TEMPLATES

Course Syllabus Templates

Whether you teach a face-to-face course or fully online, the syllabus is an essential tool for guiding students through the structure and requirements of your course. Provide an accessible course syllabus that clearly communicates course information, policies, expectations, and resources.

3 Steps to an Effective, Accessible Syllabus

1) Download An Accessible Syllabus Template

The following templates are available in Microsoft Word Format for your use to develop your own course syllabus:

Document	Description
Online Course Syllabus Template	Provides description of the online course experience, links to technical support, and lists resources available to online students.
Hybrid Course Syllabus Template	Provides description of the hybrid course experience, links to technical support, and lists resources available to students in hybrid courses.
Web-enhanced Course Syllabus Template	For courses that are primarily face-to-face but include a course Web site (like SacCT) or other online resources.
Recommended Supplements:	Overview of Online Course Activities Online Communication Guidelines Discussion Board Guidelines Technical Support Contact Information Campus Resources to Support Student Learning

2) Edit the Syllabus and Add Your Own Information

1. Open the Syllabus Template in Microsoft Word or another Word Processing program.
2. Copy and paste content from an old syllabus or type in your new content.
   • If pasting content ensure that you have selected "Match Desitination Formatting" from the paste options. This will retain the document style(s).
   • We highly recommend using the built-in style and format to ensure your syllabus remains accessible.

For detailed instructions, refer to the Accessible Syllabus Template Guide.

3) Save and Distribute Your Syllabus in an Accessible Format

One simple way to save and distribute your Syllabus is as an Acrobat PDF document. PDFs can easily be printed or made available online through SacCT or other Web sites.

Guidelines for Conversion to PDF

• Use PDFMaker (the Acrobat icon in Microsoft Word), not “File > Print> Adobe PDF" or the "Save as PDF" option on Mac OS.
• If you are using a Mac, use a PC (PDFMaker icon) to convert your document to PDF.
• Another option is to include both versions (PDF and Word), if you can’t use PDFMaker (on a PC).
  

Please refer to the Documents Webpage for instructions on how to structure a document in Microsoft Word and convert to PDF and HTML formats.

Accessibility Check

Sacramento State's Accessible Technology Initiative provides an Instructional Materials Accessibility Checklist to help guide faculty in creating accessible course materials.

Using the syllabus templates provided on this page is your first step toward creating an accessible syllabus. You may also want to attend a workshop on Creating Accessible Materials. For more information visit the Sac State Technology Training Web site.