Will syllabi from courses that I’ve taught prior to Summer 2023 appear in the library or be available to me in Simple?
Syllabi for Summer 2023 will be the first syllabi uploaded. No previous semesters will be imported into Simple Syllabus. Older syllabi can be accessed from the archive at syllabi.ua.edu and instructors can copy content to paste in Simple.
One of my classes is not appearing in Simple Syllabus. What do I do?
Confirm that you are listed as the section instructor in myBama. If so, but the syllabus is not yet showing in Simple, wait until the following day. Synchronization of courses, rosters, and instructor assignments occurs overnight from Banner/myBama/Courseleaf to Simple Syllabus.
If you are not listed as instructor of record for the section in Banner/myBama, you must be added in Banner/myBama by department or college scheduler or registrar. To find out who this person is for a particular department or program, contact the department office or the University Registrar, registrar@ua.edu.
Will we get notifications if a syllabus is not completed before the first day of class?
Yes. Email notifications will be sent prior to start of class and again the first week of class.
Is a syllabus required if my class has no students enrolled?
No, if the class enrollment is zero, a syllabus is not required. If a student adds the course, a syllabus is required.
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Pre-populated Content
What if the course instructor is not yet known and listed as TBD?
The syllabus will not appear in the course until an instructor has been identified.
My department adds unique syllabi statements. Will those get loaded into my syllabus automatically?
The Registrar’s office has worked with all colleges and created templates for any unique syllabi statements. Those will be preloaded into your syllabi.
Can Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) that are auto loaded be modified?
Student Learning Outcomes can be updated through your usual catalog modifications, just not in Simple Syllabus. You will have the ability to add additional SLOs specific to your course.
How do I adjust the prerequisites, course description, student learning outcomes or other pre-populated sections of the syllabus?
For course title, term, type, description, pre- and co-requisites, and in some cases, student learning outcomes, departments and programs are responsible for including these in either Banner or Courseleaf CIM. If they are appearing incorrectly, contact registrar@ua.edu. If a revision is needed, contact your department to have the revision made during UA’s course change process, which kicks off annually in mid-September. Any course changes submitted and completed during the Fall 2023 cycle will appear in Fall 2024 syllabi.
The list of course materials in my syllabus does not match what is listed at The University Supply Store.
Changes to required materials that are submitted to the University Supply Store are updated in Simple Syllabus overnight. If after a day, there are still discrepancies between the SUPe Store and syllabus course materials lists, contact the University Supply Store at textbook@ua.edu.
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Editing the Syllabus
Who can edit a syllabus?
In previous years, some departments and programs edited and published syllabi on behalf of instructors. This is no longer permissible. Instructors are responsible for creating a syllabus for each section they teach following University policy with guidance provided by their academic department and college. Questions about non-instructor access to edit and publish syllabi should be directed to the Office of Academic Affairs or the Office of the Registrar.
If I make a change to a syllabus and click submit, is it live immediately?
Once a syllabus is submitted, it is live immediately.
How do I add another instructor to my syllabus?
Additional instructors who need to be able to edit or publish syllabi must be added in Banner/myBama by department or college scheduler or registrar. To find out who this person is for a particular department or program, contact the department office or the University Registrar, registrar@ua.edu.
If an instructor is added or changed, how quickly can the syllabus be accessed?
The syllabus will be available to the new instructor the next day. It takes approximately 24 hours for Banner to sync course data.
Can I reorder the components?
Depending on how a college’s template is set up, instructors may be able to reorder existing and newly added components. If not able to reorder, new components remain at the end of the syllabus.
How do I add my required texts to the syllbaus?
Instructors cannot add required texts directly in Simple Syllabus. For required course materials, instructors should submit a list to the University Supply Store. The required materials will be automatically listed in the syllabus after submitting the list.
The Simple Syllabus component for “Other Course Materials” allows instructors to include resources that are optional or do not have to be purchased. Some examples include technology requirements, UA-provided software, library resources, or other items.
If I add an “Additional Course Description” can I move it under the mandatory Course Description?
Yes, instructors can rearrange syllabus components, including required ones.
Can I import individual components from one syllabus into a new syllabus?
Yes. (Detailed instructions to come)
Can I override an existing syllabus?
Yes. View this KB article: Import content from another Simple syllabus
How do I remove a component from my syllabus?
In order to remove a component from your syllabus, the component must be set to “Optional” by UA administrators. For components that are optional, you can remove the component from your syllabus one of two ways:
Toggle the Visible slider to the left to make it invisible. This will prevent the component from showing on your syllabus, and you can move the slider back to “Visible” at any time to display the component.
Leave the component empty. Components that have no content in them will not show on published syllabi.
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How can I keep my contact information from being public if my syllabus is public?
Use a link to your information in the UA Directory instead of entering your information under the profile section. The UA Directory is only accessible to the UA community via myBama login.
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CopyingContent
If I am teaching multiple sections of the same course, can I copy content from one syllabus to another?
When starting a syllabus for the first time, the content from your most recently submitted (or edited if none have been submitted) syllabus will automatically populate onto your current syllabus. If you prefer to start from a different syllabus than the one that auto-imported, you can import content from another syllabus.
If I am teaching multiple sections of the same course, when I submit one section does it automatically update the other sections?
Your changes will only apply to the specific syllabus that you make the changes in, regardless of whether you are teaching other sections of the same course.
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Viewing the Syllabus
Can I tell if students have viewed the syllabus?
Yes. From the Simple Syllabus dashboard, you will see an icon under the title of your syllabus that displays how many students have viewed the syllabus. Student must move through the entire syllabus to appear as completed.
If my syllabus is set to public, can I make a portion of it available to students only?
No, there is not a way to show only certain components publicly and some privately to students only. If you have content that should only be shared with students, add it directly in your Blackboard course.
How can I see all my syllabi in Simple Syllabus? If I customize a syllabus for a course, is it saved under my profile to upload and reuse in future semesters?
The Simple Syllabus Library will contain all your syllabi from Summer 2023 forward.
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Sharing & Printing a Syllabus
Can I select to only print portions of a syllabus?
The entire syllabus opens as a PDF to print. If you want to only print particular components, then edit the pdf before printing.
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Blackboard Supersections
I teach a supersection course in Blackboard. Do I have to import a syllabus for each?
It all depends…
If you want the same syllabus in all the courses, create the syllabus in Simple, copy the URL, then paste it using the add Web Link tool in Blackboard. (View our guide)
If you want to use a different syllabus for each section, modify the auto-loaded syllabus for the section.
I have courses that are cross listed, but not supersections in Blackboard. Can I copy a syllabus into the other courses?
Yes. Copy the URL within Simple and add as a Web Link in Blackboard.