SGA bill asks instructors to post syllabuses to WebAdvisor

SGA unanimously approved a bill Tuesday night which could require USD instructors to post tentative syllabuses about their classes on WebAdvisor.

This would allow students considering enrolling in a course an opportunity to learn more about it, said the bill’s main proponent, SGA President Sami Zoss.

Zoss said the purpose of the bill is to help “students to know what they’re getting into when they sign up for a class,” but would also reduce the class drop rate, which she pegged at 42 percent between Jan. 11 and 25, 2016.

Zoss said the high drop rate is “fixable” by arming students with more knowledge about the classes.

“When you have a class that’s just a midterm and a final, you are going to treat that so much differently than a class that’s three tests, two papers and a project,” Zoss said. “The perks for students is just ten-fold.”

The proposal is not solely to help students, though, because Zoss said instructors will also reap the benefit of having fewer students abandon their classes.

“I really do believe that it’s going to be able to severely decrease that initial drop rate,” Zoss said. “I mean, 42 percent (drop rate), that’s not fun.”

The idea of a WebAdvisor syllabus requirement was originally conceived during last fall’s Building On Our Successes and Talents (BOOST) Conference, whose purpose was to devise ways to improve student success.

One of the recommendations of BOOST, she said, was to get syllabuses to students before they begin a class.

Instructors teaching courses at the 100-level won’t be required to post tentative syllabuses, because students are required to take those classes and wouldn’t necessarily have to make a choice whether or not to take that course, Zoss said.

The proposal will be presented by Zoss to the Faculty Senate today. The fate of the bill there is unclear, but Zoss remains hopeful.

“It’s a huge student success tool, and it’s not hindering them (faculty and instructors) at all,” Zoss said.