Pasting Text from Word into a Syllabus

Pasting Text from Word into a Syllabus

This article will be most useful for course developers, syllabus editors, and/or instructors who are able to edit syllabi.

Overview

Syllabus content exists in many different formats. It can be found in course catalogs, in the Student Information System, on program websites, and in Word documents, a favorite location of many instructors. For institutions or instructors new to Concourse, it can be especially helpful to know how to copy and paste existing syllabus content from Word into the Concourse interface. In this article, you will find step-by-step instructions for copying and pasting syllabus content from Word into Concourse.

Before You Begin

Depending on the originating version of Word, copying and pasting content from Word into Concourse may retain formatting established in Word. If the syllabus content in Word contains any problematic formatting for accessibility, that formatting may carry over and continue to be problematic in Concourse. To create the most accessible syllabus possible, we recommend that all syllabus content be generated in Concourse, using the TinyMCE editor (image below).



If pasting content from Word is the preferred method for your institution, we recommend that you paste text only. This function is also called “keep text only” or “paste plain text.” On a PC, the shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + V; on a Mac, the shortcut is Cmd + Shift + V.

Pasting Text from Word

To begin this process, open both the originating Word document and the Concourse syllabus being edited so that you can easily select, copy, and paste the text by toggling between applications. To copy and paste from Word to Concourse, follow the steps below.
  1. In the upper-left corner of the Concourse screen, select the Syllabus dropdown menu and then select Edit.
  2. Locate and select the syllabus item where you would like to paste text.
  3. In the Word document, place your cursor at the start of the text you would like to copy. Next, left-click and drag the cursor to the end of the text selection.
  4. Right click and select Copy or use a keyboard shortcut to copy the text (Ctrl + C on PC; Cmd + C on Mac).
  5. In Concourse select the item or sub-item being added to the syllabus.
  6. Enter the editing field and either right click and select Paste as plain text or use a keyboard shortcut to paste (Ctrl + Shift + V on PC; Cmd + Shift + V on Mac).
  7. Save when you have finished making any edits to the pasted text.

Best Practices and Recommendations

While pasting existing syllabus content from Word and other sources is an efficient way to populate and share syllabi quickly, we recommend creating and copying content from Concourse syllabi in order to make best use of accessible design practices built into the system.

For more information about adding external content to a Concourse syllabus, see also Adding Tables to a Syllabus, Linking to External Sites in a Syllabus, and Building a Schedule.

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