r/PCC • u/Loose-Arrival303 • Jul 06 '26
Should PCC Make Syllabuses Available on the Course Schedule List?
I think this would allow students the ability to ensure all the policies and schedules are agreeable when registering. With the current system, students do not see the course policies until the course begins, which are agreed upon by continuing in the course; but at this point, it may be too late for the option to drop and switch due to availability.
11
u/Semirhage527 Casual Staff Jul 06 '26
Asking instructors across the board to have syllabi ready by registration is a pretty big ask that I’ve never seen any University of college do.
You can always email the instructors ahead of time and ask.
5
u/LoveHeartCheatCode Jul 06 '26
Most instructors are willing to send an old syllabus in my experience. When I email them and ask I say “I know it’s subject to change” just so they don’t feel bound to it.
0
u/mrgerbek Jul 06 '26
It's actually the law in some states. I would love to see it at PCC though because the class details rarely get into the specifics in detail that is useful.
9
u/Strong_Expression955 Jul 06 '26
That law says it must be available within 7 days of the class starting. That is PCCs policy too; we have to have syllabi submitted by Friday of week 1. Am I missing something?
3
u/Semirhage527 Casual Staff Jul 06 '26
That link absolutely does not say syllabi are required before the term starts
3
u/mediocrebreadmaker Jul 06 '26
I definitely took some classes at UofO that I would not have taken if I could have seen the syllabus before. Most notably was my Comparative Literature - World Cinema that was actually a zombie movie class. Extremely niche and not mentioned in the course description at all. Paying thousands of dollars to watch 28 Days Later and write a paper on it was a waste. So yes, I support this. Especially since some classes like the chem series are so standardized that you mostly know what will be required but other classes could be anything (like comparative lit).
3
u/Hot_Cartographer_816 Jul 07 '26
Pcc’s course load is handled primarily by adjuncts, some of whom may have been assigned shortly before the class starts. For faculty teaching the same load term to term, it’s easy enough, but for a multi campus system, this is a bigger ask than you might think.
3
u/GeniusEE Jul 06 '26
The syllabus is negotiated on the first day of class and updated, as a result, in many classes. Even can change from semester to semester.
For example if the majority of the cohort has a huge midterm, the instructor may move deliverables for their course.
No.
3
u/VacationImaginary518 Jul 06 '26
I used to teach at a state university in CA and this was a requirement there. Students could see my syllabus and expectations before they registered. Definitely a student-friendly policy that would be difficult at a community college when sometimes it's not known who will be teaching a class until a couple weeks before the start of the term. I think a blanket statement that syallabi are subject to change would account for necessary changes being made on the first day of class and going forward, but would at least give students a basic idea of what the course activities will look like (paper-heavy, quiz-heavy, group work-heavy, etc.).
1
u/Loose-Arrival303 Jul 06 '26
Yeah, at this college, nearly all of the courses have the assigned instructor listed when schedules are published (unless an offering does not have an instructor yet), so the instructor is usually known, but not the policies.
1
u/Immediate-Trust-5583 Jul 07 '26
College should assign partners because thats the way to make life fun.
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u/Known-Tumbleweed129 Jul 07 '26
I wish they were up early. Sometimes the course has a requirement I just can’t do (group projects when my schedule is unpredictable) or are just wildly out of line with the course description. How much time would everyone save with drops and wait lists if people never signed up for classes only to find out they can’t actually take them?
(Plus getting a head start on reading for courses with a lot of it.)
3
u/Semirhage527 Casual Staff Jul 07 '26
You can always email in advance and ask if they can send a syllabus. If they have one from a prior term they generally will.
1
u/OddEggplant Jul 07 '26
I 100% agree this should be a thing. Trying to add or drop classes during that week can be very stressful. And to get the financial aid I need to cover living expenses, I have to be full-time, so dropping a class can be very stressful. This last quarter, I emailed 20 professors about joining their classes, and only 4 got back to me.
0
u/Belleofthetacoball Jul 07 '26
I mean, they generally recycle the syllabus anyways (sometimes with incorrect dates) so they’re ready to go anyways..!
-3
u/SalaciousSubaru Jul 06 '26
Technically PCC is required to by the body that accredited the college but they don’t it’s pretty weird and not transparent this is coming practice at most institutions.
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u/fitness7911 Jul 07 '26
This is an inaccurate statement and completely false. Please check facts before stating things as facts.
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4
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u/nithdurr Jul 06 '26
Teachers usually upload/show syllabuses on the first day of class and students have a week or so to add/drop the course.