Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Cornelia Lang, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education; Christopher Cheatum, Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences; and Roland Racevskis, Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities

To: DEOs, DGSs, DUSs, and faculty


The CLAS syllabus template has been revised for Fall 2024. (As a reminder, CLAS is no longer using the syllabus insert.) Unless noted, the elements on this syllabus template are required for undergraduate and graduate syllabi.

The highlighted yellow text on the syllabus template provides instructors with additional guidance and examples; this text should be reviewed by instructors as they build their syllabus and should be removed or adjusted as appropriate. Instructors are free to add images, rearrange required syllabus elements, and/or address students directly (i.e., use second person) to best convey their course content.

Syllabus Requirement
As a reminder, the University of Iowa and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences require that every organized course has a syllabus and that the syllabus follows the university requirements for information provided. Syllabi should be available to students on the course ICON site at the first-class meeting or otherwise given to students by that date, if not provided earlier.

Departmental Review of Syllabi
DEOs must review all syllabi to ensure compliance with UI and CLAS policies. This review should be completed before the start of the semester so corrections may be made before the first day of classes.

Significant Updates to Note for the Fall 2024 Syllabus template:

  • Website Migration: CLAS’s website migration this summer means that old links to policies and information on clas.uiowa.edu might not be accurate or functional anymore. The links to CLAS websites in the syllabus template have been updated. If you are working from older syllabi, please remember to test and update links.
  • Textbooks and Course Materials: Some additional information about Follett Discover and ICON Direct, as well as links to textbook and materials policies and how-tos, are now included in the syllabus template. Please review!
  • Classroom Participation and Exams: More ideas about classroom participation and sample language about studying for exams have been added to the syllabus template. Feel free to use/modify/remove as appropriate.
  • Mental Health Resources: CLAS continues to encourage instructors to draw students’ attention to the language on mental health resources in this template at the beginning of the course and frequently throughout the semester. Students have a large network of mental health resources available to them, including options for 24-hour support, group counseling, individual counseling, recovery support, ongoing wellness, and more. See mentalhealth.uiowa.edu for additional information.
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools and Teaching Resources: Advances in AI generation technologies are rapidly evolving and have impacted all aspects of higher education. The university has developed general resources about AI and AI tools, a summary of AI Tools and Teaching resources, and guidance on the use of AI in the classroom. Some of the most important takeaways related to AI tools and teaching include the following advice:
    • Provide students with clear instructions about permissible AI uses, as well as specific guidance on academic integrity policies related to the use and misuse of AI tools (provide examples of various AI tools to help students understand which tools are powered by AI technologies).
    • Instructors also should initiate ongoing conversations about AI tools policies throughout the semester.
    • Students must understand how they can appropriately use AI tools and other resources in their work, as well as how to cite or acknowledge their use of these tools.