New undergraduate course syllabus templates unveiled for fall semester

The office of the senior vice president and provost recently distributed two new syllabus templates that will be required for all Iowa State undergraduate courses beginning with the fall 2026 semester.

Both templates, including instructions and tips for completion, are posted on the provost's office website.

Regents template

The first template meets Iowa Board of Regents Policy 3.20, approved in 2025, and was developed in partnership with the board of regents, University of Iowa and University of Northern Iowa. The completed template is required to be posted online for all undergraduate courses by the first day of classes each semester.

The two-page Regents template includes basic information such as course title and number, course description as posted in the University Catalog, course topics, learning objectives, required course materials and a checklist of the types of assessments that will be used (quizzes, exams, papers, group projects, etc.).

Iowa State template

The second template, a more detailed document developed at the request of student representatives and in response to a drive for continuous improvement from our recent Higher Learning Commission reaffirmation visit, and in consultation with academic leaders and the Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Council, must be present in Canvas for all undergraduate courses.

In addition to the items in the Regents template, the Iowa State template also includes:

• Required syllabus statements
• Course meeting schedule
• Instructor contact information and office hours
• Teaching assistant information, if applicable
• Grading and attendance policies
• Course requirements contributing to students grades
• Course calendar and schedule of assignments
• Instructor policies for attendance, late work, extra credit and use of AI
• Links to student resources, academic support services, the Student Code of Conduct and technology support

According to Ann Marie VanDerZanden, associate provost for academic programs, the university sought broad feedback in creating both templates.

"We have been working with deans, department chairs and the Faculty Senate to create student-centric templates that are more consistent across colleges and programs to help students understand course expectations and faculty to address questions or concerns as they arise," she said.

Some courses are exempted

Courses that typically do not meet, such as internship courses, study abroad, independent study or Honors/senior thesis, are exempt from the syllabus requirement.