Simple Syllabus at Ohio State

Simple Syllabus is a centralized software platform that enables instructors to quickly personalize and publish interactive class syllabi. Simple Syllabus uses a university-wide template, allowing instructors and/or course coordinators to enter information into the template components and then publish the syllabus.

Students and instructors can access Simple Syllabus from within CarmenCanvas or via the Simple Syllabus “library” page. Using this tool enables the university to make these syllabi available on a public-facing website in compliance with state law.

Is Simple Syllabus required?

Yes. The university requires that instructors of every undergraduate course use Simple Syllabus to post their course syllabi online, so it is publicly available.

What information is included in each course syllabus?

All undergraduate course syllabi will be posted online and include the following:

• Instructor name and qualifications
• Course schedule
• Required or recommended readings and other course materials

This information constitutes the syllabus for the course. These components of the Simple Syllabus template are set to be visible to the public and must be completed for the syllabus to be published.  

The remaining components of the Simple Syllabus template are visible only to people enrolled in the course.  These course details are not part of the official course syllabus.

What qualifications are to be listed for instructor qualifications? 

The Ohio Department of Higher Education has provided some guidance to include the instructor’s degree title(s), discipline(s), and institution(s), as well as other pertinent credentials or experience that establish that the faculty member meets the faculty qualifications specified in the ODHE Guidelines and Procedures for Academic Programs and in the Ohio State  Faculty Appointments, Faculty Workload, Tenure, and Retrenchment Policy (Section II.M). Only the qualifications relevant to teaching the course need to be listed.

What needs to be included in the course schedule? 

The course schedule should include the topics and when they will be covered. Only a title of the topic needs to be given, not the readings or assignments for that topic. Several examples of providing a course schedule as a table are provided in Simple Syllabus template that you can copy and adjust to your needs.

What needs to be included in the “Required or recommended readings and other course materials” section? 

Any material a student is expected to engage with as part of the course is to be listed in this section. This includes all readings (e.g., books, book chapters, journal articles, websites, etc.) as well as any multi-media resources (e.g., videos, podcasts, audio recordings, etc.) 

Materials that only exist within CarmenCanvas and were created by the instructor or other individuals affiliated with the course should be noted as well.

Here are examples showing how one might list content created by an instructor. The following formats are examples only. The instructor may use other formats for listings required and recommended readings.

• Smith J.H. (2026) “The Market Revolution: Factories, Canals, and the Re-shaping of Daily Life in the United States from 1815-1850.” Published in Carmen for History 3033.05, AU26.
• Weekly modules with content created by the instructor for the exclusive use of students enrolled in the course.  See course schedule for topics.
• Lecture recordings and contextual information aligned with the course topics, created by the instructor for the exclusive use of students enrolled in the course. See course schedule for topics.

If required or recommended readings are added during the course, they should be added to the syllabus at that time, and Simple Syllabus will update immediately.

Should fictional case studies, in-class example problems, exam readings, etc., be included as required or recommended readings?

Resources that students have to engage with to meet the learning objectives of the course should be included. 

Unpublished materials that the instructor creates within assessments or as study guides in their course (including but not limited to example problems, lecture slides, and lecture recordings) do not need to be listed in this section. They can be shared in the Course Details section or elsewhere in CarmenCanvas as appropriate.

How will instructors and students access Simple Syllabus?

Simple Syllabus will be integrated with CarmenCanvas. All courses will have a Simple Syllabus tab in the navigation which will allow instructors to edit and view the syllabus for that course. The same tab will allow students to view the syllabus.

Instructors and students can also use the Simple Syllabus library page to see all syllabi to which they have access.

What will instructors need to do to add their syllabus to Simple Syllabus?

Instructors will need to complete the syllabus template for each undergraduate course they teach. Some information (like course number and location) will automatically populate, but instructors will need to complete the remaining areas like instructor qualifications, required or recommended readings, and the course schedule.

Instructors who teach multiple sections of the same course can copy the first syllabus details to the other sections. Syllabi can also be replicated for a new term the next time an instructor teaches that course.

The Office of Technology and Digital Innovation’s Learning Systems team will work with course coordinators to enable them to pre-populate areas of the syllabus that need to be common across sections. Instructors should email syllabi@osu.edu for assistance.

Will there be options for customization of the template syllabus?

A single university template will be provided for Autumn 2026. In the future, colleges and departments will be able to request some customizations to the university template that will apply to courses in their area.

The Simple Syllabus template does not include everything I want to share with my students. Where do I put that information?

Within Simple Syllabus, there are multiple sections to provide additional course details including one entitled “Course Details – Other” that can contain as much information as desired. It is also permissible to provide additional details for students within Carmen Canvas. For colleges that desire additional structured fields to be added to the template for their courses, please contact syllabus@osu.edu with your request.

Do I need to complete a syllabus for independent study courses?

Yes. Senate Bill 1 requires that a syllabus be published for every undergraduate course offered. 

For independent study courses (e.g. x193, x998, x999) where there are no required or recommended readings, add a statement describing the process for choosing readings. Examples could include:

• “No required course readings” 
• “The student and instructor will collaboratively develop a list of readings for the semester during the first 2 weeks of the course.”
  • If this is the strategy used, the list of readings is to be added to the syllabus once it is finalized.
• “Readings will be identified throughout the semester based on the plan co-developed by the instructor and student that supports the objectives of the course.” 
  • If this is the strategy used, readings are to be added to the syllabus as they are identified.

Use similar language for the Course schedule component. Examples could include:

• “The student and instructor will collaboratively develop a list of topics and activities during the first 2 weeks of the course.” 
• “Topics and activities will be identified throughout the semester based on the plan co-developed by the instructor and student that supports the objectives of the course.”

Do I need to complete a syllabus for independent study courses if there are no students enrolled?

No, if no students are enrolled in your independent study sections, you are not required to post a syllabus. If students do enroll in your independent study sections, you must then generate a syllabus.  

What is the implementation timeline?

Pilot testing began March 4, 2026. Broad access for all instructors was made available beginning April 23, 2026, to allow time to prepare for Autumn 2026 courses.

Ohio State’s Simple Syllabus repository will be open for public access by the start of Autumn 2026 semester. In compliance with state law, syllabi for all courses 5000-level and below must be published in Simple Syllabus by the first day of the semester.

For how long will syllabi be available on Simple Syllabus?

State law requires that the mandated areas of syllabi remain available for two years.  Beyond that, university records policies require that syllabi be retained for at least five years.

What support will be available? 

Simply Syllabus is supported by Learning Systems in the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation. Workshops are now available and technical documentation is being developed.

Support can be reached by calling 614-688-4357 and choosing the option for the Carmen Learning Systems team or by emailing syllabus@osu.edu.