MARTIN:
When I taught undergraduate economics courses, and later, business
organizations, I gave the students a complete, detailed outline of the course on
the first day of class. The accompanying instructions said something like,
"This is all you need to know to pass this course. If you want a grade higher
than C, read the textbook and the recommended readings, and demonstrate that you
have done so on the exams and in class discussion. No one will fail unless you
likewise demonstrate that you have read nothing, not even this outline."
The approach seemed to work. I had only one complaint over a six year period.
That was form a student who's paper I graded late, and with the wrong key for
the objective portion.