COURSE DESIGN

SYLLABUS AND GRADING SYSTEM

by :

Gesia Afifah Ayu Wulandari (18340049)

Ema Aryani (18340050)

 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

MUHAMMADIYAH UNIVERSITY OF METRO

SEPTEMBER 2019
 PREFACE

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All praised be to Allah,
Lord of the world, who always guides and protects his in every step of his life.
Because of his guidance, blessing, and love, finally, we could finish this paper.
Peace and salutation forever to a noble character, Prophet Muhammad who has
brought the human beings from the darkness to the lightness and from the bad
character the good one.

We would like to express our deeply gratitude and appreciation to our lecturer
Aulia Hanifah Qomar, M.Pd. who kindly helped and suggestion during the
process of writing this paper.

At last but not least, we realize that although we made our best effort, this
paper is still far from perfect. Therefore, any constructive criticism and
suggestions for enhancement of this paper are highly appreciated. Then, we really
hope that this paper is able to give contribution to the readers and useful for for
the teaching and learning process.

Metro, September 19th 2019

i
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE .......................................................................................................................... i

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................. iii

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1

1.1 The background of the paper ........................................................................ 1

1.2 The formulation of the paper ........................................................................ 1

CHAPTER 2. DISCUSSION ............................................................................................ 2

2.1 The definition of syllabus and grading system ............................................. 2

2.2 The components of syllabus .......................................................................... 7

2.3 The practice of composing syllabus ............................................................ 10

CHAPTER 3 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 14

REFERENCES................................................................................................................ 15

ii
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. The background of the paper

As an effort to manage and improve human resources, the government must

have care to improve the planning, management and implementation of education
in their respective regions. In addition, the demands of globalization in the field of
education also need to be considered so that the results of national education can
compete with developed countries. This must be realized in the development of
the syllabus and its implementation which is adapted to the demands of students'
needs, school conditions, and regional conditions. Thus, the area or school has the
authority to design and determine the things to be taught, the management of
learning experiences, how to teach, and to assess the success of a learning and
teaching process. Along with the efforts to empower regional and community
participation in the management of education.

The government has imposed autonomy in the field of education which is

realized in PP No. 25 of 2000 article 2 paragraph 2 which states that the
government (central) has the authority to compile curricula and assess learning
outcomes nationally, matters relating to their implementation are developed and
managed by implementers in the regions, especially in the second level regions
and schools.

This means that the regions need to prepare a syllabus by elaborating on the
standards of competence and basic competencies in the form of a syllabus and
learning implementation plan, which contains relevant local material, and the
preparation of regional curricula that are in accordance with local conditions,
needs and potential.

B. The formulation of the paper

1. What is the definition of syllabus ?

2. What are the components of the syllabus ?

1
3. How to compose the syllabus?

2
 CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

A. The Definition of Syllabus and Grading System

a) The Definition of Syllabus

a. The Definition

According to Wikipedia, syllabus (/ˈsɪləbəs/; plural syllabuses or syllabi)

or specification is an academic document that communicates information
about a specific course and defines expectations and responsibilities. It is
descriptive (unlike the prescriptive or specific curriculum). A syllabus may be
set out by an exam board or prepared by the professor who supervises or
controls course qualities. There are seven essential components to an
academic syllabus: Instructor information, General course information,
Course objectives, Course policies, Grading and evaluation, Learning
resources, and the Course Calendar (Syllabus, 2018).

Functionally, a syllabus is a contract between the Department—for

which you act as proxy—and your students. The Department makes
decisions about how to best educate students in its discipline and
subdisciplines. A curriculum is designed by the Department and qualified
instructors (that’s you) are hired to teach that curriculum using their best
judgment about the specific content to be included in individual courses and
best pedagogical approaches for each course. Each course syllabus
constitutes an agreement between the instructor and her students as to course
content, requirements, course policies including grading, and the course
calendar. Each instructor enjoys academic freedom with regard to the design
of the courses they teach. Attending academic freedom are certain rights as
well as responsibilities. You have the right to design and teach courses as
you see fit and the responsibility to design and teach those courses according
to their titles and catalog descriptions as well as the most current knowledge
and best pedagogical practices associated with your field or discipline. To the

3
best of your ability, you should design your courses in ways that are
responsive to your students’ abilities, prior knowledge, and preparation.
There is plenty of room for variability between syllabi designed by different
instructors within multiple sections of the same course as well as across
different courses. There are, however, common elements that each syllabus
really should include in some form, as well as some policy information that
the University requires its instructors to include (What is Syllabus?, ).

b. The Purpose

The syllabus ensures a fair and impartial understanding between the

instructor and students such that there is minimal confusion on policies
relating to the course, setting clear expectations of material to be learned,
behavior in the classroom, and effort on student's behalf to be put into the
course, providing a roadmap of course organization/direction relaying the
instructor's teaching philosophy to the students, and providing a marketing
angle of the course such that students may choose early in the course whether
the subject material is attractive.

