ERIC Number: EJ1063791
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1052-4800
EISSN: N/A
A Legal Analysis and Contrarian View of the Syllabus-as-Contract Perspective
Kaufmann, Kent D.
Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, v26 n2 p177-197 2015
Despite the claim made in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) literature for over two decades that a syllabus is a contract, the courts have uniformly ruled that it is not. While there is no harm in thinking one's syllabus is a contract, there may be legal risk in proclaiming it so. The author provides an analysis of the syllabus-as-contract dilemma as well as a review of the legal precedents. Best practices from contract drafting are applied to syllabus creation to enhance teaching and learning and minimize the legal risks of student grievances.
Descriptors: Course Descriptions, Legal Problems, Contracts, Best Practices, Educational Benefits, Instructional Effectiveness
Miami University. 303 South Patterson Avenue, Oxford, OH 45056. Tel: 513-529-9265; Fax: 513-529-9264; Web site: http://www.muohuo.edu/ject
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A