The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
Syllabus toolkit
Designing a syllabus is a complex task. A syllabus needs to communicate essential course details to students in a friendly and open tone. On this page you’ll find templates in a variety of formats that you can adapt for your needs, and a syllabus creation guide organized by section to correspond with the templates. All documents meet or exceed the requirements for instructors laid out in the Responsibilities of Academic Staff with Regards to Students (ROASS) policy.
Step 1: Choose a syllabus template
All syllabi templates provided conform to the requirements of ROASS (including Schedule “A”). Most people will use the Microsoft Word template; however, two alternative formats have also been provided.
Individual faculties, schools, departments, and other academic units often have additional policies. Check with your unit head for more information.
Microsoft Word syllabus template and Sample ROASS Schedule “A”
Please note: Information about ROASS and The Centre’s sample for Schedule “A” can be found in the UM Policies and UM Learner Supports sections of our Syllabus Creation Guide (see Step 2: Use our guide to create your syllabus).
Alternative syllabus templates
UM Learn syllabus template
You can also import a syllabus template directly into your UM Learn course shell. Log in to UM Learn and choose “Self-Registration” in the menu items on the navigation bar at the top of the page. Self-register for the course “UMLearn Inclusive Syllabus Template.” If you cannot access UM Learn, please contact the Service Desk at 204-474-8600 or servicedesk@umanitoba.ca.
Sway syllabus template
Sway is a Microsoft 365 application that allows you to design interactive documents such as a liquid syllabus. A liquid syllabus is one that is user-friendly and accessible to students using a variety of devices by virtue of it being available on the website outside of a learning management system. Instructions for downloading/duplicating the Sway syllabus template have been provided in the first section of the template (see “About This Template”). For assistance editing the Sway syllabus template, please reach out to The Centre to schedule a consultation at thecentrecontactus@umanitoba.ca.
Step 2: Use our guide to create your syllabus
Refer to each section in our syllabus creation guide to help you build your syllabus.
- Course details
- Instructor contact information
- Traditional Territory or Land Acknowledgement
- Equity and inclusion commitment
- Course description
- Course learning outcomes
- Course materials
- Course schedule
- Course evaluation and assessments
- Labs and tutorials
- Grading
- Expectations
- Course policies
- UM policies
- UM learner supports
Step 3: Make your syllabus reflect your values and goals
Once you've built your syllabus, here are some other resources and ideas to consider to make your syllabus reflect your values and goals.
Contact us
The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
65 Dafoe Road
University of Manitoba, Fort Garry Campus
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada
Room S204B, Medical Services Building, 744 Bannatyne Avenue
University of Manitoba, Bannatyne Campus
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W2 Canada