The initial launch at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences began during the Spring 2025 semester with a phased rollout planned through the Fall 2025 semester. All faculty should have their syllabi uploaded into the platform by the Spring 2026 semester.
Simple Syllabus is a template-based product that automatically imports data from OU Health Sciences course catalog and class schedule. Templates can be created at the University, college, department and course level to ensure consistency and compliance with policies. By default, the University template includes all required University policies.
Easy! Simple Syllabus allows you to copy and paste any information from a current syllabus template you have, or you can type directly into the different component boxes within the platform. Simple Syllabus accepts images, hyperlinks, and other rich content to be embedded into the template making it customizable to the instructor while keeping required policy content in place.
The content from your most recently submitted syllabus will automatically populate into your current syllabus. It is easy to use a different syllabus if you do not want to use the one that auto imported. Simply click “Replace with a different syllabus” at the top of the publisher to search for the syllabus of your choosing.
When editing a syllabus, the changes will only apply to the specific syllabus in which you are making changes, regardless of whether or not you are teaching other sections of the same course.
Select the “Simple Syllabus” tool from the lefthand navigation bar. If you do not see Simple Syllabus within the navigation bar, please see the question “How do I unhide Simple Syllabus in Canvas?”
Selecting the tool will open the syllabus for your course. From here, you can fill out the fields as appropriate. Fields highlighted in yellow are required. Simple Syllabus automatically saves as you edit the document. Once you have completed your syllabus, you can preview the syllabus and/or submit for approval.
To edit your syllabus within Simple Syllabus, you can either select "View My Dashboard" from within the Simple Syllabus tool in Canvas or log in to the Simple Syllabus site using your SSO. This will take you to your dashboard where you can select your course(s) and begin editing.
This will open the syllabus for your course. From here, you can fill out the fields as appropriate. Fields highlighted in yellow are required. Simple Syllabus automatically saves as you edit the document. Once you have completed your syllabus, you can preview the syllabus and/or submit.
To unhide the Simple Syllabus link in Canvas, open your course page and select "Settings" from the lefthand navigation bar. Under the "Navigation" tab is a list of available tools. By default, Simple Syllabus is located under the enabled pages, but if you imported your course from a prior term, it may have been moved to the disabled pages based on prior term settings.
Enable Simple Syllabus by dragging the tool from the disabled pages to the enabled tools box or by clicking the kebab (three dots) to the right of the name and selecting "Enable."
Simple Syllabus automatically syncs items that appear on the Canvas course summary into the Simple Syllabus component titled Canvas Course Schedule. This section lists (with hyperlinks) all published assignments, discussions, and quizzes within the course and includes due dates and point totals, much like the course summary on the Canvas Syllabus tool. As assignments are updated in Canvas, they will be updated in Simple Syllabus. Note: any changes to due dates, points, assignment name, etc. must be done in Canvas first and then it is synced with Simple Syllabus. If you make changes in Simple Syllabus first, it will break the synchronization.
For single section courses, you can use the Student View to see the Simple Syllabus; however, Student View does not work for viewing cross-listed courses. An error message will populate. Instead, click "Preview" on the syllabus if you want to see a finalized version of it. The Student View is the same as the Preview.
Absolutely! Once all the changes are saved, you can submit it again, and the most recent version will appear for your students and in the Simple Syllabus Library. All syllabi will display the “last updated” date.
Yes! Simple Syllabus allows instructors to track student engagement with syllabi using the student engagement feature. If you are logged into Simple Syllabus, you can navigate to the “Published” tab, then search for your syllabus, and then click “View.” If you are working directly in Canvas, you can simply navigate to the published syllabus. The blue horizontal line indicates the number of students who have viewed the syllabus (dark blue) and the number of students who have not viewed the syllabus (light blue).
Public means that OU faculty and staff can see the information displayed in the Simple Syllabus Library when the syllabus is published. Private means that only the instructor and students in that particular section can see the information when the syllabus is published.
Visible means this component appears on the finalized version of the syllabus. Invisible means the component is not displayed on the published version of the document. Note: Leaving a component blank will also render it invisible on the syllabus.