Photo of a faculty member lecturing to a class.

Simple Syllabus

Simple Syllabus is a centralized, template-driven platform that enables instructors to quickly personalize and publish interactive class syllabi. Simple Syllabus is now available in Canvas as “Montclair Syllabus” and can be enabled in Canvas course(s) via Settings > Navigation.

Register for a Simple Syllabus Workshop

Benefits to Using Simple Syllabus:

  • Provides templates that are visually appealing and easy to update.
  • Automatically pulls in key details about a class into the Syllabus.
  • Provides updated University policies and resources for students ensuring accuracy and saving faculty time.
  • Allows departments/programs to customize syllabi with specific information.
  • Offers an interactive syllabus menu for students to navigate specific sections.
  • Provides printable syllabi and print-to-PDF options.
  • Enables instructors to see student engagement with course syllabi.
Faculty members began piloting the use of Simple Syllabus in the spring of 2023.  The pilot continues during the 2023-24 academic year. If you are interested in joining this pilot, please reach out to ITDS at itds@montclair.edu or sign up for a 1-1 meeting to get started.
An example syllabus in Simple Syllabus
 An example syllabus page created with Simple Syllabus

Simple Syllabus Features

Canvas Integration

  • Replaces the native Canvas Syllabus tool with additional features.
  • Integrates with Canvas assignments, quizzes, and discussions; automatically creates a Course Summary table.
  • Editable in Canvas.
  • Printable or print-to-PDF syllabi are now readily available.

Syllabus Templates

  • Updates made to a Simple Syllabus global template are immediately available in Canvas for all courses associated with that template. If University related policies need to be updated in Simple Syllabus, these changes can be rolled out to every syllabus instantly.
  • College/School, Department, Subject, and Course specific templates are also available, which can provide more granular information to all individual syllabi within the identified unit.
  • Each syllabus auto-fills certain content about your course, such as your meeting time, room location, name, etc. More autofill functionality is being added in the future.

Analytics

  • Track student syllabus engagement.
  • Capacity to share abbreviated syllabi with prospective and enrolled students to preview.
  • Syllabi can be shared for accreditation or other purposes.