Learner-Centered Syllabus as

a Teaching-Learning Tool

John Addy S. Garcia

Counseling and Educational
Psychology Department
 Characterizing your course
Think of a metaphor to characterize your
course and its place in the larger
curriculum or the broader intellectual and
professional development of your students
 Characterizing your course
How does your metaphor illuminate
certain aspects of your course?
What does your metaphor reveal about:
 How you view the function of content
 Role of power in the classroom
 Role of the teacher
 Students’ responsibility for learning
 Purpose and processes of student evaluation
How much do you know your learners?

Are you responsive to the needs of your

students?
Is your teaching still relevant for your
learners? How do you know that the
way you still indeed is still relevant?
Is your teaching behind the times, with
the times, or ahead of our times?
How well do you know
your students?

Let’s take a test

 Do you know the meaning of
1.ROTFL
2.B4
3.LOL
4.POS
5.CUL8R
6.GNSTDLTBBB
 Do you know the meaning of
7. ;-)
8. >:-(
9. ^5
10.(((((name)))))
11.(::()::)
12.@[_]~~
Why Learner-Centered Education

Students are unique and learn

differently from how their teachers
learned when they were still students
But most teachers teach their students
(implicitly) the way the teachers prefer to
learn
UNDERSTANDING LEARNER-
CENTERED PRINCIPLES
 How does LC Teaching view Learning?
(McCombs and Whisler, 1997)

1. Learners are distinct and

unique. Their distinctiveness
must be attended to and taken into
account if learners are to engage in
and take responsibility for
their own learning.
How does LC Teaching view Learning?
(McCombs and Whisler, 1997)

2. Learners’ unique differences include their

emotional states of mind, learning rates,
learning styles, stages of development,
abilities, talents, feelings of efficacy; and
other academic and nonacademic
attributes and needs. These must be
taken into account if all learners are to be
provided with the necessary challenges
and opportunities for learning and self-
development.
How does LC Teaching view Learning?
(McCombs and Whisler, 1997)

3. Learning is a constructive
process that occurs best when what
is being learned is relevant and
meaningful to the learner and when
the learner is actively
engaged in creating his or her
own knowledge and understanding by
connecting what is being learned with
prior knowledge and experience.
 How does LC Teaching view Learning?
(McCombs and Whisler, 1997)

4. Learning occurs best in a

positive environment, one
that contains positive
interpersonal
relationships and interactions,
that contains comfort and order,
and in which the learner feels
appreciated, acknowledged,
respected, and validated.
 How does LC Teaching view Learning?
(McCombs and Whisler, 1997)

5. Learning is a fundamentally natural

process; learners are naturally
curious and basically interested in
learning and mastering their world.
Although negative thoughts and
feeling sometimes interfere with this
natural inclination and must be dealt
with, the learner does not
require ‘fixing’.
 Teacher-centered vs. Learner-
centered Paradigms (Huba and Freed, 2000)
Teacher-centered
Knowledge is transmitted from
professor to students.
Students passively receive
information.
Emphasis is on acquisition of
knowledge outside the context in
which it will be used.
Professor’s role is to be primary
information giver and primary
evaluator.
Teaching and assessing are
separate.
Learner-centered
Students construct knowledge through gathering
and synthesizing information and integrating it with
general skills of inquiry, communication, critical
thinking, problem solving and so on.
Students are actively involved.
Emphasis is on communicating knowledge
effectively to address enduring and emerging issues
and problems in real-life contexts.
Professor’s role is to coach and facilitate.
Professor and students evaluate learning together.
 Teacher-centered vs. Learner-
centered Paradigms (Huba and Freed, 2000)
Teacher-centered
Assessment is used to monitor
learning.
Emphasis is on the right answers.
Desired learning is assessed
indirectly through the use of
objectively scored tests.
Focus is on a single discipline.
Learner-centered
Assessment is used to promote and
diagnose learning.
Emphasis is on generating better
questions and learning from errors.
Desired learning is assessed directly
through papers, projects,
performances, portfolios and the like.
Approach is compatible with
interdisciplinary investigation.

Culture is competitive and Culture is cooperative, collaborative,

individualistic. and supportive.

Only students are viewed as learners. Professor and students learn together.
 LC Syllabus
Requires evaluation of current teaching
beliefs and practices
 5 Key Changes to Practice
(Weimer, 2002)

Balance of Power
Role of power in the classrooms
 Who exerts power
 Why do they exert it
 What are the effect and benefits of
having them exert the power
 5 Key Changes to Practice
(Weimer, 2002)

Role of the Teacher

How willing are you to step aside and let
your student take the lead
 Learning has become more
Active
Collaborative
Cooperative
Inquiry-based
 5 Key Changes to Practice
(Weimer, 2002)

Responsibility for Learning

Students must learn to accept their
responsibility for learning
 Which involves developing
Intellectual maturity
Learning skills
How to function as independent and
autonomous learners
 5 Key Changes to Practice
(Weimer, 2002)

Evaluation Purposes and Processes

Clarifying the goals of student evaluation
 To generate grades AND promote learning

 Assessment of learning
 Assessment for learning
 Assessment as learning
What are the functions of your course syllabus?

