Jump to...  Distance Learning (DL) Syllabus I Final Preparations 

Center for eLearning (CeL) master courses are high-quality online courses, grounded in sound instructional design principles, prepared to meet all course specific Student Learning Outcomes. The information below focuses on the preparations for adjunct faculty's asynchronous (DL) delivery, although CeL master courses can be used in all modalities. Please refer to the Instructor Toolkit in your CeL master course for detailed course specific information and preparation requirements, and utilize the resources and steps below to ensure your course, and its components, are aligned and available for your students.

 Distance Learning (DL) Syllabus

FSCJ uses Simple Syllabus to create and personalize digital syllabi. The Simple Syllabus platform enables instructors to comply with Florida Statute 1004.085 and other regulations by making required syllabi components publicly available on the FSCJ Simple Syllabus Public Site. Please refer to "A Note to Faculty" in Simple Syllabus for details on public and private components.

Initial DL Syllabus

The initial syllabus should be published 45 days prior to the session start or as soon as possible after assignment to meet state requirements and FSCJ policy. Adjunct faculty teaching with CeL master course content are provided with language and information customized for DL delivery and developed content. Steps for using Simple Syllabus in the spring 2024 term are as follows.

  1. Access Simple Syllabus through Course Syllabus in the left-hand course navigation in your Canvas course. If you do not see Course Syllabus on the menu, please add it through the Course Navigation tab in Course Settings. 2-minute Video: Enabling Simple Syllabus in a Canvas Course 
  2. Open Simple Syllabus from Course Syllabus in the left-hand course navigation.
  3. Open the Learning and Grading Plan – located in your CeL master course under Instructor Toolkit, Quick Start Course Essentials, Course Specific Information.
  4. Provide information in the following fields. All other required fields are auto-populated.
Simple Syllabus Field Cut and Paste DL Language/Instructions

Instructor Information

Please add virtual contact method and virtual office hours.  Some suggestions include:

  • Phone/Contact: Canvas Inbox/FSCJ email
  • Student Hours: By appointment/BigBlueButton
  • Office Location: Canvas

Communication and Instructor Response

You can anticipate responses to inquiries and questions within 24–48 hours of receipt. You can expect to receive assignment feedback within 7 days of the submission due date.

Course Outline*

Cut and paste from Learning and Grading Plan – located in your CeL master course under Instructor Toolkit, Quick Start Course Essentials, Course Specific Information. Please paste the Learning Plan in this field.

Note: The optional Course Calendar field syncs with Canvas due dates. Instructors will determine due dates in the final syllabus submission two weeks prior to the session start. If you plan to use the optional Course Calendar, the date column can be removed from the learning plan.

Grade Breakdown

Cut and paste from Learning and Grading Plan – located in your CeL master course under Instructor Toolkit, Quick Start Course Essentials, Course Specific Information.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is measured in this course by your regular academic engagement in the online classroom. You are expected to engage academically throughout the length of the online course. You will be dropped from the class following the college’s never attended policy if you do not demonstrate academic engagement during the first week of a class. Please refer to the Class Attendance section of the College Catalog for detailed information on the class attendance requirements.

Late/Missed Work

Please provide your policy.

Expectations of Student Conduct

In the online classroom you’ll often communicate with your classmates and instructor through the course discussions, email, and sometimes chat sessions. As a general rule, you should adhere to the same classroom conduct in your online courses as you would in a traditional face-to-face course. “Online manners” are generally known as “netiquette.” Some examples of proper netiquette follow:  

  • Avoid writing messages in all capital letters, which IS GENERALLY UNDERSTOOD AS SHOUTING.
  • Be careful what you put in writing. Even if you are writing an email message to one person, assume that anyone could read it. Though you may send an email to a single person, it is easy to forward a message to hundreds or thousands of people.
  • Spelling, grammar, and punctuation matter. Online and hybrid/blended courses demand the same standard of scholarly communication as face-to-face courses.
  • Never use profanity in any area of an online course. Transcripts of online course communications are savable.
  • When responding to messages, use “Reply to All” only when you intend to reply to all.
  • Avoid unkindly public criticism of others. Publicly inappropriately criticizing others is known as “flaming.” Avoid sarcasm and use humor with care. In the absence of nonverbal cues such as facial expressions and voice inflections, the context for your comments may be lost, and your message may be misinterpreted.

AI Statement

Please provide your policy - suggested language in Simple Syllabus help.

*If your course isn't CeL developed, please feel free to download the CeL Learning Plan Word Template to paste into the Course Outline field.

Note: Select the preview icon to see how the auto-populated Course Learning Outcomes and Required Materials fields will appear for your students. Please contact Syllabus@fscj.edu if there are any errors in these fields.

Final DL Syllabus

  1. The final syllabus should be published 14 days prior to the session start.
  2. Please add a welcome message to your final syllabus.This Quality Matters standard helps DL learners get to know their instructor. The message could include information about the nature of the course, a brief overview of expectations,  tips for success, comments on teaching philosophy, a summary of experience with teaching online courses, personal information, such as hobbies, family, travel experiences, etc., the role of the instructor, how the instructor prefers to be addressed.
  3. If you choose to use the optional Course Calendar, please set availability and due dates for assignments, discussions and tests, then publish all items. 2-minute Video: Setting Canvas Dates in Bulk Note: This may be accomplished during Third Party platform set-up. If you change any due dates after the syllabus is published, please reset the Course Calendar.

  Final Preparations

  1. Review Instructor Toolkit items.
  2. Set course availability date in Canvas Settings. Consider extending course end date to allow students to view final grading and feedback after the session ends. Note: Be sure to set activity available dates are set to prevent students from submitting work after the session has ended.
  3. Review your course in "Student View".
  4. Publish your course by 12:00 am on the first day of the session. 2-minute Video: Final Preparations

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