Your syllabus serves both as a shared agreement and a meaningful invitation. As an agreement between you and your students, it clarifies expectations—outlining what students need to do to meet the course’s learning goals and demonstrate their understanding, while also assuring them they can plan their semester around these established guidelines.
At the same time, the syllabus is an opportunity to welcome students into the Signature Course experience. By clearly presenting the course’s purpose, learning outcomes, assessments, and content, you help students understand the “why” behind the work. A well-organized and transparent syllabus empowers students to take ownership of their learning and engage more fully in the course.
This checklist is provided as a resource to assist instructors in preparing Signature Course syllabi and ensuring alignment with applicable university, state, and accreditation requirements.
HB 2504 Compliance
Please confirm that your syllabus includes or references the following information:
☐ Instructor name and contact information
☐ Office location and office hours (or method for scheduling meetings)
☐ Course description
☐ Course learning objectives or expected learning outcomes
☐ Required and recommended course materials
☐ Major assignments, examinations, projects, and grading criteria
☐ Course schedule and important deadlines
☐ Attendance, participation, and late work policies (if applicable)
☐ Information required by university policy (e.g., accommodations, academic integrity, student support resources)
☐ Syllabus posted and maintained in accordance with university processes and applicable state requirements
SB 37 and Institutional Compliance
Please confirm that course materials and instruction:
☐ Align with approved course learning outcomes and catalog descriptions
☐ Support the educational objectives of the course and academic program
☐ Comply with applicable state law, Regents’ Rules, and university policies
☐ Are consistent with approved curriculum and governance processes
☐ Reflect the academic standards and expectations established by the university
☐ Include any required institutional statements or notices identified by the university
Signature Course Expectations
Please confirm that the course:
☐ Reflects the goals and purpose of the Signature Course program
☐ Includes substantial opportunities for student engagement and critical inquiry
☐ Maintains current syllabus information throughout the semester
☐ Uses course materials and assignments that support the approved learning objectives
Note: This checklist is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace university policy, faculty governance requirements, or departmental review processes. Faculty should consult applicable university guidance for current requirements.
Simple Syllabus Tool
Simple Syllabus is a tool available to all instructors and teaching assistants at UT Austin. It provides a platform for faculty to use pre-made templates to customize and publish interactive syllabi directly in Canvas, creating a streamlined and user-friendly syllabus experience for students. Simple Syllabus is available for all courses in the Navigation Menu in Canvas under “UT Simple Syllabus.” Training and Support are available from the Canvas team through workshops, office hours, and one-on-one support. To view published examples, visit the UT Simple Syllabus library.
Curriculum Vitae (CV) Requirements
CVs are to be prepared and submitted for the Instructor(s) of Record for an undergraduate classroom course defined as the primary instructor or co-instructors of a course who are responsible for the course content and the assignment of final grades. This includes tenured and tenure-track faculty, lecturers, adjuncts, and graduate assistants (who are not working under the supervision of an instructor of record). It does not include guest lecturers or others who may be brought in to teach less than fifty percent of the class sessions.
The Coordinating Board intends the CV to contain a summary of the faculty member’s career and qualifications, including at a minimum:
- All institutions of higher education attended with degree(s) earned;
- All previous teaching positions including the names of the institutions, the position(s), beginning and ending dates; and
- A list of significant professional publications relevant to the academic positions held including full citations (in whatever format/style is appropriate for the instructor’s discipline) for significant professional publications such as books, chapters, refereed articles, juried performances, works of art, and other scholarly work the faculty judge relevant to the academic positions they held (note: “citation” refers to the publication source of each entry, not a citation index).
Sample Syllabi
Looking for examples of fully compliant syllabi? Visit the following repository to review sample syllabi that meet the Signature Course checklist requirements:
https://utexas.box.com/v/SC-sample-syllabi
These examples can help you understand how to structure your syllabus and incorporate all required elements effectively. As always, you are encouraged to reach out to the Signature Course team for support—we are happy to answer questions or provide sample syllabi that are more closely aligned with your subject matter.
Availability of Course Syllabi and CVs
Pursuant to HB 2504, The University of Texas at Austin is required to make available to the public on its website certain undergraduate course information.
- The General Information Catalog, UT Canvas Adoption policy and the Handbook of Operating Procedures 2-9970 require instructors to provide students with a course syllabus on or before the first day of classes by uploading and publishing a complete syllabus to a course’s Canvas site as a file or by using the Simple Syllabus tool.
- Each instructor of record for an organized undergraduate course must also submit a copy of their course syllabus to their departmental office or dean’s office (in non-departmentalized schools and colleges) on or before the first day of classes so they can be made publicly available at the University’s Access Syllabi and CVs website. The administrative units must upload instructor CVs and syllabi of all undergraduate courses to the University’s public website no later than seven days after the first day of classes.
- The publicly available version of the syllabus does not require the listing of office location, office hours, and prohibits inclusion of teaching assistant information.