ANATOMY OF A SYLLABUS
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Establishes an early point of contact and

connection between student and instructor
 Encourage interaction between instructor and
students, and among students
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Helps set the tone for your course

 Communicate your attitudes toward students
and learning
 are you open to questions, concerns and
dialogue?
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Describe your beliefs about educational

purposes
 Explains
The orientation of the course (process or product)
How the orientation determines your expectations of the
students
How the course structure reinforces goals and objectives
How learning activities will help students
to meet both product and process goals
Describe learning strategies and techniques
you will use, and the rationale for using them
The criteria and standards for student
performance and output
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Acquaints students with the logistics of the

course
 Informs students what to expect and how
they can be prepared for each class meeting
 Helps student plan their work
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Contains collected handouts

 Organizes course handouts
Helps students keep all course materials together
and accessible
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Defines student responsibilities for

successful course work
 If students have a clear idea of what they
are expected to accomplish, when, and
even why, they will more likely to finish
requirements within a reasonable time
and be appropriately prepared for classes
and exams
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Describes active learning

 Describes what it is meant to take an active role in
learning
 Describe your role as a teacher
Content expert
Formal authority
Socializing agent
Facilitator
Role model
Experienced learner
Resource consultant
Coach
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Helps students to assess their readiness

for your course
 Give students idea about
What they should already know
What skills they should already have before taking
your course so that they can realistically assess
their readiness
 Give information about
Challenges students will face
The assumed skill level, the skills they will build
upon, and skills they will learn from the course
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Sets the course in a broader context for

learning
 Provide information on how the course fits
within the discipline or profession
the general program of study
Students’ own educational plans
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Provides a conceptual framework

 Include questions and issues for students to
think about that range from major issues or
key questions in the discipline to the meaning
of a significant passage in course reading
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Describes available learning resources

 List services, facilities, and resources that
students may use
 Specify where to access those resources
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Communicates the role of technology in

the course
 Describe the technology resources/tools to be
used in your course and how you will use
them
Monitoring
Discussion
Evaluation, etc.
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Can expand to provide difficult-to-obtain

reading materials
 Provide articles for students to read, and
supplemental information not found in course
texts (especially when comprehensive
literature is not yet available on the topic)
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Can improve the effectiveness of student

note taking
 Provide outlines, and tips for note-taking and
studying
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Can include material that supports

learning outside the classroom
 Provide strategies to help students interact
more critically with the textbook,
supplemental reading, or other resources to
help them prepare better for the class
Self-check assignment
Writing assignment that promotes critical thinking
Focus questions
Functions of a Course Syllabus
(Grunert, 1997)

Can serve as a learning contract

 Defines what the course will cover, how you
will facilitate it, what students are expected to
submit
 Should conform with institutional policies
Goals of LC syllabus (Diamond, 1998)

Define students’ responsibilities

Define instructor’s role and responsibilities
Provide goals and student learning
outcomes
Establish standards and procedures
for evaluation
How to create a Learner-Centered Course Syllabus?

WORKSHOP
 Workshop Guidelines
You will create LC syllabi for courses you
teach, then evaluate your product
Worksheets
 Syllabus Template Guidelines
 Syllabus Worksheet
 Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy guide
 Checklists
 Workshop Guidelines
You will create LC syllabi for courses you
teach, then evaluate your product
Tasks
1. Read the guidelines
2. Use the Taxonomy to formulate objectives
and align contents
3. Use the worksheet to create sample syllabus
4. Assess your work using the checklists
5. Compare output with a seatmate
 LC syllabus
Communicates a course organized in such a
way as to encourage student participation,
discovery, and construction of knowledge
Promotes a broader scope of criteria for
success
Underscores teaching/learning strategies
that are multifaceted, experiential, and
collaborative
 LC syllabus is based on a set of principles that is
consistent with the The Seven Principles for Good Practice
in Undergraduate Education (Chickering & Gamson,
1997):
1. Encourage contacts between students and faculty.
2. Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students.
3. Use active learning techniques.
4. Give prompt feedback.
5. Emphasize time on task.
6. Communicate high expectations.
7. Respect diverse talents and ways of learning.
We now see that our mission is not instruction
but rather that of producing learning with
every student by whatever means work best
(Barr & Tagg, 1995 on the New Paradigm for Undergraduate Education)