Humanizing Your Course: Creating a Liquid Syllabus

[Video embed] Williamson, Liquid Syllabus, Spring 2021 Symposium

Presenter: Manda Williamson, Psychology

Contact info: mwilliamson3@unl.edu

What

Pacansky-Brock indicates that the week prior to the start of a course affords an opportunity to incorporate kindness cues of social inclusion (Estrada, et al, 2018). The liquid syllabus is designed to "tell" students, that I, as their instructor, am excited to be a partner with them in their learning.

Why

"To intentionally create inclusive welcome in your course, especially for those students who have been shown to experience belongingness uncertainty.

To create a site that welcomes students that can be easily accessed with cell phones.

To create a welcome that doesn't require the burden of logging into an official university Learning Management System, that presents instructors in a more causal framework and offers a transparent, intentional welcome to engage, welcome and calm anxious students. After sending out my own liquid syllabus to my online Introduction to Psychology students, I noticed more than 150 students viewed the page, and 10-15 emailed me directly, before the semester began, to express their appreciation for the google site."

How

"Pacansky-Brock (2014) has a free, publicly accessible Canvas Course that takes faculty through a step-by-step, asynchronous online course that culminates with the creation of their own google site showcasing their fluid syllabus. I have completed this course and will demonstrate its ease of use. This is then emailed to students as a link the week before class begins to provide a course welcome, independent of wifi or LMS requirements."

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