Course Syllabi at UW-Madison

Course syllabi convey course expectations, support student learning and serve as durable records of the learning experience. Every UW-Madison group instruction course must have a syllabus that fulfills a standard set of requirements. Some of the required elements include formally approved course learning outcomes, credit hours, a description of how the credits are met, course designations and attributes, and instructional mode. For undergraduate independent/directed study courses, please consult the Policy on Independent/Directed Study for Undergraduates for further information.

*Note: The university’s recommended course syllabus template has been updated to outline new expectations for students and guidelines for instructors, particularly for in-person courses, during the COVID-19 pandemic. View the updated syllabus template.

Easy-to-Use Digital Course Syllabus (AEFIS) Tool

To help faculty and instructors more easily create and use course syllabi, and ensure that all required elements are included, UW-Madison offers an easy-to-use digital syllabus tool. The tool provides an editable syllabus template that can be accessed directly in AEFIS or via Canvas course sites. The tool automatically populates information for a number of required syllabi components – such as course name, credit hours and formally approved course learning outcomes – while also accommodating section- and instructor-specific details and expectations.

Learn how to create a syllabus using the digital course syllabus tool directly in AEFIS or via Canvas.

Benefits of the Tool for Faculty and Instructors

Faculty and instructors are encouraged to use the digital syllabus template for a number of benefits:

• Easier access to course syllabi via Canvas for you and your students
• Simpler, quicker creation and maintenance of course syllabi that convey all required elements, as well as any section- and instructor-specific details
• Syllabi content that’s automatically transferred from one semester to the next
• More accessible, integrated and consistent course information that can be used to support and inform a variety of curricular and assessment practices, such as program planning and reporting, course evaluations, etc. (regardless of the campus systems used: AEFIS, Canvas, Lumen).
• Ability to download and print syllabi, as needed