In November 2022, as part of National First-Generation College Celebration, OSU\u2019s First! Committee organized a \u201cBreak the Code\u201d social event providing an opportunity for first-gen students to meet each other and mingle while lending their perspectives to help OSU meet institutional goals set as part of our participation\u00a0in\u00a0<\/strong>NASPA\u2019s First-gen Forward Cohort. Nineteen students gathered to eat pizza and review syllabi from popular courses. Frequently conversing with each other and with committee volunteers, they highlighted confusing terms and statements and added annotations to signal what they liked and what they would change.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Breaking Down Academic Jargon<\/strong><\/p>\n Much of the first-gen students\u2019 feedback identified words they didn\u2019t know or didn\u2019t understand in a particular context. In other words, jargon\u00a0specific to academia:<\/p>\n Some of the flagged terms were related to concepts that would be covered in the course, which led us to wonder if instructors might consider being explicit, either in the syllabus or in class, about the fact that students are not expected to already know such words, but can look forward to being able to define them by the end of the term.<\/p>\n More commonly, participants highlighted terms students presumably encounter in variety of university contexts, including institutional websites. In these cases, it could be helpful to use a more common synonym or rephrase in a more descriptive way. For example, \u201cThe final includes information covered since the midterm\u201d instead of \u201cthe final is not cumulative\u201d.\u00a0 One small group discussion revealed that one student knew what \u201cproctored\u201d meant and the other didn\u2019t; the one who did\u00a0said they had learned it as part of their preparation to take an AP exam, which we know is an experience that not all students share, nor are expected to share in order to be successful in college.<\/p>\n Students also questioned more unexpected syllabus elements, including:<\/p>\n These examples revealed the extent to which syllabus language can invoke cultural norms and assumptions in less obvious ways than jargon.\u00a0 At our event, one course\u2019s DEI statement was labeled as \u201cNice!\u201d by one student. In a different course\u2019s similar statement, however, the terms \u201cunderrepresented,\u201d \u201cmarginalized,\u201d and \u201csocioeconomic” were circled by\u00a0another\u00a0student to indicate confusion. We were struck by the possibility that some of the very\u00a0students\u00a0instructors seek to welcome with statements of inclusivity may not feel recognized by such umbrella terms. For this reason, more specific and direct language associated with identity\u2014such as \u201cstudents of color,\u201d \u201cworking class,\u201d or \u201cdisabled\u201d\u2014may be more welcoming, not least because they indicate that the faculty member has given thought\u00a0to\u00a0inequities in their particular environment.<\/p>\n A grading scale may seem to provide helpful clarity about expectations. But one student annotated a typical scale, which presented \u201cA\u201d as \u201cexceptional,\u201d \u201cB\u201d as \u201csuperior,\u201d and so on, as \u201cmean and unnecessary,\u201d while another student highlighted \u201cB=superior\u201d to indicate confusion. These reactions suggest that the difference between \u201cexceptional\u201d and \u201csuperior\u201d may not be obvious to students. Furthermore, students may be uncomfortable with the value judgements such a scale implies, which might be taken as judgements of them as students\u00a0and people\u00a0as opposed to assessments of particular skills demonstrated\u00a0<\/strong>in the course.\u00a0The syllabus could reassure students that grades are an assessment of skills demonstrated at a particular moment in time, rather than the instructor’s reflection of students\u2019 academic capabilities and, by extension, identities.\u00a0 A points-based system may avoid adding unnecessary value judgements to grading scales, but instructors could also, again, spell out in more detail what they mean by “exceptional.”<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Crafting an Inclusive Syllabus<\/strong><\/p>\n Our time reviewing syllabi with first-generation students revealed that when it comes to promoting inclusivity, it is essential that instructors craft syllabi with direct language and with context in mind. We must first ask: Who is the document for and how will students engage with it? If a syllabus will be read by students on their own, you may want to include a lot of context,\u00a0or offer a quiz to ensure students have understood course policies. If you go over the syllabus in class, that context might be offered verbally. Some instructors like to keep a more streamlined syllabus but include a glossary or additional \u201cFAQ\u201d section.\u00a0What these approaches share is a commitment to connecting the dots, which welcomes all students into a community of learning.<\/p>\n Cataldi E. F., Bennett C. T., Chen X. (2018).\u00a0First-generation students: College access, persistence, and\u00a0postbachelor\u2019s\u00a0outcomes<\/em>\u00a0(NCES 2018\u2013421). National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from\u00a0https:\/\/nces.ed.gov\/pubs2018\/2018421.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n About the authors<\/em><\/p>\n Brenna Gomez is the Director of Career Integration in the Career Development Center, where she runs the Career Champions professional development program for faculty and instructors. She also teaches technical and creative writing in the School of Writing, Literature, and Film.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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