University of North Carolina System president Peter Hans is implementing a new policy that requires instructors to post course descriptions and syllabi to an online searchable database. The move is designed to increase public transparency, with recent polling showing growing skepticism toward institutions of higher education.
Under the directive from Hans that took effect Jan. 15, the syllabi must include:
- Course name, prefix, and description
- Goals, objectives, and student learning outcomes
- Explanation of assessment, grading scale, assignment breakdown, and impact of attendance/participation
- List of all required course materials
- A statement affirming the course engages diverse scholarly perspectives for critical thinking and that reading inclusion doesn’t imply endorsement
The directive also mandates that syllabi be posted to an online searchable database “no later than one week prior to the first day of classes for the applicable semester or session.” If the materials are not available due to operational limitations, they must be posted by the first day of classes.
“There is no question that making course syllabi publicly available will mean hearing feedback and criticism from people who may disagree with what’s being taught or how it’s being presented,” Hans told the News & Observer. “That’s a normal fact of life at a public institution, and we should expect a vibrant and open society to have debates that extend beyond the walls of campus.”
The move has garnered opposition from the NC American Association of University Professors.
“This policy will stifle academic freedom, chill free inquiry, and expose educators and students to politically motivated attacks and targeted harassment. At its core, this new directive is an effort to intimidate instructors whose research and teaching delves into subject matter that some politicians don’t want to see explored,” said AAUP President Todd Wolfson in a statement.
“Dark money–funded right-wing activists and their allies in the UNC System’s leadership are attempting to strangle critical thought and the free exchange of academic thought by harassing faculty, disrupting student learning, and threatening the pursuit of truth,” Wolfson added. “Ultimately, Peter Hans’ regulation amounts to a doxxing database that will further empower those attempting to censor teaching and learning in the UNC System.”
Jenna Robinson, president of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, wrote a letter praising the decision by Hans but cautioned that more needs to be done.
“The UNC System’s decision to make syllabi public is a significant step towards greater transparency,” Robinson said. “It’s disappointing that not all reading materials will be listed in syllabi. I hope this can be addressed in a subsequent policy revision.”
A Pew Research Center poll from October found that seven-in-10 Americans now say higher education is generally headed in the wrong direction. That’s an increase from 56% who said the same in 2020.