Spring 2027 Syllabus Updates and Reminders
Previously, syllabi and Canvas course shells were created about 90 days before the start of the term. However, we heard from many that they’d like even more time to get their courses and syllabi ready for the new term. For all you early birds, you will be happy to hear that we teamed up with I.T. to ensure that syllabi are available as early as possible. Now, all syllabi will be created and available for editing as early as 133 days before the start of a term. This is the earliest courses can be encoded and aligns with Canvas course shell creation. This gives everyone the most time possible to meet the 45 day deadline required by the state for credit courses.
The Semester’s First Discussion, Made Easier
The first discussion tells you a lot about your students. It's where you find out who's engaging, who's drifting, and who might need a nudge. This year, Canvas offers a new AI-powered feature to help keep up with what students are saying, without reading every post. Here's a quick workflow that can help you get started:
New Feature Update: Canvas Panda Bot & Enhanced Rubric AI Generation
Canvas has introduced two feature updates designed to streamline support and reduce the administrative time required to build course Rubrics! Panda Bot and Enhanced Rubric AI Generation.
Beware of ClickFix: Fake CAPTCHAs That Can Install Malware
Cybercriminals are now taking advantage of that familiarity through a social engineering technique called ClickFix. Instead of trying to break into your computer, these attacks attempt to convince you to install malware for them. Fortunately, they're also easy to recognize once you know what to look for.
How to Review Your FSCJ Account Sign-In Activity
Regularly reviewing your Microsoft and OneLogin sign-in activity can help you identify unauthorized access and protect FSCJ systems and information. The following instructions explain how to review recent account activity, recognize potential warning signs, and take immediate action if you notice a sign-in, password change, multifactor authentication update, or other activity you do not recognize.
Cybersecurity Awareness Update: Reporting Suspicious Emails Matters
The results from our latest simulated phishing campaign show that we're making progress in recognizing phishing attempts, but they also remind us of one important step that often gets overlooked: reporting suspicious emails. These exercises aren’t about catching employees making mistakes. They’re a way for all of us to practice recognizing threats, strengthen our cybersecurity awareness, and stay prepared for real-world threats.
Accessibility Glossary
As FSCJ continues advancing its Digital Accessibility Initiative, you may begin to see new terms and acronyms related to accessibility standards, compliance requirements, and digital content creation.
This glossary provides brief explanations of common terms such as WCAG, ADA, VPAT, and a11y that are often referenced in accessibility discussions. This page is intended to serve as a quick reference for faculty and staff and includes links to external resources for those who would like to learn more.
Understanding these terms can help support our shared goal of creating digital content that is accessible and usable for everyone.
Simple Syllabus Updates for Summer 2026
As we prepare for Summer 2026, we are excited to share a few updates to the syllabus designed to improve clarity, consistency, and ease of use for faculty.
Accessibility from the Canvas Course Menu
Canvas released a tool this year to assist in the identification and remediation of most accessibility issues at the course level in Canvas. This feature will continue to be developed by Canvas to assist users in making course content accessible, in part because of the new Department of Justice rule that will be in place in April 2027.
Syllabus Creation for Enrolled and Non-Enrolled Course Sections
As we continue to make improvements in the syllabus experience and reporting, we want to clarify how syllabi work for enrolled and non-enrolled sections of a course, such as lectures paired with labs. Prior to the Fall 2025 term, a syllabus was created for every section, regardless of whether the section was enrolled or non-enrolled, required or not. This led to confusion and inaccurate reporting, as instructors were unsure which syllabi were actually required. After discussions with leadership and key stakeholders, a decision was made to move forward with creating syllabi only for enrolled sections.