All Things SYL

CourseLeaf SYL is YSU’s centralized syllabus management platform, designed to streamline the process of creating, submitting, reviewing, and publishing course syllabi. The system provides faculty with a consistent and user-friendly way to manage syllabus content while helping the University meet state syllabus posting requirements.

Ohio Senate Bill 1 (ORC 3345.029) requires Ohio's public institutions of higher education to make specified syllabus information publicly available for undergraduate courses offered for college credit, beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year. Youngstown State University is implementing CourseLeaf SYL to support compliance with this requirement and provide a centralized platform for managing and publishing course syllabi.  

For additional information, review YSU’s Syllabus Requirements Policy:

View the YSU Syllabus Requirements Policy

All full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty teaching credit-bearing undergraduate or graduate courses at Youngstown State University are required to submit their course syllabi through CourseLeaf SYL.

Exception: College Credit Plus (CCP) courses taught by high school instructors at secondary school locations do not need to be posted through CourseLeaf SYL. 

Faculty teaching undergraduate, credit-bearing courses are responsible for preparing and submitting a syllabus for each assigned course through CourseLeaf SYL by the established deadline.

Faculty will:

1. Access their assigned course in CourseLeaf SYL.  
2. Enter and review the required syllabus information.  
3. Publish the syllabus.  
4. Submit the syllabus for department chair review and approval.  

Detailed instructions, training resources, and support are available below to guide faculty through the process. 

View the CourseLeaf SYL presentation for step-by-step guidance and screenshots to help you access the platform through Penguin Portal, navigate the CourseLeaf SYL dashboard, and become familiar with the syllabus submission process. 

View the CourseLeaf SYL Presentation

CourseLeaf SYL creates a public version of the syllabus containing the information required for public posting. Within the system, this is identified as the “Everyone PDF.” Additional syllabus content may be available only to individuals logged into YSU systems through the “Anyone Logged In PDF.”  

Yes. Faculty are required to submit a syllabus through CourseLeaf SYL for all assigned undergraduate and graduate course sections. College Credit Plus (CCP) courses taught by high school instructors at secondary school locations do not need to be posted through CourseLeaf SYL.

Yes. CourseLeaf SYL allows faculty to copy content from another syllabus, which can help streamline the process when preparing syllabi for subsequent terms or similar courses. Faculty should carefully review and update all copied information before submitting the new syllabus. 

Yes. However, substantive changes after submission or approval are generally discouraged because any revisions will cause the syllabus to re-enter the workflow and require additional department chair review and approval. Changes should be limited to correcting significant errors or making substantive updates necessary to support the student learning experience. If revisions are necessary, they should be made with sufficient time for the syllabus to be reviewed and approved by the established deadline.

If a syllabus requires changes, the department chair can return it to the faculty member through the CourseLeaf SYL workflow. The faculty member can then make the necessary revisions and resubmit the syllabus for review. 

Faculty can view the status of their syllabus through CourseLeaf SYL. Once the department chair has completed the approval process, the syllabus will move through the workflow for publication.

If an assigned course is missing from CourseLeaf SYL, faculty should contact the designated CourseLeaf SYL support team for assistance. When requesting assistance, please provide the course subject, course number, section, and CRN, if available.

YSU course syllabi will be publicly available through the University's online Syllabus Repository, where users can search for and access published syllabi. 

Access the YSU Syllabus Repository

Students will be able to access course syllabi through YSU's public-facing Syllabus Repository. Enrolled students may also access syllabi through Blackboard or through other methods used by faculty to make course materials available to their students.

CourseLeaf SYL is YSU's centralized syllabus management and publishing platform. Faculty should follow the University's current guidance for using CourseLeaf SYL in conjunction with Blackboard. Additional information and step-by-step instructions are available through the CourseLeaf SYL Toolkit.

CourseLeaf SYL supports YSU's syllabus management and public posting requirements. Faculty should continue to follow University expectations for making course information and materials available to enrolled students through Blackboard.

College Credit Plus (CCP) courses taught by high school instructors at secondary school locations do not need to be posted through CourseLeaf SYL. All other undergraduate and graduate course sections are subject to YSU's syllabus submission requirements.