The Canvas Syllabus tool is currently fully editable, which makes it difficult for institutions to enforce standard sections (such as accreditation statements, college policies, accessibility requirements, or grading standards). Faculty can accidentally edit or delete required information, leading to compliance issues and inconsistency across syllabi.
Additionally, the syllabus does not automatically display the grading scheme configured in Canvas. This means instructors may type their own grading scales manually, which can cause discrepancies between the official grading scheme in Canvas and what is written in the syllabus. Students may receive inconsistent information about how their grades are calculated.
Canvas should enhance the Syllabus tool by introducing the ability to create locked and editable sections. Institutions could design locked sections for college-wide requirements such as accreditation statements, academic policies, grading standards, and support resources. These locked portions would appear consistently in every course and could not be altered by instructors, ensuring compliance and a uniform experience for students. At the same time, instructors would retain editable sections where they can personalize details like contact information, schedules, and course-specific expectations. This structure would strike a balance between institutional consistency and faculty flexibility.
In addition, the Syllabus tool should automatically display the grading scheme that has been configured in Canvas for the course. Instead of instructors manually typing grading scales, which can lead to discrepancies, the system would pull the official scheme directly from the course settings. This ensures students always see the accurate calculation method and prevents confusion about how grades are determined. By combining locked institutional sections with automated grading scheme integration, the Syllabus tool would become a reliable, transparent, and consistent resource for both faculty and students.
Also, once courses are published, it would be nice if the syllabus becomes locked for editing, if enabled, so that faculty can't change it after it has been reviewed and published.
