Policy on Course Syllabuses

To facilitate clear communication about courses between students and faculty, the University of Florida has adopted this policy requiring departments and course instructors to make available for free for each course, a syllabus containing specific information about the structure of the course. Instructors also must submit copies of course syllabuses to the departmental office to document compliance with this syllabus policy.

Please note this policy is not course-content oriented. What individual instructors deem important as technical information in their courses and syllabuses is a matter of academic freedom and best determined by that instructor. The university policy relates only to information that must appear in common in all course syllabuses, independent of course level or discipline.

A. All UF course syllabuses must contain:

1. Course title, instructor’s contact information including office location, telephone number, and email address; TA contact information if applicable.
2. Office hours for the instructor (and TA if applicable) during which students may meet with the instructor(s).
3. Course objectives and/or goals.
4. A weekly course schedule of topics and assignments.
5. Methods by which students will be evaluated and their grade determined.
6. A list of all required and recommended textbooks.
7. Materials and Supplies Fees, if any.
8. Additional requirements are needed for Quest and General Education courses. Please see the General Education Course Syllabus Requirements for more details.
9. A link to academic policies and resources: https://go.ufl.edu/syllabuspolicies, as explained below. 

To support consistent and accessible communication of university-wide student resources, instructors must include this link to academic policies and campus resources: https://go.ufl.edu/syllabuspolicies. Instructor-specific guidelines for courses must accommodate these policies. If you have previously listed these policies separately on your syllabus, you may provide this link in their place to ensure that syllabuses stay up-to-date, reducing administrative burden without compromising student access to current policies and support services.

B. Online course syllabus recommendation:

It is recommended that syllabuses include a statement about preferred methods for public and private communication regarding the course and a method for resolving technical issues (e.g. visit the helpdesk website or call 352-392-4357).

C. The following content is suggested:

1. Critical dates for exams or other work.
2. Class demeanor expected by the professor (late to class, cell phones, etc.).
   
   

D. Additional Information:

Instructors are reminded that any use of students as subjects in research projects MUST receive clearance from the Institutional Review Board's "human subjects" committee PRIOR to beginning the project. This policy also includes any survey research or research done by undergraduate or graduate students for class assignments.

The syllabuses for all courses and sections offered each semester must be posted on publicly accessible websites. A college may choose to meet this requirement by posting all its syllabuses on a single site or on the web pages of individual departments. Syllabuses must be posted at least three days prior to the first day of classes and must be retained on this site for at least three complete semesters (counting summer as a single semester).

Any questions regarding this policy should be directed to Dr. Chris Hass, Associate Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs, at 352-392-4792.