Many generalized items of a syllabus can be amplified in a specific

curriculum to maximize efficient learning by clarifying student understanding
of specified material such as grading policy, grading rubric, late work policy,
locations and times, other contact information for instructor and teaching
assistant such as phone or email, materials required and/or recommended such
as textbooks, assigned reading books, calculators (or other equipment), lab
vouchers, etc., outside resources for subject material assistance
(extracurricular books, tutor locations, resource centers, etc.), important dates
in course such as exams and paper due-dates, tips for succeeding in mastering
course content such as study habits and expected time allotment, suggested
problems if applicable, necessary pre-requisites or co-requisites to current
course, safety rules if appropriate, and objectives of the course. [

A syllabus will often contain a reading list of relevant books and articles
that are compulsory or optional for students to read. As an indirect effect of

4
 this, scholars can count how many online syllabi include their works as a way
of estimating their educational impact (Syllabus, 2018).

b) Grading System (Dede Chrismaylindra, 2018)

Assessment of basic competency achievement of students is based on

indicators. To develop an assessment instrument, the indicators must be
considered first. In this assessment activity there are three important
components, namely assessment techniques, the form of instruments, and
examples of instruments:

1. Assessment Techniques

Assessment is a series of activities to obtain, analyze and interpret the

process and student learning outcomes carried out systematically and
continuously so that it becomes meaningful information in decision
making to determine the level of success in achieving predetermined
competencies. What is meant by assessment techniques are the methods
adopted to obtain information about the processes and products produced
by learning conducted by students.

There are several techniques that can be performed in the framework

of this assessment, which can be broadly categorized as test techniques
and non-test techniques. Test techniques are a way to obtain information
through questions that require correct or incorrect answers, while non-test
techniques are a way to obtain information through questions that don't
require right or wrong answers.

In carrying out the assessment, the compiler of the syllabus needs to

pay attention to the following principles:

5
 a. The selection of the type of assessment must be accompanied by
aspects to be assessed so as to facilitate the preparation of the
questions.

b. Assessment is directed to measure the achievement of indicators.

c. Assessment uses reference criteria; namely based on what students

can do after students follow the learning process, and not to
determine a person's position towards the group.

The planned system is a system of continuous assessment.

Continuous in the sense that all indicators are billed, then the results are
analyzed to determine the basic competencies that are already owned and
those that have not, as well as to determine student difficulties.

The assessment results are analyzed to determine remedial actions,

in the form of a remedial program. If the student has not mastered a basic
competency, he must follow the learning process again, and if he has
mastered the basic competency, he is given the task of enrichment.

Students who have mastered all or almost all of the basic

competencies can be given the task of learning the next basic
competencies. In a continuous assessment system, the teacher must make
a comprehensive grading and assessment design for one semester using
appropriate assessment techniques.

Assessment is carried out to balance various aspects of learning:

cognitive, affective and psychomotor by using various assessment
models, both formal and informal, on an ongoing basis. Assessment is a
process of gathering and using information about student learning
outcomes by applying sustainable principles, authentic evidence,
accurate, and consistent as public accountability.

Assessment is the process of identifying the achievement of

competencies and learning outcomes expressed through a clear statement

6
 of the standards that must and have been achieved accompanied by a map
of student learning outcomes.

Assessment is oriented towards Competency Standards, Basic

Competencies and Indicators. Thus, the results will provide an overview
of the development of competency achievement. Assessment is carried
out on an ongoing basis (planned and carried out continuously) in order
to get a complete picture of the development of mastery of student
competencies, both as a direct effect (main effect) and the accompanying
effect (nurturant effect) of the learning process. The assessment system
must be adapted to the learning activities undertaken in the learning
process. For example, if learning uses a field observation task approach,
assessment must be given both to the process (process skills) such as
interview techniques, and products / results by conducting field
observations in the form of information needed.

2. Instrument Form

The form of the instrument chosen must be in accordance with the

assessment technique. The written test can be in the form of an essay /
description test, multiple choice, entry, match and so on. In addition to
written tests, oral tests are also recommended in the form of instruments
for assessment techniques. This oral test is usually in the form of a list of
questions. Then there are performance tests, which can be in the form of
identification tests, simulation tests, and product quotation tests, work
procedure testing, or product and procedure quotation tests.

After determining the test instrument has been considered

appropriate, then the test instrument is written in the matrix column of
the syllabus available.

3. After determining the shape of the instrument, then an example is made.

Examples of instruments can be written in the available syllabus matrix
column. However, if seen as difficult because the available columns are

7
 insufficient, examples of assessment instruments are placed in the
appendix.

