Dear Faculty,

Following more than a year of evaluation and a comprehensive review of syllabus management solutions, Auburn University announced in Spring 2026 the adoption of Simple Syllabus as the University’s official syllabus management system beginning Fall 2026. As we approach the start of the Fall 2026 semester, we are now moving from the implementation phase to syllabus preparation, publication, and training.

To help faculty successfully transition to Simple Syllabus in alignment with University policy, this email outlines what faculty need to know, including important deadlines, available training opportunities, and key resources to support a successful transition to Simple Syllabus.

As a reminder, Auburn’s syllabus management system is only accessible to users with valid Auburn login credentials. Further, all published syllabi will be de-identified, meaning that instructor names, email addresses, office locations, and classroom locations will be visible only to students enrolled in the course.

About Simple Syllabus

Simple Syllabus supports Auburn’s recently adopted Board of Trustees Policy on Academic Curriculum, Courses, Syllabi, and Core Educational Requirements, which requires the University to “develop a designated system to serve as the official institutional repository for course syllabi.” Further, the policy states that instructors of record must “submit the complete and official syllabus for each course section at least five business days before the first day of the semester…, unless the Provost approves a different deadline or exception under extraordinary circumstances.”

Department heads and chairs, in collaboration with their Deans and Associate Deans for Academic Affairs, are responsible for ensuring that syllabi in their units are submitted, posted, and maintained in accordance with Board policy. Faculty with questions about course assignments or unit-level expectations should contact their department head or chair.

Implementation Timeline

The first day of Fall semester classes is Monday, August 17, 2026. Based on Board policy, all Fall 2026 course syllabi must be published in Simple Syllabus no later than Monday, August 10, 2026, which is five business days before the first day of class. It is strongly encouraged that faculty complete and publish their syllabi before the deadline to allow time for review and revisions if necessary. Please note that the Auburn University Simple Syllabus repository is not yet live. Final system testing and configuration are currently underway, and additional information regarding system access and launch date will be communicated soon.

For courses assigned to newly hired faculty who have not yet joined the university or do not have access to the system, department heads and chairs are responsible for publishing a syllabus from a previous offering of the course as a temporary placeholder. Once the faculty member has access to Simple Syllabus, they should update the placeholder with their own course syllabus before the start of the semester.

Faculty can use the document upload feature in Simple Syllabus for their initial syllabus submission. This feature allows faculty to upload their syllabus in multiple formats, offering a simple and efficient way to meet Board policy requirements. Faculty will be responsible for reviewing uploaded documents for accessibility compliance. After this initial submission, faculty will then have time to familiarize themselves with the Simple Syllabus system and enter their information directly into templates for subsequent semesters. More information regarding this option will be available in upcoming training sessions and on the Syllabus Success website.

Faculty Training Opportunities

In partnership with the Biggio Center, a variety of live training opportunities are available in the coming weeks to support faculty and academic administrators throughout the transition to Simple Syllabus. Recordings of each session will be posted to the Syllabus Success website for those faculty who are unable to attend.

• Faculty Training (Zoom), Friday, July 24, 2026 @ 9:00 -10:00 AM
• Zoom Room Drop-Ins, TR, July 28 – August 20 @ 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

For additional information, Zoom links, recorded training sessions, and other resources, please visit the Syllabus Success website.

Additional Resources

Syllabus Success Website

The Syllabus Success website serves as Auburn’s central resource for the campus community and includes information regarding training, recorded sessions, frequently asked questions, implementation updates, policy updates, step-by-step guides, and more.

Simple Syllabus Knowledge Base

Visit the Simple Syllabus Knowledge Base to explore tutorials, documentation and additional resources. An account is required to access all resources.

Need Help?

For Simple Syllabus information and questions, please email syllabus@auburn.edu.

For technical support, contact bighelp@auburn.edu or submit a ticket at https://aub.ie/biggiotech.

Thank you for your attention to this important requirement and for taking the time to complete your Fall 2026 syllabus in Simple Syllabus by the deadline for this semester. Your efforts to meet this new requirement will help ensure students have consistent, accessible, and up-to-date course information as they begin the semester.

Mark DeGoti, D.M.
SACSCOC Liaison | Professor of Music
Office of the Provost