Full-Disclosure: I am not an organized person. Ask me where any one of my possessions is at any time and I really, really, can't guarantee I'll be able to answer with confidence. As a student and future professional, that has haunted me, but it also provides some spontaneity, a piece of me that I value immensely. So when it comes to organization, I need some help.
Syllabi have been crucial for my educational journey, with more detail usually helping instead of hindering. I need something to come back to when I forget what I should be reading or what I should be thinking about. That being said, the best courses I have had incorporated pieces of both the organized and the spontaneous. I'm sure we've all experienced professors that were so worried about getting through the syllabus that it felt like information overload, with no time or activities to process information. I believe a syllabus can and should be the backbone of a course, but if there is room to leave script, to improvise, to stick with interesting topics longer, the students benefit and become more engaged.
In all, as long as the syllabus is a guideline, I'm all for it, but once it becomes a script, it's not helping anybody.
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