Creating a Syllabus

Syllabi must include the following (see also ' Syllabus Requirements'):
-meeting pattern/credits
-approved SBCs
-faculty contact information/office hours
-course description (while there is no maximum length, a good rule of thumb is that descriptions should be 150 words or less)
-prerequisites
-course objectives/student learning outcomes (for assistance formulating Student Learning Outcomes, contact CELT)
-assignments
-methods of assessing student achievement, including assessment rubrics
-basis of grade determination (assignment weights and how assignments factor into the final grade)
-grading scale
-bibliographic and other resources
-other course policies required by Stony Brook (see Office of the Provost Required Syllabus Statements )

Sample Grading Scale (note: D- is not a valid grade option for undergraduate courses; D+, D, and D- are not valid grade options for graduate courses):

A 100-92%; A- 91.9-90%

B+ 89.9-87%; B 86.9-82%; B- 81.9-80%

C+ 79.9-77%; C 76.9-72%; C- 71.9-70%

D+ 69.9-67%; D 66.9-62%

F 59.9-0%

Student Learning Outcomes:
Student learning outcomes establish what will be measured and assessed at the course, program, and institutional level, and are the building blocks for assessment. Good Learning objectives may be turned into an assessment question.

Student learning outcomes are specific, outcome based, measurable statements that describe the learner's behavior after instruction (e.g. The student will be able to calculate match probability and index paternity using genetic data). 

For assistance formulating Student Learning Outcomes, contact CELT. 

A syllabus:
-Articulates what students can expect to learn, how they will be assessed, and what skills they can expect to have at the end of the
course
-Articulates what students will need to do to complete the course successfully (assignments, weights, and how those weights translate into final grades)
-Articulates policies that will guide both the faculty member and the student in the course