What Introductory Psychology Students Attend to on a Course Syllabus

Before receiving their introductory psychology syllabus, and again at the end of the semester, 863 students rated how much they would attend to 29 syllabus items. Dates of exams and assignments received the highest initial ratings; course information, withdrawal dates, and titles and authors of readings received the lowest. First-semester students attended more than continuing students to prerequisites, location of materials, holidays, support services, and late assignment and academic dishonesty policies and less to types of tests and assignments. Nontraditional students attended more to course goals, titles and authors of readings, and type of assignments than did traditional students and less to holidays and late assignment and academic dishonesty policies. Across all students, ratings of 18 items changed significantly over time (15 getting less attention). Instructors need to adopt strategies to focus attention on information to which students pay relatively little attention but that is critical for success.