Syllabus Checklist / Templates

The DE Syllabus Standards were developed by a task force of the DE Committee and approved by the Academic Senate in Fall 2015. These standards will help improve communication with students in DE courses and address two accreditation requirements: course quality (by defining how Regular and Effective Contact is maintained in the course), and the verification of student identity (by explaining how students are  authenticated in the course.) All syllabi used in DE courses should contain the components that are in bold and underlined. However, faculty are encouraged to include all standards for a quality syllabus.

The Cuesta College Academic Senate requests that faculty teaching in distance education modality refer to this document when creating a syllabus for a DE course.  The use of this document will assist faculty in adhering to quality standards for student success and to comply with national and regional articulation agreements and the California Education Code.  In order to comply with these Professional Standards, it is recommended that faculty include the components that are in bold and underlined, using any order, formatting, or word choice as appropriate. Text that is not bold and underlined provides examples and additional information for the instructor for use in syllabus construction.  The items with an asterisk may be included in another location, such as a welcome letter, but it is advised that a hyperlink to those items be included in the syllabus.  Instructors should include additional items as necessary for their course.  The Academic Senate also strongly advises instructors to consult with other faculty in the same or similar discipline, as well as other faculty teaching DE and a DE Coordinator or Instructional Designer, when creating a syllabus.

Download the Cuesta College DE_Syllabus_Standards Links to an external site.

Review other Sample Online Syllabus Links to an external site.courtesy of CSU Channel Islands