It’s Not in the Syllabus: Revealing the Hidden Curriculum*
The hidden curriculum lurks in many places in a classroom, but the syllabus is a perfect opportunity to show how it may affect students’ success in a course
What Is the Hidden Curriculum?
I have a confession to make. I spent a good part of the early 21st century using the catch phrase “It’s in the syllabus!” and even created t-shirts to give to participants at my presentations and workshops. While it is a phrase that can mean many different things, I used it as less of a dig at students and more of a reminder to frustrated faculty that what we want students to know is right in front of us all if we would just go back to that sacred document that we so carefully created at the beginning of the semester.
Despite my intentions, the rallying cry “It’s in the syllabus!” never really seemed to help, especially the students who needed it the most. And because I am tenacious when it comes to trying to figure out why students don’t do what we want them to do even when we “carefully craft” the learning experience, I decided to take another look at something that I thought was the perfect tool for communicating everything that needs to be shared with a student. By this time, I was focused on learning more about how to support first-generation college students, and a ran across a term I was not familiar with: hidden curriculum.
The term was first coined by Philip Jackson (1968) in a book called Life in Classrooms to identify the lessons a student must learn that are often unwritten, hidden, unspoken, or implied but are essential to overall success. There is hidden curriculum in just about any environment and if you have ever found yourself feeling “left out” of understanding how to do something or why you are not “getting it,” changes are there is a hidden expectation that you are missing.
When we reveal the hidden curriculum, or make the invisible expectations visible, we level the playing field for all students. But, first, let me say that revealing the hidden curriculum is not dumbing down content or lowering expectations. Instead, it is the creation of clear expectations and steps for helping students succeed. In some cases, revealing the hidden curriculum helps students interpret what is expected of them.
The hidden curriculum lurks in many places in a classroom, but the syllabus is a perfect opportunity to show how it may affect students’ success in a course. And it is a great place to start for faculty who want to find ways to remove unnecessary barriers and make students feel more welcome in your course.
The Syllabus as Metaphor
First, let’s tackle what the syllabus has come to mean for so many of us. If you attended college in the late 1900s as the kids these days say, then you may remember little about the syllabuses that your professors handed out. That was because they were little more than a list of readings, an office location for your professor, and maybe some exam information or due dates. Now, they seem to carry much more weight and importance, if only to the institution and the faculty who create them. I have considered the syllabus to have reflected all these descriptions at some point in my teaching career:
First official “introduction” to a course. It tells students what to expect and what to do.
The “contract” of a course. I have used this pseudo-legal description before as I have insisted on its sacred importance.
Shared responsibilities between faculty and student. In a generous take on what a syllabus is, I have used it as a reflection on what both students and faculty are supposed to do. Of course, I always retained the ultimate power.
The values of the institution. When I was instructed to include the college’s mission statement and the department’s outcomes in my syllabus, I was sharing what the institution valued and how it wanted to shape students’ learning. Not a bad thing, but certainly not one that is connected to students’ interests and needs.
Roadmap of the perfect course. This is a little harder to admit, but I love the control I have when I create the “perfect” course syllabus. Once, I drafted a syllabus on a long flight and when I deplaned, I called a teacher-friend to tell her of the news. Only freaks do that!
No matter how much I implored students to read, study, and memorize the syllabus, they just didn’t value it as much as I did. And I don’t blame them. I created a one-sided (two-sided if you include the institution’s stake) document that did nothing to excite, guide, and motivate my students. Worse yet, I fell in love with the creation of the syllabus and quickly got bored and irritated by the execution of it. Nothing worse, I thought, than the messiness of teaching to ruin a “perfectly good syllabus.”
However, I have now come to see that maybe I’m the problem, it’s me, when it comes to student responses to the syllabus, which is why a few years ago, a good friend and colleague of mine, Dr. Matt Daily, and I challenged ourselves to review and revise the document with our students in mind. What could looking at the syllabus through the lens of hidden curriculum do to help us create a syllabus that actually lives up to its potential? Here is a section-by-section analysis and recommendation for helping you reveal the hidden curriculum of your syllabus.
