Multi-sectioned courses taught by several faculty can pose a special challenge for both students and instructors because they can be taught in different modalities, different locations and by different instructors who may have unique teaching approaches. It is important to ensure equitable treatment of students across all sections of a course which includes promoting similar course content, similar readings and assessments, and similar grading scheme.
One approach is to develop a master syllabus which includes a standardized set of assignments, grading scale and weighting, and common textbook. All instructors then follow the same syllabus, assessment techniques, and grading scheme. However, issues of academic freedom, delivery methods, course content interpretation, campus cultural nuances, resource availability and student learning differences may sometimes make it impossible or inadvisable to standardize every aspect of course delivery.
Below are some suggestions for fostering consistency across sections of a course if the context does not enable the “one size fits all” approach:
Initial Steps for Course Coordinator
Form a course learning community that includes a faculty coordinator (someone who has experience and success with teaching this course or similar ones), the other instructors for the course, and (ideally) students who have taken the course and might wish to serve as undergraduate associates.
Schedule multiple meetings at least one semester prior to the course being offered. These initial meetings should focus on ensuring that all instructors know and trust one another and understand the outcomes and expectations for the course.
Set up a communication channel for all instructors each semester so that instructors can ask questions and receive answers promptly as they are planning and teaching the course.
Create a repository of key documents such as syllabi, assignment prompts, rubrics, and other materials that would be useful to instructors. The repository could be a Canvas project site or shared Google folder which all instructors can access.
Schedule at least one meeting for the course learning community during the semester when the course is being taught to troubleshoot issues that arise and at least one meeting following the semester to debrief lessons learned and changes to be made for improvement.
Instructor Meetings
First Meeting and Critical Steps
Below are critical steps that need to be taken to comply with minimum accreditation requirements:
Review (or develop if this is a new course) a set of required learning outcomes. Make sure that everyone lists the outcomes in their syllabi for the course.
Develop and use either a master syllabus or (if you don’t have a master syllabus) a template for the course syllabus so that all sections have a similarly structured syllabus which includes similar information. A good template can be found on the “Designing Your Course Syllabus” webpage on the Office of the Provost website.
Ensure that all syllabi include critical items: basic course description, learning outcomes, attendance and academic integrity policy, information about disability services, grading scale, course texts and materials, assignments and weighting, and weekly schedule.
Additional Meetings and Topics to Explore
In your meetings with instructors, take time to discuss and come to agreement on the following:
Learning Outcomes
What do the outcomes mean to you? Can they be worded more clearly?
Which are most important to you, and why?
What approximate percentage of time in the course should be dedicated to each?
How are they measured or assessed?
Course Readings
Which textbook should be used? If using different texts, how do they compare? Are they advancing similar outcomes and content?
If there is no textbook, what readings should be assigned? If there is any variation among sections, are the readings equivalent in terms of content, rigor, tone and length? Is the cost for the course materials to the student roughly equivalent? What adjustments need to be made to ensure greater consistency?
Examinations and Other Assessments
What assessments (assignments) do you have in your section?
Which ones seems to work best, and why?
Would it be possible to assign similar exams and assignments across sections?
Is the expectation for writing and other assignments equivalent across sections? How adjustments might you make to ensure greater consistency?
Is the weighting of the examinations and assignments across the different sections similar?
What grading criteria or rubrics do you use? Are they consistent across sections? How might you make them more consistent?
