Mohamed Khider University, Biskra

Faculty of Arts and Languages

Department of English
Module: syllabus design
Level: Master II Semester One
Teacher: Dr. SAIHI H.
Lecture I : introduction to syllabus design

A syllabus is a basic contract between the instructor and students, laying out
the responsibilities and expectations on both sides. It is also a road map that
shows the general contours of the course, important milestones, and the
landmarks that will let students know they are on the right road.

1. Definition of syllabus design

According to main scholars, syllabus design is defined as follow:

Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p. 80)

syllabus at its simplest level “as a statement of what is to be learnt”

Widdowson (1990, p. 127)

“the specification of a teaching programme or pedagogic agenda which defines a particular
subject for a particular group of learners . . . a syllabus specification, then, is concerned with
both the selection and the ordering of what is to be taught”

Wilkins' (1981)
syllabuses are "specifications of the content of language teaching which have been
submitted to some degree of structuring or ordering with the aim of making teaching and
learning a more effective process.

Breen (1984)
"a plan of what is to be achieved through our teaching and our students' learning”.

Nunan (1999,73)
"a syllabus consists of list of content to be taught through a course of study. key tasks for
the syllabus designer are the selection of items and their sequencing and integration"

Accordingly: defining the concept of a syllabus is problematic; each definition covers a specific point.
All in all, a syllabus can be considered an expression of opinion on the nature of language and its
learning. It can be considered a guide for the teacher and their learners. A syllabus provides learning
objectives and planning for the semester or the year.

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 A syllabus (/ˈsɪləbəs/; plural syllabuses or syllabi) or specification is an academic document that
communicates information about a specific course and defines expectations and responsibilities.
It is descriptive (unlike the prescriptive or specific curriculum). A syllabus may be set out by
an exam board or prepared by the professor who supervises or controls course qualities.

2. Components of syllabus

2.
1. Course 6.Course Calendar
Instructor
objectives
information

Seven essential 3. General

7. Learning components to an course
resources academic syllabus information

5. Grading
4. Course
and
policies
evaluation

2. The terminology used in Syllabus design literature

Curriculum
Syllabus •Curriculum refers either to all of the courses
offered by an educational institution or to the
• A syllabus is an outline/plan/list of a specific courses offered in a specific program. For
course prepared by the instructor. It includes the example, you can refer to the “English
topics to be covered, their order, often the Language curriculum" when you are talking
about the series of courses that English
required and suggested reading material, and any
Language Teachers must take as
other relevant information. undergraduates in order to become teachers.

Courses
• a course is a unit of teaching that typically lasts
one academic term, is led by one or more instructors
(teachers or professors), and has a fixed roster
of students. A course is usually an individual subject.
Students may receive a grade and academic credit after
completion of the course

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 Major
SUBJECT
A plan of instruction covering a
an area of knowledge that is studied
specific theme of a subject, like in the
in school, college, or university.e.g.
subject of English, we find English
English, History..
Literature, applied linguistcs ...

LECTURE LESSON
A lecture (from the French lecture, a section into which a course is
meaning reading) is an divided, especially a single,
oral presentation intended to present continuous session of formal
information or teach people about a instruction in a subject. A lesson plan
particular subject, for example by is the instructor's road map of what
a university or college teacher. students need to learn and how it will
Lectures are used to convey critical be done effectively during the class
information, history, background, time.
theories, and equations.

TEST VS. EXAM

UNIT
• Tests are worth less
An effective unit is comprised of than exams because tests are
carefully designed, interrelated designed to test your knowledge of a
lessons that collectively support and specific point; usually a number of
guide students in reaching specific chapters recently covered in the
learning objectives. A unit can range book, whereas exams cover
from a few to several lessons and can everything you learned in class up
span days or weeks. until that point, from day 1 to
yesterday.

ASSESSMENT
EVALUATION Assessment is thus the process of
collecting information about students
evaluation is concerned with making
from diverse sources so that
judgments about instruction, a
educators can form an idea of what
curriculum, or an educational system
they know and can do with this
knowledge.

TESTING
testing can be considered as a form of
assessment. Tests should meet some
basic requirements, such as validity
and reliability

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 3. Further terms

DRILL is familiar to all educators.

It "promotes the acquisition of
The word “PRACTICE” is a word
knowledge or skill through
that describes doing an activity
repetitive practice." It refers to
repeatedly in order to become more
small tasks such as the
skillful at it.
memorization of spelling or
vocabulary word.

The term ACTIVITY is more general

A TASK is normally defined as and refers to any kind of purposeful
follows classroom procedure that involves
It is something that learners do, or learners doing something that
carry out, using their existing relates to the goals of the course.
language resources or those that For example singing a song, playing
have been provided in pre-task a game, taking part in a debate,
work. having a group discussion, are all
different kinds of teaching activities.

An EXERCISE is a teaching
procedure that involves controlled,
guided or open ended practice of
some aspect of language. A drill, a
cloze activity, a reading
comprehension passage can all be
regarded as exercises.

TASK:

What is the relationship between Syllabus design and ESP contributions?

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