Purpose

The syllabus is a multi-faceted document that serves different functions for a diverse group of people connected to the student's course or college.

For the instructor, the purpose of the syllabus is to inform students about the processes, procedures and expectations of an online course. Instructors need to be clear, thorough and firm with course information and expectations that will cultivate an honest, respectful and relevant learning environment.

The Syllabus is also used by the ICCOC and partner colleges to provide information needed for accreditation (course descriptions, course objectives, etc.) as well as make students aware of specific colleges policies, resources or student rights.

Simple Syllabus

The ICCOC and its partner colleges have chosen to use a third-party tool, Simple Syllabus, that integrates with Canvas as its provider of all course syllabi. The link to Simple Syllabus is available in the course navigation. Simple Syllabus is a centralized, template-driven platform for the publishing of course syllabi in mobile, web and print formats. Content within the syllabus template can be set up to be editable by instructors and/or designers, or it can be locked down to be managed by administrators to allow for consistent and controlled information. In addition, data elements can be automatically pulled from Canvas or uploaded via files. Reports and various functions are available to manage the completion of course syllabi each term.

A syllabus template has been designed for shared online courses, while each partner college has designed its own college template for restricted online courses, eCompanions and hybrid courses.

The Simple Syllabus Orientation for Instructors (Shared Online Courses) is available at https://iowacconline.instructure.com/courses/63356

Please check with your college for information, training or resources related to your individualized college syllabus template.