All syllabi for Spring 2026 courses must be posted by December 22. |
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Syllabus Posting for Spring 2026 |
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For Spring 2026, all main campus syllabi most be posted by December 22.
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For the University’s core syllabus template, institutional policies, and more, please refer to CTE’s Syllabus Design Page.
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When updating your Canvas course for Spring 2026, here are some helpful links and resources:
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Need more help with Canvas? Schedule a consult with DLT or email classhelp@utah.edu
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| Graduate Student Instructor Training in Pedagogy |
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Almost every department on campus includes graduate student instructors in some way, whether as sole course instructors, TAs, lab section leaders, or other roles. Did you know that CTE offers graduate student training in pedagogy? We offer a 15-credit online , and most of those courses can be taken individually. Courses are offered fall and spring.
In Spring, our course offerings include a graduate special topics seminar in Teaching with AI. Spots are still open!
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Accessibility Essentials — PDF Documents |
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What are PDF documents?
In most courses, educators provide reading or note-taking materials for students in Canvas– everything from academic articles to lecture slides. Many of these files are shared as Portable Document Files, or PDFs.
PDFs act like an interactive image of a printable page– they retain document layouts elements set in a word processing software (i.e., text styles, fonts, and graphics inserted in Word, PowerPoint, etc.) so users can view and use the same across different platforms. They’re convenient for many reasons: file sizes are small, they are easy to annotate, and they are compatible with almost any device! However, PDFs do not always work well with assistive technologies.
PDF documents are the most common filetype that flagged for accessibility issues. Fixing PDF documents to ensure they are compatible with assistive tools can also be a time-consuming, difficult process. So what should we do?
How do I know if a PDF is accessible?
Currently in Canvas, you can assess how accessible a PDF document is with . Once you have identified which files are not compatible, there are a number of ways to address the issues that Ally flags.
How do I fix a PDF?
There are a few ways to fix your documents. The method depends on whether you created the document (e.g., lecture notes, slides, worksheets, etc.) or if it was created by someone else (e.g., textbooks, academic articles, etc.)
Content Published By Someone Else
If you are sharing a document that was not created by you, you have several options to check before you need to fix your PDFs on your own!
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Start with the Marriott Library’s .
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The Marriott Library Course Reserve services are now offered through Course Materials, powered by Leganto. Course Materials allows you to connect library owned content directly to your Canvas course, request the purchase of new material, and seamlessly include external resources into one list that you can link to your weekly modules and assignments in Canvas.
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For further questions, contact your or reach out to Rachel Haisley at .
- Search for alternative digital formats online.
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There are many files available via Open Educational Resource (OER) libraries online. Search for higher quality files available online and .
- If you are not able to find an alternative digital format, edit the document yourself.
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First, try to get a good scanned copy of the content. That old, grainy scan of a book with coffee stains, hand-written notes in the margins, and dog-eared pages will be difficult to fix! If you can get a clear scan, half the battle is complete.
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Edit your document using Adobe Acrobat, a PDF document viewing and editing tool. It can be used to make PDFs meet common accessibility standards using some of the tools in the program.
- Adobe Acrobat can be challenging to get started with. If you cannot fix certain elements in your document, contact Digital Learning Technologies at for hands-on assistance.
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- Ensure your original Word or PowerPoint file has been edited for accessibility.
- Add alt text to all graphic elements, use color appropriately, format text elements properly, include links with descriptive titles, and title the file itself appropriately. Follow all of the advice shared in the sections above to get started!
- Post the original Word or PowerPoint file directly to Canvas.
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(e.g., PDFs) themselves that will retain any accessibility edits you completed in the original program by using Ally.
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If you choose to post a PDF, check it via Adobe Acrobat before uploading to Canvas.
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. If you cannot fix certain elements in your document, contact Digital Learning Technologies at for hands-on assistance.
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A few more tips when it comes to sharing PDFs in Canvas:
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- Get rid of any files that are not being actively used in your current course.
- The current tools available (e.g., Ally, Adobe Acrobat) do not make assessing accessibility or editing documents easy. UIT and CTE are currently working hard to acquire some new tools that will make this process easier. Please stay tuned for further information very soon.
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Interested in learning about other accessibility tips and tricks? Check out page!
How to Complete PDF Edits
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- Discover the best practices for improving different file types from Digital Learning Technologies:
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Financial Wellness Center |
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Upcoming Funding Deadlines |
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295 S 1500 E | Salt Lake City , UT 84112 US
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