Simple Syllabus Guides faculty through creating, editing, and publishing course syllabi in A-State’s official Simple Syllabus platform. Includes instructions, best practices, and troubleshooting resources to support consistency and transparency in course expectations. Simple Syllabus Support Overview Simple Syllabus  is A-State’s official platform for creating, managing, and publishing course syllabi. It provides a  consistent, accessible, and centralized system  that ensures compliance with university and accreditation standards. By using Simple Syllabus, instructors can: Save time with  pre-populated course information  from Banner and Canvas. Maintain  consistency across departments  with standardized templates. Improve  student access  to syllabi through the A-State Syllabus Library. Support  institutional reporting and accreditation requirements . Syllabus Library Fall 2024 and beyond: Available in the A-State Syllabus Library . Fall 2017–Summer 2024:  Request from the Office of Accreditation and Assessment. Older syllabi:  Not stored by the Office of Accreditation and Assessment. Note:  Syllabus templates are determined by college deans and department chairs in conjunction with the Office of Accreditation and Assessment. Training Video Arkansas State University Simple Syllabus Training A demonstration of Simple Syllabus for the faculty and staff of Arkansas State University. For One-on-One or Group Training, please make a request through the Office of Accreditation and Assessment. Downloadable Guide Instructor Editing Guide – ASU Jonesboro (DOCX) A detailed guide for editing and managing syllabi in Simple Syllabus. Troubleshooting Error on Opening Course:  Enable third-party cookies. Schedule Not Updating: Manually editing a date in Simple Syllabus breaks the connection with the Canvas section. Only update dates in Canvas  to maintain the sync. If the connection is broken, request a Reset  to restore the schedule component. Note: Simple Syllabus only syncs with the main section of a course. Cross-listed sections will not sync. You can instead add a note in the syllabus directing students to check Canvas for dates. Simple Syllabus Link Missing in Canvas: This usually happens when a course was copied from one that didn’t have the Simple Syllabus link enabled in the navigation menu. ➤ See: How to Manage Course Navigation Links in Canvas Continuing to Receive Reminder Emails: This may mean you still need to submit your syllabus  or  that you have  cross-listed sections . For the Main Section , Access Simple Syllabus from Canvas or Pack Portal and complete all the unfinished sections. For Cross-listed sections, Access Simple Syllabus through Pack Portal and navigate to the correct course. Copy the syllabus from the main section. For the schedule, add a note directing students to check Canvas for dates. ➤  See: Accessing Simple Syllabus Missing Course or Account:  Contact your admin. Additional Online Resources Instructor Knowledge Base - Find quick answers to frequent Instructor questions when using Simple Syllabus. Simple Watch – Browse and watch helpful videos to get the most out of Simple Syllabus Related Knowledge Base Pages Simple Syllabus Guide for Instructors Assessment Manual Canvas for Educators Tip: For accessibility, always use the built-in editor in Simple Syllabus instead of pasting formatted text. Contact for Help Office of Accreditation & Assessment Contact:  Kevin Hennings,  Assistant Director of Accreditation Email: khennings@AState.edu Phone:  (870) 972-2989 Dean B. Ellis Library, Room 610 Simple Syllabus Guide for Instructors This guide walks instructors through the process of creating and managing syllabi in  Simple Syllabus . It provides  step-by-step instructions  for accessing your syllabus, completing required components, formatting content, and using advanced tools like importing and resetting components. Following these steps ensures your syllabus meets  university standards , remains  accessible to students , and is properly published in the A-State Syllabus Library . For training, troubleshooting, and downloads, see ➡️  Simple Syllabus Support Overview . Copying Courses for Common Course Numbering   Please use the following steps to copy your syllabi from the last terms the courses were offered. After this has been completed, syllabi will begin carrying forward from term to term as usual. Select the course you need to complete and click edit. Select "Replace with a different syllabus?" on the top of the page. Select the term you with to search in and type in the course number that you wish to copy. Click on the course you with to copy. Simple Syllabus will import the content. Make any necessary changes and submit. 