Start Your Course with an Engaging Syllabus & Welcome Letter

Each course is required to have a syllabus that aligns with their SLOs; however, it doesn't have to be a dry read for students! Let's review some best practices for creating an engaging syllabus and welcome letter; the first moments of contact from you to your students.

Designing Your Syllabus

Consider using our Syllabus Template to get started in your design. Once you have the basic format (and it is fully accessible) you will then move forward in designing your syllabus for your Canvas shell!

Keep in mind accessibility and know that recreating your syllabus directly on a Canvas page is the most accessible option. Having access to both an accessible Word or Google Doc as well as a Canvas page creates the most equitable platform for access no matter the student need! In this course, you will find our template for a Canvas syllabus page within the Orientation Module. Simply import into your course, then copy and paste your syllabus content into the blank spaces to make it your own.

Let's review a few other considerations for equitable & accessible syllabus design.

Equitizing Your Online Syllabus

The DEDE Team is committed to equitizing online teaching practices, especially in support of disproportionately impacted groups. Here are some resources for equitizing your syllabus:

Utilize the DVC DE Online Equity Guidance to gain knowledge and find language to use while demystifying your online course expectations
Explore the USC and Center for Urban Education’s Equity Syllabus Review Guide to review syllabus policies and language through the lens of student access and racial equity.
Make sure your syllabus includes Disability Support Services, an inclusivity statement, and participation expectations (asynchronous and/or synchronous)

Decolonize Your Syllabus

"ASCCC's Statement on Decolonizing Your Syllabus: An Anti-Racist Guide." Gives a good overview of what's happening in California Community Colleges. (November 2020)
Times Higher Education "Decolonizing the Curriculum--How do I get started?," Provides context for the movement/work. (September 2021)
Decolonizing Your Syllabus - You Might Have Missed Some Steps Provides a good overview on how to move beyond just diversifying content (August 2019)
"Decolonization is not a Metaphor" (full PDF available through linked abstract) by Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang. Emphasizes the significance of the word "decolonize" so that the act does not abstract the real power and necessity of the term for direct confrontation with settler colonialism. (September 2012)

Liquid Syllabus

In this digital world, we are moving further away from static documents and more towards interactive “liquid” learning spaces. A “liquid syllabus” is a living document that is rebuilt to be published online; think of it as a web page or live website for students to interact with outside of Word or Google Docs.

See an example from a “Women in American History” course to explore how a liquid syllabus promotes interactivity and inclusivity.
Want to learn more? Walkthrough the CCC’s online course, “Creating a Liquid Syllabus”, dedicated to creating and implementing a liquid syllabus.

Designing Your Welcome Letter

Prior to the course start date (a few days to 1 week before), send a welcome “package” to students. If you are new to emailing your students, be sure to check out the Tech Hub resource "How to Email Using CSV Export Multi Purpose Roster" to ensure you learn the steps to emailing through InSite. See the "Welcome Letter Template” for an editable document to start. This letter will be the "package" that help students get started! Your Welcome Letter can (and should) include the following:

Please Note: Online Course Previews

While you cannot add students to your Canvas course who have not officially registered through Insite, you can create effective previews of your online course. If you wish to let a student preview or audit the course before enrolling, you can send materials to the student via email–welcome letter, welcome video with course navigation preview, syllabus, sample assignments, and so forth.

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