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 listed are ROASS-compliant. Most people will use the Word template.
Individual faculties, schools, departments, and other academic units often have additional policies. Check with your unit head for more information.
Word syllabus template and Schedule A
Alternative syllabus templates
UM Learn syllabus template
You can also import a syllabus template directly into your UMLearn course shell. Log in to UMLearn 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 UMLearn, please contact the Service Desk at 204-474-8600 or servicedesk@umanitoba.ca.
Sway syllabus template
Sway is a Microsoft 365 platform that allows you to design interactive documents. For help building a template in Sway, 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 Acknowledgment
- Equity and inclusion commitment
- Course description
- Course learning outcomes
- Course materials
- Course schedule
- Course evaluation and assessments
- Labs and tutorials
- Grading
- Expectations
- Policies
- UM policies
- UM 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.
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University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada