Simple Syllabus

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UT Support - Enterprise Technology, Canvas@utexas.edu 
Simple Syllabus (vendor) - Instructor Experience Links to an external site. and Student Experience Links to an external site.

Table of Contents

Overview of Simple Syllabus

Simple Syllabus helps instructors save time and eliminate redundant tasks associated with syllabus creation in Canvas. The template-driven architecture of Simple Syllabus automatically ensures compliance with required University, state and federal information, while still giving faculty the autonomy to personalize curriculum content for their classroom directly within the Canvas. You can see examples at the UT Austin Simple Syllabus Library Links to an external site..

Designed specifically for publishing syllabi, Simple Syllabus helps you work smarter, not harder:

  • Prepopulated fields and the ability to quickly add new content blocks.
  • Ability to toggle some content private (students only) or public.
  • Ability to see which students have viewed and/or acknowledged the syllabus.
  • Directly syncs Canvas assignments, quizzes, discussions and more—no double entry.
  • Accessible from anywhere, anytime - inside Canvas or on the web - without software installation or updates.
  • Leverage rich media to build interactive syllabi directly within Canvas.
  • Carry content forward each term–eliminating the need for tedious copy and paste.

Message from Academic Affairs about Simple Syllabus Links to an external site..

 

Getting Started with Simple Syllabus

Find Simple Syllabus in your course navigation

Simple Syllabus should be enabled by default, located towards the bottom of your course navigation. However, if you do not see 'Simple Syllabus' in your course navigation, go to Course Settings > Navigation tab. Drag and drop 'Simple Syllabus' to the top or click the three dots and select 'Enable' [1]. Don't forget to 'Save' when finished [2].

Navigation tab with Simple Syllabus disabled by default and Enable option highlighted

 

What's Included in the UT Austin Simple Syllabus Template?

Syllabus requirements are taken from the UT Austin General Information Catalog. Links to an external site. The requirements specified there are subject to the joint oversight of faculty governance and administration, and they satisfy the syllabus requirements promulgated by the State of Texas and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The content you see below is based on the 2023 fall syllabus requirements, is subject to change, and will be updated accordingly.

 

 

 

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Editing Syllabus Component Blocks

Once in the edit mode, you will see your syllabus broken down into components, or blocks of information. You may have the ability to edit certain components within the syllabus while other elements may be locked - these are settings defined by the institution.  Of the editable components, some might be required while others are optional.

Required components will be outlined in orange and say ‘required’ in the bottom left corner, and they must have content entered into them before the syllabus can be submitted.

 

Syllabus component types

Components that you can edit will have one of the following input boxes for you to work with:

  • Instructor Component — Instructor components populate with instructor information for each instructor assigned to the section. The fields that make up an instructor component (Name, Email, Phone, etc.) are predefined by your administrators at the template level. Some information might be pre-populated if it is coming from the Registrar/FaSETs or if you have manually input it onto your user profile, but others might be empty. To edit the fields, click the pencil icon to the left of the instructor information, and when you are done inputting information click Save.

  • Content Component — The content component allows you to add or edit rich text within the document through a WYSIWYG editor. With Simple Syllabus, you can create your content from scratch or copy and paste from a desktop application such as Microsoft Word. Within a content component you will have the ability to take advantage of several key features:

    • Styling - The online editing tool gives users the ability to style components in a variety of ways including justification, style such as bold, italics, or underline, style tags such as heading, paragraph, or preformatted, and indentation.

    • Lists - The online editing tool supports both bulleted and numbered lists within the syllabus.

    • Tables - Users can quickly create complex tables within Simple Syllabus using the table feature. Like features in Microsoft Word, users can apply shading, merge cells, modify borders, determine length, and more.

    • Images and video - Users can add images and videos to content components by uploading from their device or providing a URL.

    • Dynamic Blocks - Dynamic blocks automatically populate variable data into your syllabus from the Registrar without manual intervention from a user. You might use dynamic blocks to inject the course title, day/time and location of your class, or any other data point that is being imported into Simple Syllabus from the Registrar.

 

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Using the 'Full-Import' Tool

This setting will allow users to import content into a syllabus from another syllabus in Simple. There are three steps to importing content: select source [1], map content [2], and confirm import [3].

After importing, you are able to make changes to any editable components. Click the submit button at the bottom of the syllabus in order to submit your syllabus. If there is a component that is not created in the document, you are trying to import into - you will have the option to "Create new component" or transfer the content into an existing component.

If a component needs to be "created" using the full import tool, then this would go to the bottom of the document. 

If you prefer to start from a different syllabus than the one that is auto imported, click "Replace with a different syllabus" at the top of the publisher to search for and import the syllabus of your choosing. You will not have the same granular control of picking which components come over, and you will only see your own previous documents. 

 

Save and Submit

All changes made to your syllabus will be automatically saved, but not published. After all required components have been completed, you can submit and publish the syllabus by clicking ‘Submit’ at the bottom of the syllabus. If the Submit button is greyed out, review the syllabus to ensure all required fields have been completed, otherwise, you will be unable to submit.

Support

https://simplesyllabus.com/ Links to an external site.

https://simplesyllabus.com/canvas-syllabus/ Links to an external site.