Meaning and Definition of a Syllabus
A framework and report of materials to be comprised in an education or training course are called a syllabus. It is a part of the curriculum that gives a brief narrative of the main points of discourse and the subjects of a course of lectures.
The syllabus may vary from one state to another and one board to another. Each educational board has its own syllabus. Every state follows its syllabus. State boards are specific to each state and follow a separate syllabus and grading system. For example, Tamil Nadu has a uniform syllabus for all schools under the state education system; it is the central theme of Samacheer Kalvi, and the current syllabus is an outcome of it. There is a standard syllabus for classes from 1 to 10 under the state syllabus.
The Purpose of a Course Syllabus
- It Helps to design and simplify the course
- Acquaints you to students
- Demonstrates why students should take your course
- Defines the various aspects of your course
- Determines how students will develop by completing the course
- Communicates the course’s nature and content to faculty/administrators
- Renders a documented report of your teaching career
Why is Syllabus Essential?
A syllabus gives information about the course, assignments, class schedule, office timings, due dates etc. This will help students to plan and organise their work accordingly. A syllabus is necessary for both instructors and students to make their communication easy and effective. It is essential to understand the syllabus to perform well in the course. The syllabi differ from one state to another, and each state has its own syllabus under the state education system. They designed textbooks according to their syllabus. For example, Tamil Nadu has introduced a standard syllabus for all schools from classes 1 to 10. Tamil Nadu state education board had designed Samacheer Kalvi Books to cater for the requirements of the students. In this way, the syllabus is necessary for all these reasons:
- Meet deadlines
- Be ready for class
- Understand assignments
- Know how you will be ranked
- Maintain your time
- Stay composed
- Combine with professors and classmates
Benefits of a Course Syllabus
- It stabilises contact between instructors and students by asserting the goals and objectives of the course to be obtained at the end.
- It sets the tone for the course by streamlining the content of the course
- It finally incorporates the knowledge that will expedite the academic success of the students
- It outline’s a student’s responsibilities for completing the course
- It implicates students of the course structure, goals and learning results
- The overall development of students depends on teachers. So it defines the teacher’s duties towards students development
- The syllabus describes the activities that support learning outside the classroom
How does the Syllabus Help Students to Prepare for the Course?
- Students should carefully read the whole syllabus to get an idea of the course structure at the beginning of the course session.
- Students should not waste their time learning irrelevant topics. So, before starting a chapter, they should make a list of the issues prescribes in the syllabus for that chapter.
- Students can plan their schedule according to the syllabus and weightage is given to the various sections. This will help the students to decide how much time to be spent on each section.
- Students can ask their teachers to help when they are unclear about the syllabus. Because sometimes, it is difficult to understand the instructions mentioned in the syllabus.
- Students can make use of the syllabus to have an idea about the topic and decide how much time they should spend on particular topics.
A good syllabus meets specific requirements, occupies inherent elements, and solves critical issues. However, some syllabi accomplish all these functions reasonably well.