Syllabus Resources

TX HB 2504, UTA Policy AA-FP-PO-11, and SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation (along with the accompanying Resource Manual) establish UTA’s responsibility and authority to develop and enforce syllabus requirements.

This table lists the primary policies, guidelines, and statutes informing the development of minimum syllabus requirements at UTA. They are organized by level of authority and indicate which areas of the syllabus requirements the documentation impacts. Areas are defined as follows:

• Content – what information must be included in the syllabus
• Availability – the need for a course syllabus; who needs access to the syllabus and when
• Accessibility – the guidelines ensuring the syllabus is usable by all learners
• Intellectual Property (IP) – how (and by whom) a syllabus may be used once developed

Authority	Policy, Guideline, Statute	Related Area
UTA	AA-FP-PO-11 Policy Sec. B and C	Availability Content
UTA	GA-LA-PO-05 Policy Sec. A.1	Content
UTA	IT-PO-O5	Accessibility
UT System	Rule 90101 Sec. 7	IP
UT System	UTS Policy 150	Accessibility
SACSCOC	Principles of Accreditation and Resource Manual for Principles of Accreditation Sec. 10	Availability
Texas	HB 1027	Availability Content
Texas	HB 2504	Availability Content
Texas	Statutes listed in UTA and UTS policies	Accessibility
Federal	28 CFR Part 35. H	Accessibility
Federal	AG Order No. 5919-2024	Accessibility
Federal	Section 508 and ADA referenced in the above and UTA policies	Accessibility

Click HERE to download a detailed document explaining all of the policies, guidelines, and statutes. 

UTA's Handbook of Operating Procedures requires all faculty (AA-FP-PO-11) to make a Draft course syllabus (Referred to as the ‘Representative’ syllabus in policy) publicly available online thirty days before the start of the term and the Final version of the course syllabus (referred to as the ‘Day One’ syllabus in policy) publicly available online by the first day of classes. This policy supports Texas HB 2504 and HB 1027, which call for making this information available to the public through the faculty member's profile using Watermark/Digital Measures (W/DM).

The following documents and checklists will provide you with the lists of sections required for your Representative and Day One syllabi. Refer to the templates in Step 2 for formatting examples and the example statements and policy links in Step 3 for specific language.

Representative (Draft Version) Syllabus – Required thirty days before the start of the term.

  Checklist – UTA Representative Syllabus
UTA Syllabus Minimum Requirements for the Representative Syllabus

Day One (Final Version) Syllabus – Required by the first day of classes.

  Checklist – UTA Day One Syllabus
UTA Syllabus Minimum Requirements for the Day One Syllabus

Note: If your Day One Syllabus is ready to post thirty days before the start of the term, even if it is in draft form, then there is no need to create a separate Representative Syllabus. Here is a comparison of the required content found within the Representative and Day One Syllabi.

Comparing Requirements for Representative and Day One Syllabi

Log in to UTA Syllabus Templates and Examples to review, select, and download the template of your choice. There are six options to choose from, including five Word formats and one PowerPoint format. A completed example is available to help guide you for every template option.

Complete the Syllabus Template by filling in your specific course information. If you need to add additional sections to the syllabus, ensure that you use the proper Heading Styles in Word or Master Slides in PowerPoint. Refer to Step 4 for information about ensuring accessibility.

If you have trouble working with one of the templates provided by the Provost’s Office, please follow the instructions below.

Common Template Editing Tasks

• Run the Accessibility Checker
• Use the Navigation Pane to:
  • Navigate/browse the document
  • Reorganize content
  • Change (promote/demote) heading levels
  • Search by keyword and use find and replace
• Change list symbols and formatting
• Edit the display text on a link (such as your faculty profile)
• Replace an image
• Add or edit alternative text (alt text) on an image, shape, or table
• Add jump links to other parts of the same document
• Paste text without formatting (Paste as plain text)
• Format tables
• Show/Hide Formatting Marks, including section, column, and page breaks
• Update data in an existing chart

Remember, a syllabus is more than just a document—it serves as a roadmap for students' learning journeys. Using student-friendly language ensures that expectations, objectives, and policies are clear, accessible, and engaging. When students can easily understand the syllabus, they are more likely to feel welcomed, empowered, and prepared for success. Language that is conversational and free of unnecessary jargon fosters a positive learning environment, encourages participation, and helps reduce anxiety or confusion.

To assist you, we have prepared a document containing mandatory, suggested, and sample statements that you can add to your syllabus after selecting a template.

Statements to Use in Your Syllabus

Linked throughout the document above, you will find all pertinent institutional policies, student supports, and other university resources. Here are two essential links that must exist in your syllabus.

UTA’s Course Syllabus Institutional Policies

• Course Syllabus Institutional Policies

UTA’s Attendance Policy

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) that you include in your syllabus must be measurable. The Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence developed the CRTLE Syllabus Master Course about how to write and align SLOs. If you do not see the Syllabus Master Course on your list of courses in Canvas, contact CRTLE ([email protected]).

Explore the resources below or contact the Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) Office. 

• Accessibility Resources at UTA
• Build Accessible Documents
• Focus on Planning: Accessibility Course – This self-paced course is offered by the Center for Distance Education Instructional Design Team.
• Principles of Accessible Design
• WebAIM WCAG 2 Checklist – Use the options listed under Tools to filter for WCAG 2.0 Level AA guidelines. 

• Creating Accessible Images
• Writing Alternative Text for Images
• Creating Accessible Tables

Use the Upload Syllabus tool in Canvas to ensure your syllabus gets to all the right parties. The Upload Syllabus tool automatically distributes the syllabus to:

• Your Canvas course and cross-listed sections
• Your W/DM account
• The public course and syllabus information page

If you plan to cross-list or merge courses in Canvas, it is essential to load the syllabus using the Upload Syllabus tool before merging the courses. For more details, refer to the Center for Distance Education Course Management Resources. If you have already merged your courses or someone has done this for you, simply log in to Watermark/Digital Measures, navigate to Scheduled Teaching, and upload the syllabus manually into the pertinent course sections. 

1. Log in to Canvas with your email and password.
2. Navigate to your live course.
3. From the left-hand course menu, click the Upload Syllabus link.
   Note: This link is only available to those in the Teacher role.
4. Click the + Add Syllabus button.
5. Navigate to where you saved the syllabus on your computer and click Open.
6. You will receive a Success message. Click Close.
7. The syllabus you just uploaded will now appear in four places: (1) the Syllabus link in your Canvas course, (2) Watermark/Digital Measures, (3) your faculty profile, and (4) the public course and syllabus information page. For compliance, please double-check that your syllabus is available on your faculty profile. If, for some reason, the syllabus did not transfer outside of Canvas, you can post it directly into your course information in the Scheduled Teaching section of Watermark/Digital Measures, so that it shows on your public-facing faculty profile and the course and syllabus information page. This is required.

If you need to update the syllabus during the semester:

1. Edit the syllabus as needed.
2. Follow all steps above. Note that in Step 4, you will now see a + Update Syllabus button instead of a + Add Syllabus button.

The new version of the syllabus you upload will override the old course syllabus linked on the syllabus
page, but both versions will be available in Files > syllabus_upload folder. The updated syllabus will also be posted to Watermark/Digital Measures and your faculty profile.