Skip to Local Navigation
Skip to Content
California State University, Long Beach
Office of the Provost, Division of Academic Affairs Home
Print this pageAdd this page to your favoritesSelect a font sizeSelect a small fontSelect a medium fontSelect a large font
 
 

Add a Syllabus to a Course

One of the first things you will want to add (or "upload") to a new BeachBoard course is your syllabus.

Watch a closed-captioned movie that shows you how to add a syllabus to BeachBoard

Add a Syllabus

  1. On your computer, make sure the file name of the document you wish to upload contains only letters and numbers. The file name can contain no special characters except for underscores ( _ ), no spaces, and only one period before the file extension (such as tech101syllabus.doc)
    • Mac users: Please remember to add a .doc to the end of your syllabus' file name.
    • Word 2007 users: Some students may not be able to open syllabus files saved in the new .docx file format used by Microsoft Word 2007. To make your syllabus accessible to all students, you may want to save your syllabus in a more universal file format by opening the file in Microsoft Word 2007, clicking on the Office logo in the upper left corner of the page, choosing Save As, and either
      • Choosing Word 97-2003 Format...; or
      • Choosing PDF or XPs... and saving your Word 2007 document as a PDF.
  2. Login to BeachBoard
  3. Under My Courses, click the name of the course into which you would like to add your syllabus.
  4. Click the course's Control Panel image icon link.
  5. Under Content Areas, click the Syllabus link image icon.
  6. Click the Item icon image icon.
  7. Type a name for your syllabus [e.g., Fall Semester Syllabus] in the Name field image icon.
  8. Type a description of your syllabus in the Text field image icon. This is optional.
  9. To the right of the words Attach local file, click the Browse button image icon. This opens a Choose file pop-up window.
  10. Find your syllabus on your computer and click the Open button. This process is similar to the process of attaching a file to an email message.
  11. Ignore the Link to Content Collection item box.
  12. In the Name of Link to File window, key in the words Microsoft Word Document. If you used something other than Microsoft Word to create your document, key in the name of the program you used (e.g., Adobe Acrobat file, Macromedia Flash Paper document, XML Paper document, etc.)
  13. In the Special Action pulldown list, choose Create a link to this file.
  14. Choose the appropriate availability and date options (see Options below)
  15. Click the Submit button.

Options

  • Make the content available – Select this option to let your students see your syllabus. This is set to Yes by default.
  • Track number of views – Select this option to track how many times individual users access your syllabus. This is set to No by default.
  • Choose date restrictions – Select both the Display After and Display Until options to control when your syllabus is visible. This option automates the “make the content available ” option. This is unchecked by default.

More Information

Q: Can I see what my syllabus will look like to my students?
A: Yes. Login to BeachBoard. Under My Courses, click the name of the course that contains your syllabus. Click the Syllabus link on the left side of the page. Click the link for your syllabus. This shows you what your syllabus looks like to your students.

Q: What kinds of documents can I upload to BeachBoard?
A: You can upload just about any file type to BeachBoard. However, the type of document you upload affects how your students can view it. If you upload documents you created and saved in specific software programs such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel, your students must have that particular software installed on their computers to view those documents. For example, if you upload a Microsoft PowerPoint document, your students will have to download and open the file in PowerPoint or the PowerPoint viewer. However, if you save and upload your files as HTML (.htm), your students can view the documents within BeachBoard.

Q: Should I save and upload my files as HTML?
A: It is completely up to you. Uploading HTML documents [web pages] to BeachBoard lets your students access the information within the BeachBoard framework. This is preferable for course information and documents such as assignment instructions and timelines that students may need to check often. When you want to upload bigger files, or files such as templates or forms that need to be modified or copied, leave the document in its original format.

Q: Does BeachBoard automatically check files for viruses?
A: No, the BeachBoard server does not check for viruses. You should have a virus protection program on your personal computer. You can request virus protection software from your college tech. You should protect your computer from documents you download within BeachBoard and from documents you download from the Internet.

Q: How fast (or slow) will my students download my files?
A: Download time will vary based on Internet traffic and connection speed. You should keep your files small enough so your students with slower connections can access them in a reasonable amount of time. If you cannot keep the file size down, use the field in the Add Item area to provide your student with information describing what the file is, how large it is, and why it is important that they view it. Notifying your students of this information will let them know that they should wait a little longer for the file.

[Special thanks to Cal Poly, Pomona for their help with this page.]

Back to top

​