this discussion leads us to the consideration of tone in a syllabus. the syllabus is the first introduction students receive to you as an instructor and to the content of the course. researchers at james madison university surveyed student responses to detailed and brief versions of the same syllabus, and concluded that students associated the detailed syllabus with qualities of a master teacher (saville et al 2010). researchers have explored the effect of \u201cwarm\u201d and \u201ccold\u201d language in a syllabus on student perceptions of the instructor. an example of \u201cwarm\u201d language in a syllabus is \u201ci hope you actively participate in this course. i say this because i found it is the best way to engage you in learning the material (and it makes lectures more fun.)\u201d \u201ccold\u201d language, on the other hand, expresses the same idea using different words: \u201ccome prepared to actively participate in this course. this is the best way to engage you in learning the material (and it makes the lectures more interesting.)\u201d students who read the syllabus with the \u201cwarm\u201d language rated the hypothetical instructor both more approachable and more motivated to teach the class (harnish and bridges 2011).<\/p>\n