Syllabi (SYL) by CourseLeaf

CourseLeaf Syllabi (SYL) is available for use in all Blackboard courses, but faculty may encounter some issues as we continue to work through the testing and development phase. Full implementation is planned for Spring 2022.

CourseLeaf Syllabi (SYL) makes the creation of syllabi quick and straightforward while you effectively ensure consistent and accurate institutional syllabi policies. SYL allows you to centrally archive finished syllabi for easy search and use.

Some key benefits include:

Make changes quickly and easily with drag-and-drop editing and content cloning
Automatically include correct policies, course information and more.
Lock-in mandatory text and standardize syllabi
Give instructors flexibility and managed permissions
View syllabi quickly and easily on any device
Centrally store syllabi for quick and reliable access later

Accessing SYL

There are two ways to log into the SYL platform - Inside any Blackboard site or Outside of the Blackboard system.

Inside Any Blackboard Site

Faculty and staff should log in through a Blackboard site first so that your account is created with the appropriate permissions.

Log in to Blackboard
Choose your course from your My Course list
Click on the Tools link in your course navigation menu
Select CourseLeaf Syllabus - UND

Outside of the Blackboard System

Getting Started with Syllabus Creation

Locate or Select your course (and appropriate section), if applicable
Select Create Syllabus or Copy New Syllabus

Linking your Syllabus in your Blackboard Course

From your Blackboard course menu
- Add a Tool Link in your course menu and select CourseLeaf Syllabus - UND
- Click on the Tool link to pass you through to SYL
From within a content area
- Go into any Content Area in the course
- Select Build Content
- Select CourseLeaf Syllabus - UND
- Name the link and add other information as needed
- Click Submit

How to Find Help

To access SYL help documentation you must first log in using one of the methods above.

Why Use SYL?

Be confident all syllabi are compliant

Validate consistency and compliance across campus by defining the contents of each syllabus template, as well as determine the editing privileges of faculty who will ultimately use them. To do this, SYLLABI leverages CourseLeaf's powerful rules and filters engine to define required elements of each syllabus by attribute, meeting pattern, or other criteria. Templates may also be defined to help enforce standard presentation of information across a college, department, or institution.

Reduce faculty administrative workload

Gain a faster, easier way to build new syllabi over time using an intuitive interface that far outpaces word processing and other desktop publishing tools. SYLLABI automatically pulls in data from systems of record - including your SIS, LMS, catalog, and others - eliminating dual data entry. Each component of the syllabus is templated by campus administrators, allowing faculty to quickly edit, append, and remove elements. Since syllabi are maintained on the web, faculty no longer maintain static files on their workstations or in email, eliminating the risk of content loss or publishing legacy data.

Quick access to course content on any device

SYLLABI makes viewing content on mobile devices simple and intuitive by publishing within UND's template. Student-facing content is designed to be mobile friendly for viewing in smartphones and other small-screen devices, and accessible to WCAG 2.0 AA standards. By leveraging CourseLeaf's SAM (student aware module), students are presented with changes that have occurred since the last time they viewed the content. Students can also view syllabi from past terms as each syllabus is archived and stored permanently.