for the new one --- because I don't know what the pace is supposed to feel like.
It's all good, though, because I couldn't be happier by the new course on my agenda. I am hoping I will learn as much as they will.
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