UVACollab HelpUVACollab DocumentationSite ToolsSyllabusHow do I create a syllabus item from an existing file?

How do I create a syllabus item from an existing file?

Instructors can create a syllabus from an existing file for site participants to view in the Syllabus tool. This article will explain how an instructor can paste the contents from an existing document into an interactive, web-based syllabus using the Rich-Text Editor.

You can find more information about creating other types of syllabus items in the articles below:

Go to Syllabus.

Select Syllabus from the tool menu of your site.

Select Add Item.

Enter a title.

Enter a title for the syllabus item into the Title field.

Paste the contents of the existing file into Content.

Copy the text or other content in the file. Then, select one of the three paste buttons in the Editor to paste the file contents into the Content window:

  1. Option 1: Use the Paste button to paste the file contents.
  2. Option 2: Use the Paste as plain text button to paste the file contents.
  3. Option 3: Use the Paste from Word button to paste the file contents

Option 1: Use the Paste button to paste the file contents.

To paste the file contents into the Content window using the standard paste function (which attempts to preserve the original formatting of the contents), select the Paste button.

After selecting the Paste button, some web browsers may open a secondary window and require the contents be pasted into this window first for security reasons. If this occurs, simply paste the content into the secondary window and select the OK button.

Option 2: Use the Paste as plain text button to paste the file contents.

To paste the file contents into the Content window as plain text (which may remove the original formatting of the contents), select the Paste as plain text button.

After selecting the Paste as plain text button, some web browsers may open a secondary window and require the contents be pasted into this window first for security reasons. If this occurs, simply paste the content into the secondary window and select the OK button.

Option 3: Use the Paste from Word button to paste the file contents

To paste the file contents into the Content window from Microsoft Word, select the Paste from Word button.

After selecting the Paste from Word button, some web browsers may open a secondary window and require the contents be pasted into this window first for security reasons. If this occurs, simply paste the content into the secondary window and select the OK button.

Edit the contents. 

After pasting the file contents into the Content field, make any desired adjustments using the Editor.

Note: After entering text or other content into the editor in UVACollab, we recommend using the Accessibility Checker to confirm that the content is fully accessible to all site participants. See How do I check my content for accessibility? for more information on the Accessibility Checker and instructions for checking content.

Select the viewing permissions.

On the page that appears, you can set the audience for the syllabus item.

  1. Selecting the World Readable button will make the syllabus item's content and attachments visible to anyone via the Class Details page in the Student Information System (SIS).
  2. Selecting the UVa Only button will make the syllabus item's content visible to anyone via the Class Details page, but any attachments will not be accessible from SIS.
  3. Selecting the Site Participants Only option will make the content and attachments associated the syllabus items restricted to participants of the site.

Choose a notification option.

  1. By default, students are not notified each time a syllabus item is created or edited.
  2. To send a higher priority notification, select High from the Email Notification dropdown menu. This notification will be sent to all site participants.
  3. To send a lower priority notification, select Low from the Email Notification dropdown menu. This notification will not be sent to students who have opted out of low priority notifications.

Publish or save changes.

  1. If you are ready to publish the syllabus item, select Add and Publish.
  2. To save the syllabus as a draft, select Add.

Set the availability dates.

Select the pencil (Edit) icon.

To edit a syllabus item, select the pencil (Edit) icon to the right of the syllabus title.

Set the availability dates.

To display and allow access to the syllabus item and the file attachment during a selected period of time, choose a Start Date and End Date by selecting the Calendar icons to the right of each field.

Save changes.

To post the syllabus item with the file attachment, select the Add and Publish button.