Simple Syllabus Doesn’t Look Right / Didn’t Copy Correctly

When you view your Simple Syllabus document for the first time within a Canvas course, the Simple Syllabus interface will try to automatically find and copy from the last time you taught the course (provided that you are the assigned instructor for both the previous course and the current course). However, there may be a scenario where Simple Syllabus has a harder time finding a previous course to copy into the current course. For example, if your course code changes from DEN-### to WRT-###, Simple Syllabus may have difficulties copying content.

After reviewing your Simple Syllabus document, if you find the contents is not correct, you can easily select a different Simple Syllabus document to copy from instead (again, assuming you have been assigned to the previous and current course).

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Example

In this example, we will intentionally copy DEN 102 C into WRT 102 D due to a recent change in course codes.

  1. In your Canvas course, click on the Simple Syllabus link in the left-hand course navigation.
  2. Click Replace with a different syllabus?.
A screenshot of the Canvas Learning Management System, showing the Simple Syllabus tool interface. On the left, a course navigation menu is visible, with the "Simple Syllabus" link highlighted by a yellow '1'. In the main content area, which displays the Simple Syllabus tool, a link labeled "Replace with a different syllabus?" is highlighted by a yellow '2'.
  1. From the Term drop-down list, find and select the appropriate semester from the Future, Current, or Historic categories.
A screenshot from the Simple Syllabus interface showing syllabus filter options. A "Term" dropdown menu, highlighted by a yellow '3', is set to "2025 Fall". Below this, a filter menu provides three expandable categories indicated by chevrons: "Future" (which is checked), "Current" (unchecked), and "Historic" (unchecked). These categories are used to filter the list of syllabi by specific semesters.

For example, if an instructor was looking for 2025 Winter, it would be found by clicking the chevron arrow next to Historic.

A screenshot from Simple Syllabus, showing an instructor selecting a term to copy a syllabus from. The "Term" dropdown menu is open, displaying filters. The "Future" and "Current" filters are both unchecked. The "Historic" filter is checked and expanded, revealing a list of past semesters. A dark purple arrow points to the "Historic" filter, and another arrow points to the "2025 Winter" checkbox, which is selected from the list.
  1. Courses that you’ve previous taught will appear below the drop-down list. Find and select the course number to begin the copy process.
A screenshot from Simple Syllabus showing an instructor's options for copying a syllabus. A "Term" dropdown is set to "2025 Winter," and a search bar is available. Below, a list of available syllabi is shown as white cards, including "DEN 102 C / 2025 Winter" (highlighted by a yellow '4' as an example) and "DEN 101 E / 2025 Winter."