Sonoma State University

Accessible Syllabus Template

The Accessible Syllabus Template is a Microsoft Word document that instructors can download and fill out to make an accessible syllabus for their courses.

Download Accessible Syllabus Template (.docx)

How to Use the Accessible Syllabus Template

This template meets the SSU's Syllabus Policy #2006-2. Items that are optional are designated as such within the template. Information in parentheses are items that you need to insert or replace.

First Step: Save the template

  1. Download this template on your desktop.
  2. Open it in Microsoft Word.
  3. Under the File menu select Properties
    1. Change Author to your Name
    2. Change Title to your Course Title

Second Step: Add your syllabus information to the template

There are two simple methods to create your new accessible syllabus with this template.

Direct Input Method

  1. Highlight (select) the text that you want to change and type directly over it. Text in the template will be replaced.

Copy and Paste Method

You can transfer text from your previous syllabus to this template with the Copy and Paste functions in Word.

  1. Open both your previous syllabus and this template in Word.
  2. In your previous syllabus, copy the text that you want to transfer. This works best if you copy one paragraph, heading or list at a time.  Copying and pasting more than this may result in loss of accessible formatting.
  3. In the template, highlight the corresponding text that you want to replace.
  4. Paste your copied text over the highlighted text in the new template.
  5. A Paste function icon will appear next to the copied text.
  6. Click on the downward arrow in this icon and choose the “Match Destination Formatting” (MAC) or the “Merge Formatting (M)” (PC) option in the pull-down list. 
  7. The Style and Formatting of the pasted text will conform to the template’s style.

Adding Hyperlinks (URLs)

When creating hyperlinks, the link’s Display text should start with the name or title of the linked page, followed by the URL. (e.g., SSU homepage https://www.sonoma.edu.  This will ensure the document is accessible and usable both online and printed.

Delete the Instructions Page

Before sharing your syllabus with your students, don't forget to delete the "How to Use" instructions on the first page.