12-Step Guide to Publishing Your Syllabus 1) Access Simple Syllabus Open Simple Syllabus from one of the following: Direct Link Pack Portal Canvas (Recommended) astate.simplesyllabus.com Tools → Academics → Simple Syllabus Open your course → Simple Syllabus in Course Navigation. Missing Simple Syllabus in Course Menu Canvas has a native tool called Syllabus that can’t be removed. In the School template, it should be disabled, and the Simple Syllabus link should be enabled instead. But if you copy from an older course , the Simple Syllabus link may be  disabled . To Fix: Navigate to your Course Settings → Navigation . Click the three-dot menu next to Syllabus to select Disable. Then find Simple Syllabus and Enable. You can then drag it up to where you would like it to be found in your course menu. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to Save your changes. ➤ See:  Managing Course Navigation Links in Canvas Cross-Listed Courses: The Simple Syllabus link in Canvas only works for the main section. To edit a cross-listed section, use Pack Portal or the Direct link. 2) Review Your Dashboard & Start Editing After you log in, you’ll see a  Tasks  list with your courses. Find the course and select  Edit  to open the syllabus editor. If you’re teaching multiple sections, you’ll see a task for each section that requires a syllabus. After your syllabus is deployed, it will track how much of it each student has viewed and if they have clicked the Acknowledgement button to verify they have read the syllabus. You can click the viewed progress bar to see a report for each student in the class.  2a) Copy from an Existing Syllabus (Optional) If you taught this course previously, you can  reuse content : In the editor, choose Replace with a different Syllabus  (if available in your view). Select the  term  and  course  to copy. Continue to step 3 to review & update dates, textbooks, policies, and any time‑sensitive items. Schedule Sync Note  If the previous syllabus had a  manually edited  schedule, the Canvas sync may be broken. Use  Reset Content → Course Schedule/Outline  later in Step 9 to restore sync. Cross-Listed Sections: If you’re editing a cross-listed section, you can copy the syllabus from the main section to get started.  3) Course Information This section is typically  pre‑populated  from Banner: Course title, subject/number, CRN, section, credit hours If the University Bulletin or Banner info is incorrect, contact khennings@astate.edu 4) Instructor Information Select the  pencil icon to edit. Required items are highlighted in  orange . Confirm or update: Name, title, department Office location, office hours Contact info (email, phone) (Optional)  Add a headshot . Save Co‑Teaching:  If a co‑instructor isn’t listed from Banner, select  Add New Instructor . If they still don’t appear, contact the  Office of Accreditation & Assessment  to associate them with the course. ♿ Use plain text for office hours (e.g., “Mon/Wed 2:00–3:30 PM, Library 610”)—screen readers parse it more reliably than tables or images. 5) Course Description Review the  catalog description  (usually pulled from the University Bulletin). If the field is editable and you need to add context, keep it  brief  to preserve the official description. Save ♿ Avoid ALL‑CAPS and color‑only emphasis. Use bold  for emphasis. 6) Required Textbooks & Materials Click the  pencil  to edit the  Required  section. Use  Book Search  to auto‑insert  title, authors, ISBN, cover image , or type “No textbook required.” Add any required  materials  (e.g., calculator, lab coat). You can include an  image . Optional Textbooks & Materials  (if provided by your template) work the same way. If you leave this section blank, it won’t display in the published syllabus. Save Provide specific models  or links to help students pick the correct item (e.g., “TI‑84 Plus CE”). ♿ If you insert an image, click on the image to add alt text (e.g., "Logo for Simple Syllabus, a course syllabus management platform"). If the image is only decorative, enter two double quotation marks [""] in the provided field, or check the Mark image as decorative box in the Accessibility Checker. 7) Program & Course Learning Outcomes 7a) Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) Usually maintained by your  department/course master  and prefilled from the Assessment site. ➤ See :  The Program Level Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for each College If your role permits editing, paste text  (not tables) or update as instructed by your department. 