Q: What is the name of the vendor? Where is the data stored?

A: The name of the vendor is Simple Syllabus. The data is stored in Amazon Web Services within Canada.

Q: Is our data still private?

A: The selection of Simple Syllabus as the vendor for the Course Outline Portal was conducted in alignment with McMaster University’s commitment to privacy, information security, and legal compliance. Thorough IT security, privacy, and legal assessments were conducted throughout the procurement process. McMaster University remains dedicated to continuous monitoring and evaluation to ensure the preservation of privacy and security standards. As of May 15, 2024, all data for the Course Outline Portal is being housed within Canada. 

Q: What problem is the Course Outline Portal going to fix?

​​​​​​​A: ​​​​​​​The Course Outline Portal offers improvements in a variety of areas. Outlines created in the portal are compliant with accessibility standards. They are more easily accessible by students. They allow for more control over access to each element of the course outlines. They will be integrated directly with A2L. The portal will also allow for better archiving of outlines.

Q: Is the portal accessibility compliant?

A: ​​​​​​​Yes! All outlines created in the Course Outline Portal can be made to be AODA compliant. Please refer to McMaster’s accessible document guidelines to confirm that the content you include in your outline is accessible. Under the “Additional Documentation” tab, we have a guide specifically on how to make your tables accessible within the portal. And any accessibility issues that arise will be raised immediately with the vendor for improvement. If you are impacted by an inaccessible feature, please contact course@mcmaster.ca and we will address it with the vendor.

Q: Will the portal be available for graduate courses and MCE?

A: ​​​​​​​There are discussions ongoing about expanding the Course Outline Portal for these groups.

Q: What support is available for the Course Outline Portal? Will there be someone to answer questions once it is live?

A: The Course Outline Portal team is the same as the Avenue support team. We have several options in place for support. This site will continually be updated with documentation and guides on how to use the portal. You can email course@mcmaster.ca with any questions you may have or for help. We do offer one-on-one consultations on using the portal as well. The MacPherson Institute also offers support in developing your course outlines. Please contact mi@mcmaster.ca for scheduling a consultation.

Q: What is the duration of the agreement with the vendor? What is the cost of the platform?

A: The agreement lasts for one year. We cannot disclose the cost.

Q: When can instructors use the portal?

A: ​​​​​​​The portal is now open! Go to https://mcmaster.simplesyllabus.ca for access. Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 outlines are ready for editing!

Q: Will the portal require more work for instructors?

A: In working with the Course Outline Portal, you enter text into an online form, instead of a Word document. While the work is different, it may not be more than what one typically does to fulfil the requirements of Undergraduate Course Management Policy. While the Course Outline Portal adds efficiencies in the long-term it will likely require less work. It is impossible to make a generalized statement about amount of work as this will vary between individuals.

Q: How customizable are the outlines built in the portal?

A: ​​​​​​​The Course Outline Portal treats each component of an outline (e.g. instructor information, course description, learning outcomes, etc.) as a block. Within each block, you have access to a full editor similar to what is in Avenue – this allows multimedia elements to be added. There are also opportunities to discuss each component. We want to get as close as possible to what your department or faculty needs, so there is room for discussion about how each component should look.

Q: Who has “edit” access for courses taught by multiple instructors?

A: ​​​​​​​Initially the lead instructor as indicated in Mosaic, is the only person with access. Additional instructors or support staff can be added as an editor to the system by McMaster administrators through course@mcmaster.ca – in the future we hope to give faculties the power to do this locally so that this becomes as self-managed as possible.

Q: Is there a way to copy previous course outlines created in the portal to a new term if the instructor is different? Can someone copy the course outline to a new term?

A: ​​​​​​​Anyone with editor privileges on a course outline can copy or clone a historic course outline. In the case of an individual, we would need some authority to enrol the unrelated person. Typically, this request can come from someone in authority within the faculty who can authorize the addition of a historical course. For obvious reasons, we would want to have a paper trail for this conversation, should there be a dispute between the person who created the historic course outline and the administration.

Q: How will the portal work with A2L?

A: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Course Outline Library is currently integrated with Avenue to Learn. To access your outline through Avenue, go to your course’s homepage, click on “Resources,” and navigate down to “Course Outline.”

Q: Does the new software cover all possible variations of course outlines based on existing outlines? What will instructors do if this is not the case?

A: Using non-standard outlines in the portal will work the same as it does currently: the departmental or faculty rules apply.

Q: Does the course outline re-populate with the previous year’s course content?

A: ​​​​​​​An instructor can copy from a previous offering. It does not populate automatically, but the copying process takes seconds.

Q: Can an instructor edit the template?

A: The template for each faculty has been customized by people within each faculty. Instructors will be able to edit outlines within the boundaries set by their faculty’s template.

Q: How does the portal handle classes taught by more than one instructor?

A: Anyone listed as an instructor in Mosaic will be connected to the course outline within the portal as an instructor as well. If you think you should be an instructor for something you are not seeing in the portal, please contact your department. Please note that adding an instructor’s information to an outline does not automatically give them instructor privileges within the portal.