Syllabus Checklist 

Most instructors include their syllabus content on the Canvas Syllabus page, upload a separate syllabus document to Canvas, or both. If you use both, they should be aligned, especially with regard to accessible formatting, policies, due dates, and assignment expectations.

Syllabus Document (Word or Google Doc)

• Use an accessible syllabus template document (e.g., ASU Online, The College, or your unit’s template).    
• Use high-contrast font colors (preferably black on white). Avoid low-contrast text color combinations.    
• Use sans-serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Calibri) in at least 12-point size.    
• Remove unnecesasry blank spaces and line breaks. If needed, change line spacing using the built-in spacing styles.    
• Structure document sections with built-in headings (e.g., use Word’s styles or Google Docs' headings such as Header 2, instead of manually enlarging/bolding/underlining text for section titles).     
• Ensure section headings are hierarchical (don’t skip from H2 to H4, for example).    
• Use descriptive hyperlinks (e.g., “See ASU's Academic Integrity Policy” instead of “Click here” and instead of using the full URL like http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity).    
• Use built-in ordered lists (bullets/numbers) instead of dashes and manual spacing.    
• If using tables, ex, for grade percentage and points range, identify or pin header row in Table Properties.    
• Add alt text to images or mark them decorative.    
• If you include due dates in your syllabus, keep them consistent across the term (e.g., all assignments due Wednesdays or Sundays at 11:59 pm AZ time).    
• Save as a Word Doc (even if you use Google Docs).     
• In Word, click Review > Accessibility. Fix any outstanding issues.      
• (Optional) Save as an accessible PDF by selecting the radio button “best for electronic distribution”. This preserves the accessibility features of the document.                     
• There is no need to save as PDF unless you are uploading it to MyASU Class Search, or if you want to prevent students from editing it.             
• Note that PDFs are very difficult to edit and remediate, so we recommend making any edits/changes in your Google Doc or Word file and re-saving as PDF with an updated version or date.             
• If you upload your syllabus to Canvas, run the Canvas Accessibility Checker and Ally.

Canvas Syllabus Page

• Use accessible Canvas Syllabus Page templates if available (e.g., ASU Online or The College Canvas Canvas template, your unit’s syllabus template, etc.)    
• Use high-contrast font colors (preferably black on white). Avoid low-contrast text color combinations.    
• Use sans-serif fonts (Lato is the default Canvas font; no need to change it) in at least 12-point size (12pt. Is the default Canvas font for paragraph text).    
• Remove unnecessary blank spaces and line breaks.    
• Use built-in heading styles in the Canvas Rich Content Editor (e.g., Header 2 for major sections)    
• Ensure section headings are hierarchical (don’t skip from H2 to H4, for example).    
• Use descriptive hyperlinks (e.g., “See ASU's Academic Integrity Policy” instead of “Click here” and instead of using the full URL like http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity).    
• Use built-in lists (bullets/numbers) in the Canvas Rich Content Editor instead of dashes and manual spacing.    
• If using tables, ex, for grade percentage and points range, identify header row in Table > Row > Row properties.    
• Add alt text to any images or mark them as decorative.    
• If you include due dates in your syllabus, keep them consistent across the term (e.g., all assignments due Wednesdays or Sundays at 11:59 pm AZ time).    
• Run the Canvas Accessibility Checker.