7b) Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) Select the  pencil  and add each outcome as a separate item. (Optional) Indicate the  module/week  when each outcome will be addressed. Save Use measurable verbs (e.g., analyze, apply, evaluate ). Keep outcomes  concise  (1–2 lines each). ♿ If you include a  curriculum map , use the editor’s  Insert Table  tool— do not paste  tables from Word (pasted tables can break screen‑reader reading order). 8) Assessments & Evaluation Procedures Describe  how students are assessed  (e.g., quizzes, projects, labs, exams). Summarize  weighting  or point totals as text or a  native  table added via  Insert Table . Save ♿ If you use a table, add a header row  and keep it simple (no merged cells). ♿ Provide text equivalents for any icons or images that convey meaning. 9) Course Schedule / Outline (Canvas Sync) If you use Canvas assignments,  Simple Syllabus can sync : Open the  Course Schedule / Outline  component. Ensure your Canvas assignments have  names, due dates, and points  set. The schedule will  auto‑populate  from Canvas and  update  when you change due dates in Canvas. Students are  notified  when the syllabus updates. If you need to add items manually  (e.g., non‑graded milestones): Add them here—but note that  typing in this component breaks the Canvas link . Important – Sync Integrity Manual edits in this component  break the Canvas connection. To restore sync, select  Reset Content → Course Schedule/Outline → Next → Reset. Cross‑Listed Sections  Simple Syllabus will only auto-populate to the main section . For cross‑listed sections,  copy the syllabus from the main section. For the Schedule/Outline, add the note: “See Canvas for dates.” 10) Add Custom Syllabus Section(s) If you want to add content that isn’t already in your template, create a  new component . To add a new section (component): Select the  “Add”  button (➕) in the top left menu,  or Scroll to the very bottom and choose  Add new component . Your new section appears at the  bottom .  The ability to reorder components is disabled . Seamless Blend  To make the new content look like part of an existing section,  hide the heading  of the new component before you add content. ♿  Use built‑in heading styles (H2/H3) only if the title is visible; avoid “fake headings” using bold/size. ♿  Avoid pasting  formatted tables  or content from Word; paste as plain text, then format with the editor. 11) Policies (University & Department) University Policies  (e.g., Academic Integrity, Title IX, Accessibility, Inclement Weather) are  auto‑inserted into the template and updated centrally. Add  department/program/course‑specific  policies in the designated component (e.g.,  Lab Safety ,  Clinical Policies ,  Technology Use ). Online Identity Verification (BioSig ID)  If your course uses  BioSig ID , paste the  standard statement  into the  SIG‑ID  component (if present in your template). 12) Preview, Submit & Publish Select  Preview  to check layout and links. Complete any remaining  orange  (required) fields—the  Submit  button stays  grayed out  until all required items are complete. When all required items are complete , the Submit button will be red and can be clicked.  Select  Submit . You’ll see ?  confirmation  and receive  two links : Syllabus (Library View)  – public view in the A‑State Syllabus Library PDF Download  – printable version (often 9+ pages even with minimal content) ♿ Before submitting, run the  Accessibility Checker in Simple Syllabus to fix issues like missing alt text or heading errors. After publishing, open the Library View  and verify that headings, links, and the schedule display as expected. The official version of the syllabus is the one in the  Simple Syllabus / A‑State Syllabus Library . Student Features (What Students See) Section Navigation:  Students can jump to any section via the  left navigation menu . Acknowledgment (if enabled by the department):  A  progress bar  and  “I have read this syllabus” Acknowledgment button can document student review. Access: Students view syllabi in Canvas → Simple Syllabus  or the public  A‑State Syllabus Library . Related Pages Simple Syllabus Support Overview — training video, troubleshooting, downloadable guide Managing Course Navigation Links in Canvas  — enable  Simple Syllabus , disable Canvas  Syllabus  (KB link) Canvas for Educators   — Canvas assignment setup & date management (for clean schedule sync) (KB link)