“Syllabus schmillibus Part 2”

If you haven't been in college for a while, think back to what you remember about the syllabus. Not much? Students often treat it like a handout someone gives you outside the supermarket about a cause they're not interested in. They nod, take it and toss it.

But it could be much more than that. A place to set your expectations about attendance, assignments, and behavior: and, perhaps more importantly for the new professor, it can serve as a way to head off problems, thus, saving precious time.

Students also expect a semester outline these days. Including even tentative one (and it should be tentative; things change once class begins) addresses the inevitable "what are we going to cover and when" questions.