Simple Syllabus FAQ
The following are frequently asked questions regarding the syllabus platform Simple Syllabus.
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Are syllabi required for sections with no enrollment or those that are going to be cancelled?
If a section has no enrollment or will not be offered in a given term, no syllabus is required.
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 you are listed, 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.
Pre-populated Content
Instructor
The instructor of record, and any additional instructors, is managed within Banner. If there is an error, in this section, please contact the Office of the University Registrar at registrar@ua.edu.
How do I add another instructor to my syllabus?
Additional instructors must be added in Banner/myBama by department or college scheduler or registrar.
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.
Course Materials
Information regarding required texts and course materials is managed by the University Supply Store.
Changes to required materials that are submitted to the University Supply Store are updated in Simple Syllabus overnight.
If there is an error in this section, and it persists after 24 hours, contact the University Supply Store at textbook@ua.edu.
Course details
The following syllabus content syncs from and is managed in Courseleaf, the Course Inventory Management system (CIM).
Course prerequisites
Course description
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Departmental syllabus statements
If these are incorrect, please contact the Office of the University Registrar at registrar@ua.edu.
How are student learning outcomes entered into a section's syllabus?
This data comes from Courseleaf, UA’s Course Inventory Management system (CIM). Once they are entered in CIM they will appear in Simple Syllabus for the effective term.
If SLOs are not current or present in CIM, SLOs should be added in the current catalog cycle by a department or program administrator.
If course-level SLOs are not present in Simple, the instructor will have to enter them in the syllabus in Simple Syllabus.
If a section has section-specific SLOs, those can be entered into Simple Syllabus by instructors and will be shown in addition to the course level SLOs.
Can I adjust the prerequisites, course description, student learning outcomes or other pre-populated sections of the syllabus?
No, they can not be modified in Simple Syllabus. This data comes from Banner or Courseleaf CIM. They must be edited in those systems.
Do department specific syllabus statements automatically populate to my syllabus?
Yes. The University Registrar’s office has worked with all colleges and created templates for any unique syllabi statements.
Editing the Syllabus
Who can edit a syllabus?
The instructor of record can edit and publish the 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.
Can I reorder the components?
It depends on the college’s template. 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.
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 override an existing syllabus?
Yes. View this KB article for more information: https://bama.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CIT/pages/2231468047
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.
If the component is required, you will be unable to remove it from your syllabus.
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.
Copying Content
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.
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. 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?
The Simple Syllabus Library will contain all your syllabi from Summer 2023 forward.
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.
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.