Canvas Baseline Practices: 3. Syllabus information
The syllabus provides key course details and sets student expectations.
What this practice involves
- Make sure your official course descriptor (Digital Course Outline) is included in the Canvas Syllabus section.
- Ensure you syllabus includes essential information such as:
- Course description and learning outcomes
- Weekly schedule or summary
- Assessment details and due dates
- Communication and participation expectations
- Course policies and support contacts
- Where possible, link directly to key Canvas modules, assessments, or policies.
Why it matters
The syllabus is more than an administrative requirement—it’s a roadmap for learning. A clear, well-designed syllabus supports student agency, reduces repetitive questions, and increases confidence about what’s coming next.
It also aligns with Universal Design for Learning by supporting ‘representation’ through providing students multiple ways to understand course expectations.
Implementation
3.1 Course outline
Provide key information about the course so students know what to expect. The Digital Course Outline (DCO) provides students with essential information, e.g., course prescription, learning outcomes, assessment summary, policies and guidelines.
1. The course prescription is a very brief, general description about the course. 2. The course overview is a clear, concise outline of the content, objectives and how they will be attained.
Instructor guide: How do I use the Syllabus as an instructor?
3.2 Learning objectives
Provide learning objectives to help set expectations, identify key concepts, and provide a framework for assessment.
1. List key capabilities specific to the course that align with our Graduate Profile. 2. List the skills and knowledge students will attain at the completion of the course. Reference the capabilities for each outcome to reinforce the relationship between learning outcomes and capabilities. 3. An assessment breakdown clearly identifies the weighting for each assignment. Linking these with learning outcomes helps to demonstrate what is assessed.
3.3 Policies and guidelines
Provide requirements, e.g., use of technology, code of conduct, policies for grading, late work, resubmissions, and classroom rules and etiquette.
1. Guidelines should set expectations around workload, conduct and responsibilities, and links to University policies that students can refer to. 2. Stating the delivery mode of the course will determine how students engage with teachers, their classmates, and course content. 3. List the policies pertaining acceptable behaviour, processes, and special needs and circumstances. 4. The course summary is automatically generated from assessment information in Canvas. The option for setting the visibility of the summary is available when editing the syllabus page.
From the University of Auckland
TeachWell Digital: Digital citizenship
Learning essentials: communicating respectfully and constructively
Bullying, harassment and discrimination
External resources
What is netiquette and why is it important in online courses?
Tips and tools
- Use plain language. Avoid dense blocks of text or jargon.
- Highlight key dates visually in a list, table, or timeline.
- Utilise the Course Summary tool for auto-generated assessment dates set in the Calendar or Assignments sections.
- Review your syllabus to make sure it reflects your current course structure and delivery.
Page updated 27/06/2025 (content refresh)