Course Syllabus FAQs (Faculty)

How do I change or delete my syllabus?

If you incorrectly upload a syllabus for the current semester, you can change or delete the incorrect syllabus by simply re-uploading the correct syllabus - it will overwrite the original file.

If you incorrectly upload a syllabus for a future semester, please log a ticket to admsys@rice.edu requesting that they delete the file. In your request, include the semester, course number and CRN of the syllabus to be deleted.

How do I post/archive my course syllabus?

Log in to ESTHER From the Faculty tab, click Course Syllabus: Add/View Posted Syllabus. Scroll to appropriate semester and locate course. Click Upload New Syllabus.

  1. Click Browse
  2. Navigate to your course syllabus
  3. Click Open
  4. By default, your syllabus is restricted to Rice community members. If you would like your syllabus to be public and web searchable, click PUBLIC Document.
  5. Click Upload File
  6. Verify in Messages that the course syllabus was successfully uploaded

To view an archived syllabus, click View Archived Syllabus in the course's row

How do I see which courses in my department or school have an uploaded syllabus?

This information can be easily obtained by using the public "Enrollment Counts" web application. Both the html (web page) output and Excel output include a column entitled "Has Syllabus?" with the answer being "Y" or "N". Additionally, if you would like to see course-specific syllabus information, if available, this should be accessible via the online schedule.

My course syllabus is already posted in Canvas, is there a way to directly link or upload it to ESTHER?

No, unfortunately there is not presently a way to easily migrate a course syllabus from Canvas to ESTHER. If you post your course syllabus in Canvas, please take the very brief moment to additionally post it in ESTHER. ESTHER is used by all members of the Rice community, and is the official repository for archived course syllabus information. Most importantly, course syllabus information uploaded to ESTHER is and will be stored there indefinitely, while in Canvas is not.

What resources are available to help me develop a syllabus?

Rice University's Center for Teaching Excellence has syllabus guidelines and a syllabus template available here.

When should I post my course syllabus?

Faculty and instructors are encouraged to upload their course syllabus in ESTHER before the registration period officially opens for their course; however, the official deadline for posting a course syllabus in ESTHER is on or before the first day of the classes.

When will a course's syllabus be posted and available in ESTHER?

A course syllabus may be available in ESTHER as early as the registration period for the upcoming academic term; however most course syllabi are posted and available in ESTHER on or before the first day of the course.

Who will be able to see my course syllabus?

When you upload your course syllabus in ESTHER, you will have the option to choose whether your course syllabus is a NON-PUBLIC or PUBLIC document.

A NON-PUBLIC document will only be viewable within ESTHER, to the Rice community. A student does not need to be registered in order to see the document, but they will need to authenticate themselves using ESTHER. A PUBLIC document will be viewable in ESTHER and additionally posted in the online course schedule, enabling it to be searchable and viewable to anyone on the internet.

Please Note: All course syllabi will default to the NON-PUBLIC setting. You will have to "opt in" if you would desire that your course syllabus be made PUBLIC and available outside the Rice community to anyone on the web.