What is Course Leaf SYL and what are common faculty concerns?

Course Leaf SYL is the  university’s online system for creating, editing, and publishing course syllabi. It allows faculty to build standardized, up-to-date syllabi that include required institutional content, course details, learning outcomes, policies, and schedules.

This FAQ provides answers to common questions about using SYL.

Course Leaf SYL: Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does the SYL system indicate which information is required, and which information is optional? For example, some information, such as professional qualifications, is required, while other information, such as a photo, seems to be optional. 

In SYL editing mode, section notes indicate whether content is required, suggested, or optional, but they may not list all mandatory fields. To publish a syllabus, the following fields must be completed:

• Instructor Title and Name
• Instructor’s Professional Qualifications: Degrees, Institutions and Dates
• Instructor’s Office Phone Number
• Instructor’s Location
• Course Readings
• Schedule of Topics
• Assignments and Assessments
• Course Learning Objectives and outcomes

2. I already have completed the syllabi for my summer courses. Can I upload them here rather than create them from scratch? 

There is no option to upload documents; you will need to create the first one by copying and pasting the text from a Word document, using the paste as plain text method or the paste from word method in the syllabus. 

3. Can we leave attendance expectation blank for an online asynchronous course? 

Yes, you can leave it blank, however we suggest that you type in the text box “No scheduled course times” for clarity. 

4.  Can we add,remove or move topic sections from the syllabus

No, sections cannot be removed, added or reordered. All syllabus sections must remain in their original order to meet Senate Bill 1 compliance requirements.

However, you may edit certain section headings and content—such as Additional Course Material, Course Learning Outcomes, Additional Course Expectations and Schedule of topics to make them more specific or relevant to your course.

5. What do I do if courses I am assigned to are not appearing? 

Make sure you are searching by your last name and the correct term. If this is correct, you may need to check back again in a day or so, as courses are added daily. It can take time for  the Chairperson to add your assigned course, so you may want to check with them if you still do not see it.

Fall 2026 courses should be added by June 15th 2026. 

6. For summer 2026 courses we upload our syllabus on Blackboard as we would have before? 

Yes. You should obtain the copy from SYL using the Anyone Logged In version (Private Syllabus). This can be done by saving the document as a PDF and uploading it into Blackboard.

7. Can I view, print, save or download a PDF version of my syllabus? 

Yes, you can do all three task by clicking on both versions of the syllabus, the Everyone PDF and the Anyone Logged in PDF. The Everyone PDF is for the public side and the Anyone Logged in PDF is for users with a YSU account, such as students, staff and faculty. 

•  Select the Download icon - to download the file to your computer
• Select the Printer icon-This will give you the option to print and save the file by clicking on the drop-down

8.  Do I have to put it in the ISBN for reading material?

The ISBN is not required for reading materials, additionally if you do not have any readings at all that are required, type in "No readings required" in the editing box

9. Will we be able to copy the syllabus to the next semester, or will we have to start from scratch each term? 

No, you do not have to start from scratch each term. You will create one polished syllabus, and then you can copy it from a previous semester using the “Copy Syllabus From” button on the
syllabus repository page. There will be a list of syllabi from other instructors, we encourage you to only copy your syllabi. The list of available syllabi to copy will be long, so be sure to use the CTRL + F function on your keyboard to search for your course syllabi to copy from. 

10. How can I add my co-instructor or graduate assistant teacher to the workflow to be able to make edits to the syllabi?  

Please see the video demonstration Adding a Graduate Assistant and Co- instructors to Workflow to Make Edits to Syllabi. If you are not able to add them please email Kristine Sill klstill@ysu.edu or Kevin Ball keball@ysu.edu for assistance on this.

11. How do I add the Course Leaf LTI ?

Note:  If you only have a parent course, please request the Blackboard ID of one of the child courses from the (IDDC), Instructional Design Development Center,  iddc@ysu.edu

• Select “Course Leaf LTI” to launch CourseLeaf
• Open a standalone course (do not select the parent course)
• Copy the 6-digit ID with underscores followed by “1” from the course URL (example: _123456_1)
• Paste the ID into the Blackboard ID field in SYL
• Click the Save icon and allow the process to run
• Refresh the page

After refreshing, Blackboard materials will automatically populate, including:

• Schedule of Topics
• Assignments and assessments
• Due dates, point values, and weighting information

11a. Can the same be done from a master shell course?

No, for a master course shell/parent course you will need to start in Course Leaf and create a solid syllabus that you can copy for the rest of the course