Getting Started: A Guide for Adjuncts and Instructors

Relevant to: faculty and staff

This article contains information considered accurate at the time of publishing. Technology updates, changes in University security practices, and/or policies and procedures may affect the information in this article - updates to articles are scheduled on a periodic basis and will address any required changes.

Introduction

The following is a quick start guide for instructors using Simple Syllabus.

View QuickStart Video.

Starting Your Syllabus

There are two options to start working on your syllabus:

  • Navigate to a specific course in Brightspace and click on the Simple Syllabus link. The syllabus editor will open inside of the Brightspace course and display the syllabus for that course.
  • Navigate to SUNY Empire’s Simple Syllabus site directly and work from your Dashboard.
    • The To Do list indicates Syllabi that have not been edited yet or submitted.
    • The Completed List shows Syllabi that have been edited and submitted by you – you can edit them further when needed. 
    • You can filter for the term you wish to work on using the dropdown menus in the Term box.
    • Choose the Edit button for the Syllabus you want to work on.

Copy and Paste

  • You can copy and paste from a Brightspace Syllabus page or other Brightspace web page.
    • Brightspace Tables may not appear correctly, you can create tables in the Simple Syllabus editor or if appropriate use other formatting such as a list.
  • For best results with formatting and to ensure digital accessibility, it’s recommended to type content into your syllabus instead of pasting when possible. We recommend using the built-in editor to select not just your font, but also the size, color, style, and spacing options.
  • Note that pasting content from Microsoft Word can result in unpredictable formatting and may impact screen readers because Word files contain hidden formatting code that is incompatible with Simple Syllabus.
  • It is possible to copy from the Brightspace HTML editor into the Simple Syllabus HTML editor – results may vary depending on how the Brightspace content was created. A separate Knowledgebase article will be created to explain this process.

Completing Your Syllabus

  • Based on guidance from the Pedagogy and Practice Committee, some areas of the syllabus are pre-filled with information from Banner or with university policies and resources. These areas cannot be edited.
  • Sections which are available for editing have the Visible button and editor bar (WYSIWYG).
  • Some sections will be prefilled with information that can be changed and other section that do not contain information will have “Type something” in italics.
  • Note: When all components have been completed and the Submit button has been selected, students will have access to the syllabus.
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