Frequently Asked Questions

Syllabi for general education courses must be posted 45 days before (11/21/2025) the start of the Spring 2026 semester

In compliance with the amended FL BOG Regulation 8.003, all other non-general education Spring 2026 syllabi must be posted in Simple Syllabus by January 5, 2026.

Starting Summer 2026, all syllabi must be posted at least 45 days before the start of the semester.  Find syllabus posting deadlines via the FIU Academic Calendar.

Please note, individualized courses such as directed individual studies, internships, thesis, dissertation defense, and performance are exempt from this posting requirement.

All syllabi must also satisfy FIU specific syllabus requirements found in the Faculty Handbook FIU Faculty Handbook (pp. 49-50, the Faculty Handbook is being updated to reflect the amendment to FL BOG Reg 8.003).

As specified under the newly amended FL BOG Regulation 8.003, all syllabi must include:

• • The course curriculum including required readings. If chapters/pages are not listed, then the entire text is assumed
  • The required and recommended textbooks and instructional materials. Instructional materials include but are not limited to articles, videos, collected works, alternative selection/student choice readings, media that imparts course content, etc.
  • The goals, objectives, and student expectations of the course.
  • How student performance will be measured and evaluated, including the grading scale.

Please note, all required sections of the Simple Syllabus template must be completed with the information relevant to that section and be consistent with other materials shared with students.

Additionally, all required sections of the Simple Syllabus template need to remain visible to the General Public. This is the default setting

The following syllabus sections will be automatically populated in Simple Syllabus and cannot be removed. Some sections may require editing to fulfill syllabus section requirements.

• • Course Information – Imported from PantherSoft
  • Course Prerequisites – Imported from PantherSoft
  • Textbook and Course Materials for Purchase- Imported from AIP
  • Canvas Schedule- Imported from your Canvas course. The Canvas Schedule is the list of deadlines for assignments/assessments in Canvas created by faculty and should be updated in Canvas. It does not provide links to the actual assignment.

Courses must follow the published syllabus, with reasonable adjustments allowed (e.g., new findings in the field published, adjustments to curriculum to revisit topics, etc.). Changes to the syllabus must be made in writing to students.

There are several ways to get help.

• • Register and attend our Simple Syllabus Essentials Training training sessions.
  • View our self-paced FIU Develop – Simple Syllabus Course.
  • Read our Step-by-Step Guide: Getting Started with Simple Syllabus.
  • Watch our Simple Syllabus Video Guides.

For technical support or consultations :  

• • Contact Ed Tech Services (ETS) Faculty Support Center at 305-348-2814 or etshelp@fiu.edu for elevated access requests, template requests, etc.
  • Contact FIU Canvas Help for general assistance with Simple Syllabus and troubleshooting within your Canvas course
  • Schedule an appointment or drop by the ETS Faculty Support Center for in-person help in the faculty computer lab in GL 150, MMC, or  AC 1- 148, BBC. 
  • View the Simple Syllabus on demand training in FIU Develop. 

For additional help, access the Simple Syllabus Technical Support Center.

• • Within the Simple Syllabus tool, click the Question Mark icon on the bottom left of the syllabus you are working on. This will open the Simple Syllabus Knowledge Base. Here, you will find answers to commonly asked questions.
  • You also may leave a note for the dedicated support team to contact you. Support is available Monday- Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
  • In addition, you may contact Simple Syllabus via phone number call (813) 279-5443 ext. 2 for support.

You can access your syllabus directly within Canvas or from the FIU Simple Syllabus Dashboard.

Within Canvas:

Select Simple Syllabus from the Course Tools menu on the left in your Canvas course. This will open the Simple Syllabus tool for you to edit your course syllabus.

1. If you do not see Simple Syllabus on the Course Tools menu:
   1. Select the Settings link at the bottom of the left-hand menu.
   2. Select the Navigation tab at the top of the page.
   3. You will see a list of the tools currently enabled in your Canvas course. Scroll down to find the list of tools that are not yet enabled. Locate Simple Syllabus and click on the three vertical dots to enable.
   4. Once you have enabled Simple Syllabus, continue to scroll to the bottom of the list and select Save. For more information, please see How do I manage Course Navigation links?

FIU Simple Syllabus site:

1. 1. Visit fiu.simplesyllabus.com.
   2. Login with your FIU username and password.
   3. Select the edit icon on your course’s syllabus to begin editing.  