Revealing the Hidden Curriculum of the Syllabus
A step-by-step approach can make this task more manageable, but it won’t be foolproof. There may be sections that don’t apply to you or there may be missing components that are required—and for brevity, I only focus on 4 categories that are often overlooked when building a syllabus. Never fear, feel free to pick and choose among the recommendations. Anything you do—even if it seems small—can have a positive effect.
Instructor Information
The hidden curriculum in the Instructor Information section of a syllabus is not readily apparent: Successful students meet with, talk to, and develop relationships with their professors. Many students consider it a formality and not necessary unless there is an emergency. Or they are too intimidated to even try to contact the professor if there is a question or an issue that needs to be addressed. Another issue that can be hidden in this section is where exactly you are located and why they would want to visit.
Reveal the hidden curriculum of Instructor Information
Make sure methods for contacting you consider student preference and capability
Show on a map where your office is located or walk students to your office
Require office hour visits during the semester to normalize the practice
Course Description and Objectives
I personally do not know any student who has willingly read the course description and asked questions about how we will meet the objectives. I am sure they are out there, but no one has graced my classroom! While this is a required component of many syllabuses, it doesn’t have to be a barrier to understanding what students will be doing for the term.
Reveal the hidden curriculum of Course Description and Objectives
Ask students to read course description and predict (or connect if included in the syllabus) the course content to the course description.
Include the course objectives on appropriate assignments and rubrics
Consider creating a “jargon” dictionary for students to decipher key words from your syllabus.
Connect course objectives to overarching or “essential questions” of the course and use them to drive lectures, discussion, and assessments.
Course Texts and Materials
One example of hidden curriculum lurks in the listing of course texts/materials. For some first-year students, this may be the first time that they are required to purchase texts and use them as a key component of a course. And don’t get my started on the “required” vs. “recommended” or “optional” notes in this section. If we want students to obtain and use certain materials, we need to do better explaining how. Of course, being mindful of the costs of the required materials should go without saying, but I am saying it. A public research group found that “65% of students said that they had decided against buying a textbook because it was too expensive” (US Public Interest Research Group, 2014). I believe in requiring resources that have value (if it has a considerable cost, it must be worth it) and being transparent about it, but I am always mindful of finding the least expensive options.
Reveal the hidden curriculum of Course Texts and Materials
Share estimated costs and options for obtaining the materials
Eliminate optional and recommended unless you demonstrate how these extra texts will be used
Explain how and when students will use the materials.
Provide suggestions for troubleshooting should the materials not be available for the students to obtain.
Course Grading Scale
If you are working with new first-year students, there may be some guidance needed on how to track and calculate grades. Even if students have 24-hour access to their progress through a Learning Management System, they don’t always know, for example, what effect a final project that is worth 30% of the overall grade will have on their current average. They may also not know what to do if they think there is an error in their grade calculation.
Reveal the hidden curriculum of Course Grading Scale
Share with them where grades will be accessible and how often you will post or update.
Provide information or instruction around calculating and predicting (if/then scenarios) their grade based on different outcomes.
Coach them on asking questions about grades—how best to approach you and what to ask.
If you will be providing extra credit or work to improve a grade, put it in writing and remind students often about the opportunity.
Of course, there are most likely other sections in your syllabus that can be reviewed to identify potential “hidden curriculum” pitfalls, but starting with these sections and being more mindful of including clearer explanations and links to resources (e.g., a grade spreadsheet where they can enter in their own grades and do predictive analysis) can provide for all your students a better understanding of what is expected of them and an opportunity to feel more confident they can meet those expectations.
*The original version of this content was co-created with Dr. Matt Daily (Idaho State University) and presented at the virtual First-Generation Student Success Conference in 2020.