Advance registration ended this week. Though students picked from thousands of course offerings, in most cases they were left to rely on scant descriptions to find out what professors planned to cover.
Undergraduates compared courses by viewing rankings on Penn Course Review, asking advice from friends and checking lists of requirements. These resources alone are not adequate. Imagine if students could access an online syllabus that included a reading list, an outline of concepts covered, major assignments and course expectations - all before registration begins.
The Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, the academic branch of student government, is working to make this a reality. Today, every College, Engineering and Nursing professor, in addition to the provost and the four undergraduate deans, received a copy of SCUE's proposal to place all course syllabi online prior to each semester's advance-registration period.
We believe that students should be given as much information as possible to help them complete the course-registration process. Access to online syllabi before registration will enable all students to make more-informed course selections. Also, by shedding light on lesser-known areas of the course catalog, undergraduates may be more likely to pursue the academic "road less traveled." Furthermore, online syllabi will help new students - both incoming freshmen and transfers - better anticipate the content and workload of classes at Penn.
From a professor's perspective, students will sign up for classes fully aware of the coursework and class expectations, likely reducing the roster shuffling that typically takes place at the beginning of each semester.
This will decrease confusion and catch-up work for students, and will enable professors to delve into substantive material in the first or second lecture, rather than spending more time than necessary on an overview of the course. Posting syllabi online is a win-win situation for students and faculty alike. Wharton faculty are already required to post syllabi on their departmental Web sites, and SCUE's proposal asks the other three undergraduate schools to do the same.
In fact, many of Penn's peer institutions have already increased accessibility to course materials. Harvard University's course register is a centralized listing of courses by department with direct links to the course Web site or syllabus.
Princeton University's Web site features a brief syllabus for every course, complete with course objectives, reading list, major assignments and basic expectations. In a radical move, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has opened its entire curriculum to the public through the OpenCourseWare project - imagine Blackboard or WebCafe opened freely to the world.
Even a small step toward greater transparency would be a refreshing change. Posting syllabi online would demonstrate the University's commitment to increasing access, as articulated in President Gutmann's Penn Compact. In the near future, SCUE hopes to continue working with the administration to improve accessibility by creating a centralized and searchable database of all course information, complete with syllabi, course ratings, curricular requirements and video interviews with faculty.
SCUE continually engages with the administration, faculty and the student body to improve the quality, content and organization of the educational resources that Penn undergraduates depend upon to make the most of their education. Penn Course Review, for example, is one such resource.
For several years, the student-run Web site has lacked the qualitative reviews that add perspective and meaning to the numerical survey data. SCUE tackled the problem head-on, bringing students and administrators together to constructively address the problem. SCUE is proud to report that, as of next semester, the student-run PCR Editorial Board will be writing qualitative course reviews for the first time since 2001.
Students: For these initiatives to succeed, we need your help. Ask your professors to submit their syllabi for posting on departmental Web sites. Take an extra minute or two to fill out the handwritten "Comments" box at the bottom of the Course Review form you will receive in class at the end of the semester.
Your comments will be the basis for the detailed reviews coming soon on Penn Course Review. Posting syllabi online and improving Penn Course Review will dramatically improve the way that Penn students register for courses.
Gabe Kopin is an Engineering junior from Highland Park, Ill., and chairman of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education. His e-mail address is gkopin@seas.upenn.edu.
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