Syllabus Template

The purpose of the syllabus template is to make the document readable to all students and to comply with section 508 laws https://www.section508.va.gov/. Formats used in this document allow visually-impaired students to scan and read the document with a screen reader.

Using the Syllabus Template

1. Leave the syllabus headings as-is.
2. Delete the text between these symbols <>, and delete the <> symbols, too.
3. Replace the text you just deleted with your class information by pasting or typing text into the syllabus.

Pasting Text into the Syllabus

To paste text into the syllabus template:

1. Click the dropdown arrow under Paste.
2. Select the Keep Text Only icon. Do not simply click the Paste button.

Pointers

• Fonts cannot be changed in the manual formatting bar at the top of Word.
• Styles cannot be added, deleted, or changed, but they can be applied to text in your document to change the format of the text.
• Don’t forget to change the copyright date in the syllabus footer when revising your syllabus.
• Do not press the Enter key multiple times to leave blank lines anywhere in the syllabus. Spacing is built into styles.
• Do not insert tables or abbreviations into the document. Screen readers have a difficult time interpreting tables and abbreviations.

Formatting Problems

If you experience formatting problems when typing or pasting your information into the syllabus template, do the following:

1. Highlight the problem text.
2. Click one of the preformatted styles at the top of the document. This will re-apply the correct formatting to the text.  

The following illustrates where the preformatted styles are applied to the syllabus template.