NOTE: Beginning Spring 2018, SNU adopted an Official Syllabus Template to be used by all faculty. The syllabus template contains only the institution-wide sections and policies. For program- or department-specific sections and/or policies, check with your Academic Director/Chair.
Canvas Syllabus: Step 1 – Import, Step 2 – Edit
(Scroll to the bottom of the page for additional written step-by-step instructions.)
STEP 1: Import the Syllabus Template into your Canvas Course following the instructions below:
- Navigate to this Google Drive folder and download the file to your computer. (This is a Canvas Export file and will not be readable until it is in Canvas.)
- On your Course Home, click Import Existing Content.
- Click Select Content Type and choose Canvas Course Export Package.
- Browse to the file you downloaded and saved on your computer, and double-click or select and click Open.
- WARNING: You must click Select Specific Content (NOT all content) and click + Add to Import Queue.
- Click Select Content and select Syllabus Body and Files, and click Select Content.
- Navigate to the Syllabus in the Course Navigation.
- If Syllabus is not available in the course navigation or has an eye with a slash next to it, students will not be able to see it. You will want to add it and rearrange the options so that the Syllabus is viewable by students and is located in a prime location for student access.
- 1. In your course navigation, click Settings.
- 2. Click the Navigation tab.
- 3. Locate the Syllabus tile and drag it to the position below Announcements.
- 4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save.
STEP 2: Edit the Syllabus Template following the instructions in the video below:
Syllabus Formatting
The official syllabus was formatted according to SNU’s visual standards with the proper fonts, logo, and color schemes. It was also formatted to be accessible to all students and to be screenreader compatible. Placeholders are provided for faculty to add the required information, and links are provided to direct readers to pages that are updated regularly. Formatting, such as fonts, font sizes, heading styles, etc., should not be changed. Contact the CLI Team if you have questions about how to properly format the information you add to your syllabus.
WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS FOR STEP 2: EDIT YOUR SYLLABUS
GET STARTED
1. Navigate to your course in Canvas.
2. In the course navigation, click Syllabus.
3. Click Edit.
ACCESSIBILITY FORMATTING BUILT IN
Let’s pause for a moment to look at the features of the syllabus template that help us maintain accessibility standards.
You will see headings throughout the template. These are set to the font size of 18 point, the text level of Heading 2, the formatting of Bold, and the SNU color crimson, which is 841617.
You will see paragraph text throughout the template. These are set to the font size of 12 point, the text level of Paragraph, and the color black.
WHY ACCESSIBILITY FORMATTING MATTERS
Maintaining these formatting features is critical to maintaining accessibility standards. When a student using a screen reader navigates to the syllabus, the screen reader will identify the headings on the page first, allowing the student to quickly scan the syllabus and allowing the choice of which section of the syllabus to read. Without the use of the text-level identifiers, the screen reader will not be able to jump the student from section to section without reading the entire document. (If you are interested in a demonstration of a screen reader with page headings and formatting, watch How Headings Help Screen Reader Users: • How Headings Help Screen Reader Users .)
EDIT SYLLABUS INFORMATION
Replace the bracketed information with your course-specific information. You can do that by selecting the bracketed information and typing.
NOTE: You can also cut and paste from a document as needed. Just be sure to check the formatting when pasting information from another source. If you want to ensure you maintain the proper formatting, use the key shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+V when pasting.
If you need to add a new section to the template, type the name of the new heading.
Select the heading.
Set the heading text to 18 point, Heading 2, Bold, and color 841617.
If you are adding new paragraph sections, set the paragraph text to 12 point, Paragraph, not bold, and color black.
COURSE SUMMARY
You can decide if you wish to show the Course Summary below your syllabus. We do recommend that you show this section. This section will automatically include all of the graded items you have added to your course here in Canvas, including the due dates, due times, and direct links to each item. If you add any new graded items or delete graded items later, this section will always be updated automatically for you.
WHEN FINISHED
When you are satisfied with your changes, click Update Syllabus.