How do I add my syllabus to Canvas?

Quick Links: | Prerequisites | Instructions | Troubleshooting |

Creating and sharing your course syllabus in Canvas is essential for setting clear expectations with your students.  The Syllabus tool in Canvas is unique compared to a regular Canvas page, The Syllabus tool displays a summary of due dates at the bottom and a shortcut to your Canvas sidebar. Watch the Canvas video below for a general overview. 

Whether you have a PDF or Word document, you'll learn how to make it accessible to your students quickly and efficiently. This guide will walk you through uploading your syllabus document (or a link to your syllabus document)  to Canvas, or, alternatively, copying and pasting the contents of your syllabus into the Chico State syllabus template.  

Alternatively, you can link to your syllabus document here or on your course Home page. If you choose the Home page, please hide the Syllabus tool from your navigation menu. 

Prerequisites

• You must have instructor access to your Canvas course.
• Have your syllabus ready in a PDF or Word format OR have our syllabus hosted on a cloud service (e.g., Google Drive) with a shareable link.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Copy/paste into the Chico State syllabus template

1. Go to the Syllabus section of your Canvas course.
2. Select Edit. 
3. Using the template as a guide, replace the [bracketed text placeholders] with your own syllabus information. 
4. Remove any placeholder text you no longer want. TLP recommends keeping the Chico-specific drop-down accordions with campus resources.
5. Click Update Syllabus or Save to finalize the changes.

Embed your syllabus in Canvas

You can embed your syllabus as a Word document or PDF in Canvas. To embed your syllabus, do the following:

1. Navigate to your course's Syllabus tool from the course menu. 
2. Select Edit. 
3. Place your cursor before the placeholder text. 
4. Select Insert > Document > Upload Document.
5. 
6. Choose your syllabus file from your device and upload it.
7. In Link Options, decide how you want your document to display. You can select from various display options to control how students interact with your syllabus.
8. Remove any placeholder text you no longer want. TLP recommends keeping the Chico-specific drop-down accordions with campus resources.
9. Remember to select Update Syllabus to apply the changes.

Link to an external syllabus Document

If you want to link to your syllabus on an external website, such as Google Docs, do the following:

1. Go to the Syllabus section of your Canvas course.
2. Select Edit. 
3. Place your cursor before the placeholder text. 
4. While the text is still highlighted, choose Insert > Link > External Link.
   
5. Paste the shareable link of your syllabus document into the URL field.
6. Configure the link options according to your preference, such as opening in a new tab.
7. Remove any placeholder text you no longer want. TLP recommends keeping the Chico-specific drop-down accordions with campus resources.
8. Click Update Syllabus or Save to finalize the changes.

Troubleshooting

• If you encounter issues with uploading your document, ensure the file size does not exceed Canvas's maximum upload limit.
• If you're using an external link, ensure the syllabus document is set to "Anyone with the link can view" to prevent access issues.
• If students report issues accessing the link, double-check the sharing settings and update the syllabus link if necessary.
• For visibility issues, verify that your syllabus is published and the course is active.

Still need help? Reach out to Canvas support or the Technology & Learning Program for further assistance.