4.7 | Warm and Welcoming Tone
Whether you decide to use the Cañada Course Template Syllabus or design your own, you will want to demonstrate a warm and welcoming tone of voice to help students feel that they have entered into a nurturing learning environment. Students will likely read the syllabus before the first day of class. Writing your syllabus with a warm and welcoming tone will influence how students develop their first impressions of you and your course. In an article by Harnish & Bridges (2011), Links to an external site. the authors emphasize how using a warm tone throughout your syllabus can help students perceive you as a more approachable and motivated instructor. As you develop your syllabus, consider using language that clarifies your guidelines for the course in an open, understanding, and supportive way. This will help to foster positive motivation and reduce unnecessary stress for student.
Please consider the following examples:
| Cold Language | Warm Language |
|---|---|
| If you need to contact me out side of class... | I welcome you to contact me outside of class... |
| Students are required to attend all course sessions | We highly encourage students to attend all live lectures, but we will also post recordings to Canvas for students who cannot attend. |
| Some of the skills you should learn in the course include... | Some of the skills I hope you will learn throughout the course include... |
| Late work will be penalized by 50% | Late work is still eligible for 50% partial credit |
Works Cited
- Bridges, K, Harnish, R (2011). Effect of syllabus tone: students' perceptions of instructor and course Links to an external site.. Published 18 March 2011. Accessed 22 October 2021.
- Building an Inclusive Syllabus. Stanford Teaching Commons Links to an external site.. Accessed 22 October 2021.
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