The Welcoming Syllabus: A Tool to Begin Connecting With Your Students
Your syllabus is your first opportunity to connect with students before they walk into your classroom, before introductions, and before the semester truly begins. While it must include essential policies and requirements, your syllabus can do so much more than fulfill institutional obligations. Effective syllabi create an immediate sense of connection between instructor and student. They communicate not just what will happen in the course, but who you are as an educator and how you view your students as learners and people. A welcoming syllabus sets the tone for the entire semester, signaling that students belong in your classroom and that their success matters to you.
Guided by insights from the Persisting Together Learning Community, this workshop focused on practical strategies for transforming your syllabus from a formal requirement into a genuine connection tool. We explored how to weave warmth into policy language, introduce yourself authentically, and design course information that makes students feel seen and supported from day one.
Drop-In Sessions
We are also offering drop-in sessions for syllabus feedback (no registration needed). Facilitated by Alivia Overbee and Riley Coffee, both recent EMU graduates, current master’s students and members of the Persisting Together learning community, these sessions will allow you to receive direct student feedback on your syllabus draft.
These sessions will be hybrid (in 109 Halle and on Zoom), and will occur on:
- Thursday, August 14th from 4:30 to 6 PM
- Friday, August 15th from 10 to 11:30 AM
For the drop-in sessions, please bring copies of your syllabus (completed or a draft), or email them to us at [email protected] if you are dropping by virtually.