Course Design

This page includes a checklist of essential syllabus elements, reflective questions to align your syllabus with your teaching philosophy, and links to equity-minded and accessible syllabus design resources.

Syllabus Template

Tips for Teaching – these one-pager tip sheets – relevant for teaching remotely and face-to-face focus on one topic and include resources (links) with greater details:

• Building a relationship/connection with students - Questions to ask before class
• Preparing students for your class
• Preparing for your first day class
• Moodle Tips From Student
• Active learning while physically distancing
• Teaching Incoming Students
• Effective Feedback Methods
• Improving our teaching using student feedback
• Designing Course Outline (Syllabi)
• What to include in your course outline (syllabi)
• Suggestions for Moodle Layout
• Statements about mental health services that can be added to syllabi
• A guide for the first day of class (in person, synchronous and asynchronous)
• Discussion Groups for Teaching Online & In-Person (Hybrid)
• This is a collection of practical ideas for Ice Breakers, Workshops & Events, Obtaining Feedback or Evaluation
• Inclusive Classroom Checklist - Easy, Medium, and Hard suggestions made related to Indigenization, decolonization, and cultural diversity, as well as potential accommodations for students with diverse abilities and learning styles.
• An extensive list of resources that address, Decolonization and Indigenization, Two Eyed Seeing, Support for Diversity and Minority Students, Health & Counselling
• Best Practices for Teaching Large Classes
  • Building an Interactive Classroom
  • Taking Care of The Details

St Francis Xavier University offers a variety of resources for teaching online successfully. Below are a list of resources. 

• IT Services Teaching Remotely
• MyLabApps – Software available for download
• Changes to Test Services Corrections methods and protocols
• Online Course Delivery Methods and Resources Guide
• A list of suggested hardware for teaching online
• Fundamentals of effective online teaching practice – reflecting on instructor presence, social presence, and cognitive presence.
• Learn more about differentiating synchronous and asynchronous classes

Tips for Teaching Remotely

These one-page tip sheets focus on one topic and include resources (links) with greater details:

• Organizing Moodle
• Building Community
• Asynchronous Teaching
• Synchronous Teaching
• Discussion Boards
  • ​Discussion Board - Providing Clear Direction
• Bandwidth vs Immediacy​
• Connecting Assessment To Learning Outcomes
• Creating An Assessment To Foster Student Learning
• Best Practices For Online Teaching
• Recording Lectures_Best Practices
• Using Chosen Names in Online Classrooms
• Building Bridges With Online Learners

Using Collaborate for your Online Classroom

• Asking students how they are feeling in your online class
• Breakout Rooms
• Checking in on your students in your online class
• Creating and using the whiteboard
• French Translated Collaborate Document
• Opening slides for your first class
• Tips for building effective PowerPoints
• Tour of the Online Classroom (basic features)
• Discussion Groups For Teaching Online & In-Person