Prepare Your Course Syllabus
This KB document is part of a larger collection of documents on semester guidance. More Semester Guidance documents
Create your course syllabus with required information.
Required Course Syllabi Elements
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. You have the required elements in your course syllabus:
- course description;
- course learning outcomes;
- credit hours;
- course designation and attributes;
- instructional delivery mode (in-person, hybrid, or online);
- instructor and teaching assistant information;
- a description of how the credits are met; and
- regular and substantive student-instructor interactions.
Course Syllabus Template (MS Word)
You can create your course syllabus as an electronic document and provide access to it through Canvas. View the recommended Course Syllabus Template.
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.