This guide was developed in response to faculty inquiries about how to prepare more effective syllabi. Its content was derived from several sources: discussions with faculty about course planning procedures; interviews with students; reviews of workshops and other literature; and analysis of a large number of syllabi from different disciplines. College faculty use a variety of techniques for communicating course plans and expectations to students, the most commonly used technique being the course outline or syllabus. Syllabi are designed to communicate course information and instructor views of the courses to the student. The syllabus is a very effective tool for improving communication between the instructor and the student, and it serves as an agreement about the purpose and direction of the course. After some suggestions on using the syllabus guide, the guide then provides suggestions for the following 10 syllabus sections: instructor and course; course purpose, goals, and objectives; educational beliefs; content outline; assignments and course calendar; textbooks; supplementary readings; methods of instruction; student feedback and grading procedures; and learning facilities and resources for students. Five appendixes provide a variety of examples. Contains three references. (SM)