The Syllabus Doctor is a small freelance consulting service specializing in accessible, learner-centred syllabus and assignment design for philosophy and humanities courses in university and college educational contexts. Consultations are available on a fee-for service basis, and can help instructors and course designers:
- Design new syllabi.
- Improve accessibility of existing syllabi (for both learners and instructors).
- Make courses more student-centred.
- Improve workload manageability (for both learners and instructors).
- Redesign a course to resolve a particular problem.
- Design or re-design assessments to meet pedagogical goals.
- More effectively utilize available LMS and other e-learning resources.
- Improve work-life balance through planning and time-management.
- Serve as an outside resource – because sometimes two heads are better than one.
The Syllabus Doctor’s services aim to design syllabi and assignments that meet the needs of both instructors and learners using the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Designing flexible and personalized learning pathways facilitates authentic, accessible and learner-centered experiences, which in turn lead to improved learning outcomes. We help humanities instructors design courses that meet the needs of both instructors and students.
Whether the course is designed as a 10-student seminar or a 300-person lecture course, whether remote, hybrid, or in-person, whether using Blackboard, Moodle, or Brightspace, the Syllabus Doctor aims to facilitate the design of personalized and accessible learning pathways that suit the needs of both students and instructor. A well-designed and well-paced course with accessibility and flexibility designed at the outset can improve student retention, learning outcomes, and teaching effectiveness, and we are here to help.
J. Szende
J. Szende is a Toronto-based philosopher, writer, teacher, climber, and parent. She has a PhD in philosophy, and has been designing and teaching university courses in southern Ontario for over 10 years. She has completed a certificate in Instructional Design from the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, and has completed the Instructional Skills Workshop through the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at Toronto Metropolitan University.