B. The Components of Syllabus (Laura Crowder, 2017)

A syllabus sets the stage for course development and management. The
construction of a well-defined syllabus makes the development and
management of an online or on-campus course much easier.

Both face-to-face and online syllabi should include instructor information,

course description, course objectives (or course outcomes), course
methodology, grading criteria, grade computation and course policies. In
addition, the syllabi for both face-to-face and online versions of the same
class should provide identical course descriptions and course objectives,
because most accrediting bodies (especially regional ones) require that all
sections of a course, regardless of the delivery method, assess students
equally. The most significant differences between the two types of syllabi
typically appear in the course methodology, grading criteria, and course
policies.

a. Instruction Information
Regardless of whether you teach an online class or a face-to-face class,
you should make your contact information readily available on your syllabus.
All syllabi should include the instructor’s name, e-mail address, phone
number, and office hours. The relevance of other contact information depends
on the type of class. For example, if you teach a face-to-face course, you
should include your office location; if you teach an online course, you should
tell students how they can reach you. In a face-to-face course, you generally
can expect that students will discuss matters with you before class, after class,

8
or at your office during office hours. In an online course, however,
synchronous sessions with students do not provide sufficient privacy for
personal student discussions before or after the session. Online students also
may not live close enough to walk or drive to your office or be available to
meet during your traditional daytime office hours. For an online course,
therefore, you must change how and when you are available.

b. Course Description
A course description is a brief summary statement or paragraph about the
nature of a course. Well-written course descriptions use active voice, whole
sentences, and direct statements. To ensure consistency across sections and
instructors, all instructors should take course descriptions directly from their
institution’s catalog.
c. Course Objectives (Course Outcome)
Course objectives, or outcomes, detail the specific goals of the course as
they relate to student performance. Strong course objectives are specific,
measurable, clear, and related. To be specific, objectives must identify the
information students will learn in the class. To be measurable, objectives must
identify the performance that students must demonstrate for mastery. To be
clear, objectives must articulate the sum of knowledge addressed in the course.
Finally, to be related, objectives must logically coexist, building on one
another and/or complementing each other.
d. Course Methodology
Course methodology refers to how the class approaches student learning.
Many online courses feature a variety of learning methods, including readings,
case studies, tests, quizzes, and discussions. Describing the course
methodology gives students some expectation of the materials they will use to
learn in the class. It also gives students the information they need to determine
how well-suited they are for the course.
e. Grading Criteria
Many students focus their attention on the section of the syllabus that

9
lists the grading criteria. Adult learners especially value having clear
guidelines they can follow as they complete their class work. Therefore, you
should spend time writing unambiguous grading criteria for each method you
will use to grade students.
f. Grading Computation
The grade computation section of the syllabus is the second section to
which students give considerable attention. You should specify the value of
each graded item in the course so that students know how to weight their
focus in the class.
g. Course Policies
Many institutions use standardized syllabi with predefined course
policies; however, instructors often must rewrite course policies designed for
face-to-face courses to make them relevant for online courses. For example,
attendance policies that discuss tardiness and use of cell phones do not apply
to most online courses.
h. Attendance
Students must access the online course regularly to ensure that they
receive the most up-to-date announcements. The learning management system
reports each participant’s access times so that instructors can track student
attendance. Students who access the course only one or two times per week
may receive less consideration if they request extensions or make-up exams.
It is in the best interest of each student to log in daily and actively participate
in the course.

10
 CHAPTER III
CONCLUSION

Syllabus is a form of learning plan that is arranged systematically and

adjusted to the learning that will be implemented to achieve the learning
objectives themselves. The contents of the syllabus with regard to the
components contained in the syllabus are the syllabus identity, competency
standards, basic competencies, subject matter, indicators, learning
experiences, time allocation and learning resources and assessment
(evaluation).

14
 REFERENCES

Chrismaylindra, Dede. 2018. Silabus dan Kisi-Kisi Penilaian. Accessed on 20th

September 2019 from https://dedechrismaylindra16.blogspot.com
/2018/04/makalah-silabus-dan-kisi-kisi-penilaian.html

Crowder, Laura. 2017. Components of a Syllabus (Online and On-Campus

Courses). Accessed on 21th September 2019 from
https://ctl.learninghouse.com/components-syllabus-online-campu s-courses/

. 2019. Syllabus. Accessed on 20th September 2019 from

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syllabus

. What is Syllabus?. Accessed on 19th September 2019 from

https://uwaterloo.ca › sites › ca.english-teaching-portal › files › uploads › files

. Silabus dan Sistem Penilaian. Accessed on 21th September 2019 from

https://silabusdansistempenilaian-140612234200-phpapp02.pdf

15