Posting Syllabus for Social Sciences Class Websites

This is a step by step tutorial written by ClassWeb for instructors within the Social Sciences interested in posting their syllabus on their class website. These are for websites hosted under sscnet.ucla.edu. Note: Some Social Sciences departments, such as History, have a particular way of posting syllabus files; if you are unsure of how your syllabus should be posted we recommend contacting us at help@ssc.ucla.edu.

1. Check Your File Type

We at ClassWeb recommend to instructors who want to post documents on to their course website to do so as a PDF file rather than a Word DOC file. This is to ensure that students, whether they are on a PC or a Mac, will be able to read the file properly without any technical problems such as their computers not having the Word program, their computers not having the ability to read a particular font, etc. All they would need to read the file is Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free at www.adobe.com. We can convert the file for you. Instructors can also use online resources such as www.pdfonline.com, which will convert the file and then email the PDF directly to the instructor. Note: Such resources are not supported by ClassWeb, Social Sciences Computing, or UCLA; they are merely recommendations.

2. Go to File Upload Utility

With your PDF file ready you can now go to your File Upload page. From the Main Page of your course website scroll down and click on the link “Administration for Instructors.†This may prompt the login page to pop up. Login with your BOL username and password. This should direct you to your ClassWeb Administration page. Select the “file upload utility†link.

3. Complete the 4 Steps to Uploading Your File

On your File Upload page you should see 4 steps:

a. STEP 1 – Find your file: Click on the “Browse†button and find your PDF file on your computer.
b. STEP 2 – Choose a name: For a syllabus, you may want to name the file “syllabus.pdfâ€. It is important that you add the “.pdf†at the end. This will designate its file type.
c. STEP 3 – Choose a directory: By choosing which directory you want to save your file in, you are basically deciding who you want to grant access to your file. If you select the first option, ClassWeb Directory, you are placing your file in the public directory, meaning anyone and everyone can read your file. If you select the second option, Private Directory, then you are limiting access to your file to those who are on your roster for that specific class. Typically, we encourage instructors to place their syllabus in the public directory so potential students can get an idea of what the class may be like. Some professors prefer to keep their course outlines private. It’s really up to you.
d. STEP 4 – Choose your link locale: For a syllabus, we recommend posting the file on the Main Page. So in Step 4, type “Syllabus†in the a. option. Then scroll down and click on the “Send File†button.

HTML Option

Some instructors prefer to post their syllabus as an HTML file, or a web page. If the original file was a Word DOC file, then open the Word program and save the syllabus as “Web Page (htm, html)”. Rename the file so its end tag reads “.html” instead of “.htm”. Go through the steps above, but rather than name the syllabus as “syllabus.pdf”, name it “syllabus.html”.