Simple Syllabus has been selected as the centrally supported syllabus management tool for the U of A. It is now live and available for all instructors.

It is not mandatory to use the Simple Syllabus, but it is the preferred tool. Canvas's built-in syllabus tool is recommended against.

Simple Syllabus is a centralized, template-driven platform that helps instructors and admins build, manage, and publish course syllabi in a consistent and professional format. The tool is set up to automatically include required institutional content and policies as a part of a standard U of A template. It allows instructors to add course-specific information with ease. Syllabi will eventually be published in a searchable online repository.

In addition to the instructions below, the Centre for Teaching and Learning has created an outline of Simple Syllabus, including an instructional video on its features and setup: Simple Syllabus for Instructors. 

Accessing Simple Syllabus

Simple Syllabus is currently available to all instructors across the university; however, only some faculties have created custom templates or set internal onboarding timelines.

Before getting started, please check with your department or faculty to confirm whether:

• A custom template has been created
• There is a preferred onboarding date or internal process

If no guidance is in place, you’re welcome to begin using the default university-standard template immediately. To access the tool:

1. Go to: https://ualberta.simplesyllabusca.com/
2. Log in using your university credentials
3. Any assigned courses will appear on the dashboard

You will only see your assigned courses in Simple Syllabus after you have been officially assigned as the instructor in Campus Solutions. If your course does not appear, please contact your department’s scheduler to confirm that your teaching assignment has been processed.

Editing A Syllabus

We recommend that instructors new to the tool begin by watching a comprehensive walkthrough detailing the Simple Syllabus interface.

To make edits in a syllabus:

1. Select a course from your dashboard, then click the Edit button:
   
   
   
   
2. Complete the required fields marked in a red box:
   
   
   
   
3. Add course-specific content, including:
   • Contact info and office hours
   • Assessment breakdown
   • Learning outcomes
   • Weekly schedule
   
   
   
   
4. Click Submit to make it available to students
   
   
   

Linking Syllabi in Canvas

Once syllabi are constructed, instructors have a few options for linking them to Canvas.

Simple Syllabus Canvas LTI Integration

New in December 2025, it is now possible to add an integrated LTI link to Simple Syllabus from inside Canvas courses. This vendor-provided tool adds a ‘Simple Syllabus’ item into a course’s left nav list:

To use the integration, instructors will first need to enable the Simple Syllabus item in their course navigation settings:

Students who click this course navigation link will be automatically taken to the Simple Syllabus website and shown their syllabi based on their Bear Tracks enrollment section in the course.

When instructors use the link, they will need to select from ALL their enrolled Bear Tracks course sections to access the correct one if they are planning to view that section’s syllabi and/or make any edits to it:

In multi-section courses, this allows instructors to create different syllabi for different sections if required, for example, if a course combines an undergraduate and graduate section. If all the sections in a course are using the same syllabi, this content must be copied into ALL the different section-level syllabi within Simple Syllabus.

Known issues with the Simple Syllabus LTI integration:

• The TA and Auditor roles do not function with this integration.
  
• If a syllabus for a student’s section has not been published, the integration will display that message to the student:
  
  
  
  

Other Linking Methods

It is also possible for instructors to export a PDF copy of their syllabus and upload it, or they can add a direct URL link to their syllabi. When students try to open a syllabus link, they will be required to authenticate before accessing the syllabus.

Note that Simple Syllabus is not linked to the native Canvas syllabus tool, nor is it present in the U of A content template. Instructors who are using the U of A Template and who want a link to the button on the home page of their course can copy the direct link from their browser and edit the button URL:

Getting Help

Instructors who require assistance with Simple Syllabus have several pathways based on the issues they are facing:

• For missing courses, please contact your department to ensure courses are correctly created in Bear Tracks. (If problems persist and the course is already available in Bear Tracks, contact eClass support, eclass@ualberta.ca.)
• For issues with unit-specific templates, contact the Simple Syllabus project team coordinator, Robert Brennan, rb11@ualberta.ca.
• For basic technical issues when using the tool, contact eclass@ualberta.ca.

The Simple Syllabus vendor has provided the following useful guides in their Help Center:

• Instructor Guide
• Editing Syllabi

Instructors can also watch the Video Overview created by CTL (linked above) for guidance on using the tool.