No, however, you can copy and paste your syllabus content into Simple Syllabus. You then have the option to update the formatting to meet your needs. Once published, it will automatically copy same course IDs each semester and you can use the import feature to copy your syllabus across sections or semesters.  

To import an existing syllabus to another section: 

1. 1. Select the course section that you would like to import the existing syllabus into.  
   2. Use the pencil icon next to the course name that you want to import into to open the editing of that section’s syllabus.  
   3. Near the top of the new window, you will see “Replace with a different syllabus”.  Use the arrow to access the dropdown menu. From the dropdown list, select the course from which you wish to import.   
   4. Edit the new syllabus as needed. Make sure to add/update content specifically to the section and modality. 
   5. Publish the syllabus. 

Simple Syllabus refers to the different syllabus sections as components.

Notes for Faculty are internal comments or reminders that provide additional context or information about specific sections of the syllabus. These notes are not visible to students and are meant to help faculty manage and organize their syllabus content. 

To access the Help Hints feature: 

• • Fullscreen Mode: Help hints are located on the right side of your screen beside each syllabus section. 
  • Smaller Screens: If your window is smaller, click the blue arrow on the right to expand the syllabus section and display the hint. 

To ensure your syllabus is accessible to all students, follow these steps to use the Accessibility Checker: 

 Select the syllabus you want to review. 

1. 1. Open Accessibility Checker by selecting the accessibility checker icon. The tool will scan your syllabus for accessibility issues. 
   2. Follow the provided suggestions to improve accessibility, such as adding alt text to images, adjusting table formatting, etc. 
   3. Remediate the flagged accessibility issues. 
   4. Once the syllabus is completed, publish the syllabus by selecting the “Publish” button. 

The information for the primary and secondary instructors listed on the course is imported from PantherSoft.  

However, you can add additional instructors by selecting the pencil icon next to “Add new instructor” within the instructor syllabus section. You will be able to designate if the instructor is secondary, TA, or LA. And then fill in their remaining required pieces of information to fulfill the section requirements. Once created, select the blue “save” button.   

Instructors that are auto-imported into the syllabus cannot be deleted, but you can choose to hide them using the “Hide” button. This button is available when editing the instructor’s information.

If you have manually added an instructor, you will see a “Delete” button, which allows you to remove them entirely.

To edit a textbook entry, select the Blue Pencil icon. You may see a message indicating that editing will override the details imported from AIP. This is expected. Select “Confirm” to begin editing the textbook. After making your changes, select Save to apply them.

If any textbooks or materials were auto-imported into the syllabus and are not needed, you can hide them by selecting the Hide button while editing the textbook details.

For textbooks that you’ve manually added, a Delete button will be available to remove them entirely.

If no textbooks are required for purchase, please enter “No Textbook Required for Purchase” as the title. For all other required fields, you may enter “N/A” to complete the submission.

Please note that all required fields must be completed in order to fulfill the syllabus section requirements. You will not be able to publish the syllabus until this section is properly filled out.

Your textbook and course materials must be adopted in AIP (http://go.fiu.edu/adopt). Once entered there, the information will be automatically imported into this syllabus. It may take up to 24 hours for the adoption to be reflected in your syllabus. 

If there are issues or you need assistance with the AIP, please follow the link above, log in using you FIU login and utilize the Adoption Support options available.  

If no textbooks are needed for purchase, please enter “No Textbook Required for Purchase” as the title. For the remaining required fields, you may enter N/A to fulfill submission requirements.

Textbooks that are auto-imported into the syllabus cannot be deleted, but you can choose to hide them using the “Hide” button. This button is available when editing the textbook’s information.

If you have manually added a textbook, you will see a “Delete” button, which allows you to remove them entirely.

Please note the prerequisite information is imported from PantherSoft. If any information is incorrect, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

Yes, you can reorder syllabus sections (components) to customize the flow of your syllabus. 

 To reorder your syllabus,  

1. 1. Select the “Reorder” icon. 
   2. Drag and drop the syllabus sections in the desired order. 
   3. Select “Save” to keep your changes. 

If a non-required syllabus section is left blank, it won’t be visible to students. For required sections, content must be added to that section to publish the syllabus.

It is not possible to delete a syllabus section that is part of the university template. However, any sections that you personally add can be deleted. 

