The results of the survey are in!

We are very pleased to report that the data from this survey represents over 50 United States academic institutions in higher education. The Syllabus Institute concluded it’s initial research into uncovering the costs of syllabus management on July 11, 2011. Students, instructors, technical administrators, and academic administrators completed an 8 to 12 question impartial survey to better identify the process, procedure, and people involved in managing syllabi within an institution.

The Syllabus Institute has featured a selection of the findings below and has publish a detailed report on the data collected from this survey that can be downloaded here: “Where Does the Budget Go? Uncovering the Hidden Costs of Managing Syllabi“.

Next Survey Round

If you didn’t have a chance to participate in the survey ending July 11, 2011, you have another chance to contribute to this ongoing research. All of the details for Part II: the hidden costs of syllabus management survey can be found and accessed on the Participation section of the Syllabus Institute.  We kindly ask that you take the survey before reading the reported results.

Results have uncovered some stunning facts:

  • $272,674 –That’s how much the average institution spends per year managing syllabi.
  • The filing cabinet continues to be the most common means of managing syllabi.
  • Syllabus management consumes manpower. Technical administrators report dedicating upwards of 40 hours per semester, and as many as 10 administrators within their department to manage and maintain syllabi.
  • The average academic administrator spends over 24 hours auditing syllabi per semester.
  • Syllabus management and creation takes away valuable time from the core function of the academy; education. Instructors on average put more than 24 hours into creating a new course syllabus. The average instructor spends 6.5 hours updating their syllabus for a new semester and nearly 3.5 hours maintaining their syllabus throughout a semester.
  • Of instructors surveyed, it was recorded that the average length of a syllabus is 7.4 pages. Additionally, 50% of the instructors surveyed print an estimated 673 pages of syllabi per semester. According the Information and Technology standards at Purdue, the average school having 302 faculty members, spends $8,132 per semester printing syllabi.
  • 48% of instructors report that their syllabi was created within the past year, while 7% report that they have been using the same syllabus for over 15 semesters.

Learn more about the hidden costs of syllabus management by reading the detailed white paper or for something lighter, read the formal press release.