Syllabus Guide
Your syllabus is more than a course policy document—it's a roadmap that communicates expectations, supports student success, and establishes the foundation for your course. Whether you're creating a syllabus from scratch, updating an existing one, or ensuring it meets university requirements, the resources below will guide you through each step of the process.
Per USU Policy 403 section 3.1.3, Faculty members shall select course requirements based on the legitimate pedagogical goals of the course and discipline, and inform students of the general content and evaluation criteria in the syllabus or comparable documentation at the beginning of any course they teach. NWCCU Accreditation STANDARDS 1.C.3 specifies that course Learning outcomes should be available to students and the public via multiple methods: catalog, course outlines/syllabi program. Uploading a syllabus to your online course in Canvas fulfills both requirements.
Additional information on Syllabus development is available at: https://www.usu.edu/provost/faculty-life/syllabus
Syllabus Tracker
The course delivery method cannot be changed after registration has begun without Provost approval. If the delivery method is changed, all enrolled students will be dropped. Students can re-register after the delivery method has been updated.
Online Course Fee Syllabus Statement
The University’s Course Fee Committee has approved the addition of a $15/credit online course fee. The fee is applied to all online courses to sustain current digital technologies and support services required for delivering online learning. Please include the following paragraph in the syllabus of any online courses you are teaching:
Online Course Fee: $15 per credit course fee is applied to all online courses to support current digital technologies and support services required for engaging and effective online learning.
A description of the fee is also in the General Catalog, and it will appear on the course when students look in Banner to register.
Navigate to one of the sections below for more information:
- How to Write a Syllabus
- Syllabus Sections to Include, Tone, and Why
- Syllabus Template Example
- Syllabus and HB261
- Syllabus Resources (Policies and Procedures)
Additional Resources
- Visit Creating a Syllabus at usu.edu/teach to learn how to build your course syllabus in Canvas.
- Dr. Rose Judd-Murray shares about how she uses Canva to create a graphic syllabus:
ETE 2024. (Start 14 minutes and 20 seconds into the recording.)