Digital Syllabus: Transforming the Syllabus Using the Learning Management System

Abstract

In the last decade, the syllabus has received a considerable overhaul of its design, content, and feel. However, despite these improvements, it remains a single-file, text-heavy document with a linear progression (i.e., traditional format). To address these drawbacks, I digitally redesigned the syllabus using the institutionally supported learning management system’s (LMS) module function. Using a factorial experimental design, I collected data from 143 students at a midsize comprehensive public university in the Midwest in four sections of Introduction to Sociology courses to assess the effectiveness of the digital syllabus. Students reported that they found both the new digitally redesigned and the traditional syllabi easy to follow, but most notably, they consulted the digital syllabus twice as often throughout the semester compared to its traditional counterpart. These findings have implications for future syllabus design and point to the pedagogical possibilities of LMS.