Please note that non-required syllabus sections can be left blank, and they will not be visible to students. For required sections, it is necessary to add content in order to publish the syllabus.  

Yes, if you want to add content that is not already in the syllabus, you can create a new syllabus section (component). There are no space restrictions for adding additional syllabus sections, so you can add content to meet your individual course needs.  

To add a new section (component), do one of the following:  

• • Select Add button (it has a plus sign) on the top left-hand side menu. 
  • You can use the “Add new component” button by scrolling down to the very bottom of the editing page (also called the publisher).  

Please note that your new section will automatically show up at the bottom and you may then move it to wherever you would like in the syllabus by using the reordering feature.  

Yes. The Rich Content Editor (RCE) includes a built-in symbol library that supports a wide range of academic and scientific characters, including mathematical operators, Greek letters, and other commonly used symbols in STEM disciplines. This feature is especially helpful for accurately representing formulas, equations, and scientific terminology directly within the syllabus.

Special characters can be accessed by selecting the Ω icon in the toolbar when editing syllabus content.

You can import any published syllabus you have access to into another syllabus you have access to.  

Please note: If a syllabus has never been published it will not be available for importing. 

After publishing the first syllabus, use Simple Syllabus’ Import function to load and publish syllabi for other courses or cross-listed sections.  

Please note: Simple Syllabus creates a unique syllabus for each section. For cross-listed sections, faculty should log in to fiu.simplesyllabus.com to copy and publish syllabi across all sections. While Canvas shows the parent syllabus, copying ensures students see the correct version if they access Simple Syllabus directly. 

To import an existing syllabus to another section:  

1. 1. Select the course section that you would like to import the existing syllabus into.   
   2. Use the pencil icon next to the course name that you want to import into to open the editing of that section’s syllabus.   
   3. Near the top of the new window, you will see “Replace with a different syllabus”.  Use the arrow to access the dropdown menu. From the dropdown list, select the course from which you wish to import.    
   4. Edit the new syllabus as needed. Make sure to add/update content specifically to the section and modality.  
   5. Publish the syllabus.   

Yes, if you are teaching the same exact course with the same section ID your syllabus will automatically be imported.  

If you teach the same course, but different section (U01 vs U02), you can use the “Import” feature to easily import the old syllabus into the new section.  

To import an existing syllabus to another section:  

1. 1.  Select the course section that you would like to import the existing syllabus into.   
   2. Use the pencil icon next to the course name that you want to import into to open the editing of that section’s syllabus.   
   3. Near the top of the new window, you will see “Replace with a different syllabus”.  Use the arrow to access the dropdown menu. From the dropdown list, select the course from which you wish to import.    
   4. Edit the new syllabus as needed. Make sure to add/update content specifically to the section and modality. 

In line with Florida’s Textbook and Instructional Materials Affordability and Transparency Statute (1004.085) and Florida Board of Governors Regulation 8.003, all course syllabi must be publicly accessible. Simple Syllabus is the designated repository for these syllabi, ensuring compliance and allowing students to easily find and enroll in courses. 

A Student Learning Outcome (SLO) is a specific, measurable statement describing what students will be able to do to demonstrate their understanding of course content, acquisition of skills, or development of intended attitudes. Strong SLOs use action verbs and align with different levels of cognitive engagement such as those found in Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning or Bloom’s Taxonomy. 

Examples of SLOs: 

• • Accurately represent level curves and surfaces of multivariable functions through hand-drawn graphs and MATLAB. 
  • Use evidence and interpretation, grounded in Globalization Theory, to construct a historical narrative of the Caribbean in the 15th and 16th centuries. 
  • Identify and differentiate effective physical expressions used in various acting environments. 

A Course Goal is a broad, overarching statement describing what the course as a whole aims to achieve. Course goals are typically accomplished by meeting multiple student learning outcomes. Course goals can often be found in course descriptions and might even be repeated and built upon throughout a program of study.  

Examples of Course Goals: 

• • Understand the differences between multivariable and single-variable functions. 
  • Appreciate how historical events have shaped contemporary cultural and political differences in the Caribbean. 
  • Effectively communicate complex emotions to an audience. 

It is important to note that a syllabus needs to be published if changes are made in order for students to see the most updated version.  

Please see the following:

• • Florida Statute, Section 1004.085
  • Florida Board of Governor’s Regulation 8.003