In response to instructor requests for a single point of access to efficiently and effectively develop syllabi, a competitive bid process was launched to identify and implement a syllabus management tool across all Purdue campuses. Following a comprehensive evaluation process that included instructor input, Simple Syllabus was selected. 

Yes. To comply with the Indiana law requiring a public-facing syllabus, Simple Syllabus is the tool that will be used by every instructor-of-record at the West Lafayette and Indianapolis locations who is teaching a credit-bearing course in which students are enrolled and that normally includes a student-facing syllabus. Exceptions include non-credit-bearing educational experiences, courses in which no students are enrolled, or certain types of courses such as independent study and research courses that are typically covered through contract and/or individual agreements with students rather than with a syllabus. Simple Syllabus allows you to submit a single version for both the public-facing requirements and your student-facing needs in Brightspace. 

The Course Insights database, where public-facing versions of syllabi were previously posted by Purdue instructors, remains viewable and editable for Summer 2026 and prior semesters/session. Fall 2026 syllabi must be submitted via Simple Syllabus, including those that may have been posted to Course Insights.  

The required elements of Indiana HEA 1001 are identified in the Simple Syllabus template and some components will be auto populated such as course information number and title, course description, and learning outcomes from the university catalog. The other three required elements – learning resources/texts list, types of assignments/assessments, and grading scale – will be added by the instructor-of-record and indicated as public-facing. Duplicate versions of a syllabus will no longer need to be made. See Frequently Asked Questions – HEA 1001 for details on these requirements. 

Yes. Simple Syllabus provides instructors with a built-in accessibility checker. Issues identified by the checker must be resolved before a syllabus can be submitted on the platform. Note that the most accessible version of a course syllabus is via the Simple Syllabus platform rather than a PDF version.

Additional required internal language is not available at this stage of Simple Syllabus implementation at the university level. Follow your existing internal protocols. Any language required by individual units should be communicated directly to instructors-of-record so they can add it to their syllabi in Simple Syllabus.

A multi-stage syllabus approval process is not available at this stage of Simple Syllabus implementation. Follow your existing internal protocols. Any verification or approval processes should be managed internally by individual units. 

To access the Simple Syllabus tool, navigate to Brightspace, open a Fall 2026 course, and click “Syllabus” on the course navigation bar. Please note: The former Syllabus area within Brightspace Content has been renamed “Overview.” It is NOT associated with Syllabus on the course navigation bar. If you perform a course copy from a semester prior to Fall 2026, be sure to remove your copied syllabus from the Overview area and create it using Syllabus on the course navigation bar.

When a course Brightspace is live, the syllabus can be posted using the Simple Syllabus tool. 

As with all enterprise-supported tools, detailed training materials have been developed specific to Purdue’s use of Simple Syllabus. Training on the tool is available as drop-in assistance and workshops, including customized sessions for departments. See Simple Syllabus technical support webpage for details.

Questions about the implementation can be emailed to InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu.