San Diego State’s Associated Students has implemented a pilot trial of creating an online database for professors to have their syllabi accessible to students when they begin registering for classes.

As a student, one of the most important pieces of paper received from a professor is his or her class syllabus. This piece of paper specifies class meeting days, office hours, grade requirements and, most importantly, exam dates. Thanks to A.S., students are now able to examine the syllabi for potential classes through the online database.

Candice Luistro, last year’s Vice President of University Affairs, was first presented with the idea at an “introduction meeting with the staff from Instructional Technology Services in summer of 2010,” Mina Azim, the current Vice President of University Affairs, said.

This idea was then introduced to the University Affairs Board, which decided to implement the trial. Students would be available to have a “better understanding of the strict prerequisites for upper division courses, the preparation required for classes in their majors and to search for classes with specific characteristics,” as written in the proposal by Alex Huddleston and Luistro.

“The pilot system is to ensure the system works, is feasible and is accessible,” Azim said.

With this in mind, students can take advantage of understanding the course in a detailed manner, versus a small course description in the catalog.

“I think the more information students have regarding what to expect in a class, the better. Current regulations require that all syllabi be available, so this is just making that more readily available,” Professor William Snavely, Director of the School of Communication and University Senate Chair, said.

The Departments of Economics and Psychology, plus the liberal studies major in the Division of Undergraduate Studies are currently implementing their syllabi through the trial.

“If the pilot is successful, students should expect to see all syllabi for undergraduate classes for future semesters made … available in spring 2012 when class schedules are made available for summer and fall 2012,” Azim said.

To see the current database and test out the system visit library.sdsu.edu/syllabi/. Students are encouraged to email Azim at as.vp.univ@sdsu.edu with feedback.