Departmental editors can add components to a template that will display on every course syllabus in their purview, or they can add conditional logic to it so the component only displays on a syllabus when certain conditions are met.
To begin, log into your Simple Syllabus account from ACES and pull up the Templates tab [A] from the navigation menu. Select a part-of-term from the Term drop-down menu [B] and click the Edit button [C] next to your template.
Enter information on a template starting with the earliest part-of-term. This will ensure the content "rolls" forward to templates for subsequent terms.
Adding a Component to a Template
Adding components that are required at the section level may interfere with an instructor's ability to publish their syllabus. These include:
- Materials
- Instructor
- Schedule
Therefore, it is recommended that you only add Content components to your template.
Internal components can only be viewed by instructors and editors within the publisher interface.
- In the publisher interface, select the + Add components link from the options menu at left to create a new component.
There is also an option to add a new component at the bottom of the template.
- A "Create New Component" window will appear; give your component a Name which will appear as the title for this new section. You'll also select the Component Type from the picklist.
Once you've entered these details, click Save to add it to your template.
- By default, the new component will be added to the bottom of the template, but you can select the ☰ Reorder components link from the options menu at left to launch a window that will allow you to place it in a preferred spot on the template.
Use the up/down arrow buttons on the new component to place it higher in the list of components—or use your cursor to drag and drop the block to its new position—then select the Close button at the bottom of the list (not in the submission bar) to exit the window.
- Scroll down to the new component to input content and set the component settings, then Submit the template to enact changes for the current and subsequent terms.
Component Settings
Once you've added a new component to your template, you are able to configure its visibility on a syllabus. Beneath the component name, you will see will three settings:
- Display name - Determines whether or not the component name displays on a syllabus. Leaving this option unchecked removes the section header link from a syllabus's contents menu.
- Required/Optional - Determines whether or not the component is required to appear on all syllabi. If a component is set to required, the syllabus will not be published until content is input into the component. Additionally, if the component is editable at the section-level, faculty will be required to input content into the component before they can submit their syllabus.
- Visible/Invisible - Determines whether or not a component is visible or hidden on the published syllabus.
In addition to the visibility options, a panel directly to the right of the new component will display the following settings:
- Add conditional content - Allows you to create conditional logic so the component only displays on the syllabus when certain criteria are met.
- Delete component - Deleting a component removes it permanently from the template.
Deleted components cannot be recovered. Therefore, it is recommended that you mark a component "Invisible" until you are certain it is no longer needed.
- Lock - Locking a component will make it uneditable on lower-level templates.
- Ignore Previous Content - This setting will "ignore" content from previous terms and will require you to input new information for each part-of-term. Leave it unchecked if you wish for the information to "roll" forward to subsequent templates.
- Editors - This setting determines who is able to edit this particular component on the syllabus. Components that are editable at the course-level will give editing capability to Designers on the Course Template, while components editable at the section-level will give Instructors the ability to edit the component on their class-specific syllabus.
- Help text - Help text is used to provide guidance or instructions to any editors who are working on the component. To input help text, simply type directly into the text area beneath the ‘Help text’ heading on the right-hand side of the component. You can format your text as well as insert images, videos, and tables by highlighting the text and using the toolbar that appears beneath it.
Adding Conditional Logic to a Component
- Navigate to the new component in your template, then select the Add conditional content link to the right to launch the conditional component wizard.
- A "Modify Conditional Logic" window will appear. In the Name field, enter an identifier that describes the scenario uniquely. For instance, if you want the component to only appear on syllabi for online courses, list the scenario as "If instructional delivery method is online." This name does not display anywhere for instructors or the public to see.
Then determine how your condition will be evaluated if there are multiple rules by selecting "any" or "all" condition must match from the Logic picklist.
- To build out your conditional rule, select the Add condition button to configure the following:
- Property - The property selection determines which attribute (or data point, such as information being fed from the Banner course schedule) will be evaluated in your logic.
- Operator - The operator will be used to evaluate the data in the property against the value.
- Value - The property is compared with the value using the specified operator to determine whether or not the component is displayed.
In the example above, the added condition specifies that the component will only display on syllabi where the Section Instructional Method (Property) is (Operator) Fully Distance Educ Course [sic] (Value).
If you want to set conditional logic for a component to appear for a specific course in your department, you will need to set two conditions.
The example below depicts conditional logic that would be used on the San Antonio College (SAC) Natural Sciences department template to add a component to only BIOL-1406 syllabi:
- Logic - All conditions must match.
-
Add Condition 01- Set the Subject.
- Property: Subject Name
- Operator: "is"
- Value: BIOL
-
Add Condition 02- Set the Course.
- Property: Course Number
- Operator: "is"
- Value: 1406-SAC
- Once you have completed your conditional scenario, click the Save button to add your conditional logic. You will see your scenario displayed above the component once it has been added.
College and department template editors have the ability to create as many conditions as needed, and each will appear as an additional tab on the component. The component content and settings of each tab will need to be configured individually.
For questions or assistance with adding components or conditional logic to a syllabus template, please contact [email protected].
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