Course Syllabi

Every instructor is required to make a course syllabus available to each student at the first class meeting of the term.

Faculty may distribute the syllabus to students in a variety of ways (e.g., hard copy distributed during the first class meeting, an electronic copy delivered via campus email, and/or posted to the course page in the campus LMS [Canvas], etc.)

Faculty are required to spend a portion of the first class meeting discussing the course syllabus (CAP 210.4.6.2). Faculty shall communicate the course learning outcomes to students, and may use the syllabus, the campus LMS (Canvas), or other means appropriate to do so (AS-739-12, CAP 210.4.6.1).

Faculty have final responsibility to determine grading criteria and grading judgment (CAP 210.4.6.3). Faculty have the right, with notice to students, to alter scheduled course assessments, the course calendar, deadlines or other parts of the syllabus (that do not change the course learning outcomes) during the term (CAP 210.4.6.3).

Course syllabi shall at minimum include the following information or links to the information:

• Instructor’s name and contact information

• Office hours and office location and/or link for virtual office hours

• Course title and description (if applicable, indicate if course meets a GE, GWR, or USCP requirement)(1)

• Course learning outcomes(2)

• Required texts, materials, technology, supplies

• Supplementary materials if applicable

• Course policies (if applicable, attendance, late work & make-up policies, collaboration policies, academic integrity policies, etc.)(3)

• Course policies governing the student use of generative artificial intelligence and other automated systems(3)

• Methods of assessment, evaluation and grading

• To the extent possible, a tentative calendar of assignments and assessments(4)

• Day/time of final assessment

 

Footnotes:

(1) Course title and description should be included exactly as written in the Catalog.

(2) Instructors can find course learning outcomes in the approved course proposal in CIM (Course Inventory Management). Course learning outcomes communicated to students should align with those in the approved course proposal.

(3) Some syllabus statements on course policies and use of generative artificial intelligence can be found at: https://ctlt.calpoly.edu/syllabus-statements.

(4) For classes that are not listed in the class schedule as hybrid or online, if any portion of the class is planned for online delivery, that information should be provided to students as soon as possible and those days should be noted in the tentative course calendar as online modality.

 

Source:

Academic Senate Resolution: AS 1011-26 "Resolution on Course Syllabi" (PDF). Approved 28 July 2026.

 

Updated: 8/4/2026