There are several ways to add your syllabus to your Canvas course shell. Choose the one that works best for your course setup and how you plan to use your syllabus and course shell.
What to know before adding your syllabus to the Canvas home page
Many PSU students regularly access their courses on mobile devices through the Canvas app. The default view in the app shows the course navigation menu, not the home page, so students can easily miss the syllabus if the only link is on the home page.
If you have Pages as your course home page and want to include a link to your syllabus, be sure to also add a link to the first module or Syllabus tool to ensure that students see this important information!
How do I add my syllabus to a Canvas module?
You can add a syllabus file (e.g., Word, PDF) or link to a syllabus (e.g., Google Doc, webpage) directly from a Canvas module.
Remember to publish both the module and file/link to ensure students can access your syllabus. If you are sharing a Google Doc, also remember to update the Share settings to ensure students have view access!
How do I add my syllabus to the Canvas Syllabus tool?
When active, the Canvas Syllabus tool displays a syllabus tab in the course navigation menu. You can also set the Canvas Syllabus tool to your course homepage.
The Syllabus tool can display an uploaded syllabus file or a linked or embedded Google Doc. Optionally, you can also display a Course Summary below the syllabus, which lists Canvas course activities and assignments by date.
If you use the Syllabus tool, verify that it is enabled in your course navigation. Check to see if students have access by using the Student View.
- Navigate to the Syllabus tool and open the Insert (1) menu below the Syllabus Description heading.
- Select Document (2) and then Upload Document (3).
- Locate the syllabus file on your computer and upload it. This creates a hyperlink to the file.
- Once the file is uploaded and displayed as a link in the Syllabus tool editing page, select the hyperlink and then Link Options (4).
- In the Link Options panel, rename the hyperlink if desired (5).
- Select Preview inline (6) and Expand preview by Default (7).
- At the bottom of the Link Options panel, select Done.
- Select Update Syllabus.
- Your document will now automatically display in the Syllabus tool, and can also be downloaded by selecting the Download icon (8).
You can share a link to a Google Doc or webpage version of your syllabus by adding the link to the Syllabus page. Linking means students will select the URL and be taken to a website outside of Canvas to view the syllabus.
Embedding means inserting code that displays your syllabus directly within the Canvas Syllabus tool, so students can view it without opening another tab or window.
Review how do I use the Syllabus as an instructor? for more information on the Canvas Syllabus tool.
This article was last updated .
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