Last updated on May 27, 2026
The MSU Denver Canvas Blueprint is a template that is included in every Canvas Course Shell. One feature of the blueprint is the Canvas Syllabus tool/template. The Syllabus template is designed for you to replace the bracketed information with your specific course information. Using this template helps you outline your course details and communicate important information to your students. The Syllabus page also includes a calendar and a Course Summary section, which automatically lists assignments and due dates.
See our spotlight, MSU Denver Canvas Blueprint, for more information about what is included and how to use the blueprint.
Contents
Directions
What is Included in the Blueprint Syllabus Template?
- Course Section Information: The top of the syllabus is where you will enter the details of your course section, such as Course ID, title, term, and modality.
- Course Description: Enter an overall summary/description of the course and any prerequisites or corequisites.
- Required Materials: Enter any required materials, such as textbooks and any special software. Include accessibility information, as well as instructions on how to obtain the materials.
- Instructional Materials Citations: Leave the first paragraph written as is. Include citations and copyright information for any instructional materials in the placeholder below.
- Optional Materials: List any optional materials that students may choose to use for your course.
- Generative AI Policy: Enter your Generative AI use policy here. Write your own, or use the example shown in the blueprint.
- View MSU Denver’s AI Course Policies and Syllabus Language webpage for more guidance.
- Research and Citation Information: Enter research/citation expectations for the course, such as which citation format students should use.
- Schedule of Activities: Enter your course schedule within the Course Schedule table. Include the Module names, any readings or activities for each module, and any assessments for each module. For synchronous courses, also include which week students should complete the module in.
- Course Summary: This is an automatically generated list of assignments and events, organized chronologically by due date. See directions below on how to enable/disable this feature.
- Note: Items must be published and have a due date (or be added to Students’ To-Do list) to appear on the course summary.
- Right Sidebar: To the right of the syllabus you will find a course calendar and Assignment Group Weighting if applicable.
- Course Calendar: The right side of the syllabus will display a course calendar. Days on which assignments or events are due are shown with a gray background. Clicking on a day will show the associated assignment or event in the Course Summary.
- Assignments are weighted by group: If you use Assignment Grouping Weighting, the sidebar will display the weights for each group.
Edit the Course Syllabus
- Go to MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub.
- Click Quick Links on the top right of the page.
- Click Canvas from the menu options that appear.
- Log in to your Canvas Account.
- Select the Course you’d like to work in.
- Click Syllabus on the course navigation menu to the left.
- Click Edit in the top right corner.
- Enter Course Information using the provided template.
- Check the box next to Show Course Summary to enable the Course Summary and Calendar features.
- If this is unchecked, neither the course summary nor the calendar will be visible for students in the syllabus.
- Click Update Syllabus.
Have questions?
Need additional support on this or other teaching and learning topics? Please visit us for drop-in support (10am-3pm, M-F) or try one of our self-help tutorials.
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