NKU Home Page: Northern Kentucky University, Greater ...



Northern Kentucky UniversityCurriculum Process ManualThis document describes the university’s curriculum process. This includes the types of curricular changes, how to go about proposing a change, how to use the on-line University Curriculum Committee (UCC) forms, the bodies involved in the curricular review process and the timeline, and annual deadlines. This document is being written for faculty new to NKU and therefore possibly unaware of the process, but can be a valuable resource for those involved in different stages of the process, particular, UCC representatives.Types of Curricular ChangesThere are four general categories of curricular changes:Course changes (including deletions)New courses (including new General Education courses)Program changes (majors, minors, certificate programs)New programs (majors, minors, certificate programs)These are described in more detail here.Course changes can include changes to: pre-requisites or co-requisitesdesignator and/or numbercourse namecredit hourscatalog descriptiongrading status (from letter grade to pass/fail or vice versa)deletion of course from the catalog entirelycourse type (lecture, lab, etc)Generally, a change in course is expected to have 3 or fewer of these changes or else the course should be considered a new course. A general way to think about this is whether the course is changing content or whether the changes are being necessitated by other factors such as a desire to change designators and thus this will also impact pre-requisites. New coursesAll new course proposals must include a syllabus. The syllabus does not have to be a full syllabus, nor be a final syllabus, but should include the following information:Catalog description (including course designator, number, name, credit hours and pre-req/co-reqs). Course names and catalog descriptions are limited in size so make sure you adhere to the size restrictions.A sample textbookSample list of topics and the approximate amount of coverage (e.g., 3 weeks for topic A, 2 weeks for topic B)Student learning outcomes (SLOs)Student assessment (how the outcomes will be assessed, this is typically a description of how students will be graded but tied back into the SLOs)Type of course (lecture, lab, on-line, hybrid, etc)When filling in the new course UCC form, be aware that one of the major mistakes is to specify incorrectly the type of course as being a free elective or a major/minor requirement. A course is a major or minor requirement if that course is required for the major or minor. If the course is one of a list of courses that fulfill some major or minor requirement, the course should be considered a free elective. If the new course is a major or minor requirement, then you will also have to submit a change of major form (see below). Failure to do so will hold up the acceptance of the new course as it is not possible to approve a new course that is required in the major (or minor) without seeing how the major/minor will be impacted.Program changesA program is considered to be a major, a minor, an area of concentration, or a certificate program. A program change means that you are changing the requirements of a program. These may be changes to the required courses, changes to the number of hours, changes to admissions requirements into the program, or some other status (e.g., change from requiring “C or better in all courses” to “C- or better in all courses”). Program changes can also include the deletion of a program. When submitting a change to a program, you will be required to include the new catalog copy. You may limit this to the portion of the catalog copy being impacted. If your program change changes the number of required hours, make sure you indicate the new hours along with a rationale for why this change should be supported. For instance, if you are increasing the required courses such that the number of hours changes from 36 to 42, a justification is needed. Do not make changes to programs without clearly thinking through the impact this will have on your current students, future students, faculty in the department, and students in other programs. If a new course is being added that will be a pre-requisite for other courses, determine the length in semesters that a student will now require to graduate. For instance, if you have a pre-requisite structure so that it currently takes at least 6 semesters to take all of the required courses, and you introduce a new course that extends this to 7 semesters, make sure that you are not introducing a hardship onto your students that could not be avoided. Consult with the chairs or faculty of other departments if your program change might impact other departments. For instance, in the College of Business, many students take a business administration minor. New programsIf proposing a new minor or area of concentration, use the same form as the program change form (form C). Also, take into account whether you have adequate faculty to handle any increase in student demand for courses, and if the pre-requisites required of courses in the proposed minor or certificate to insure that you are not demanding too much of students. In general, a minor should be at least 21 hours and a certificate program between 12 and 15 hours. If you are seeking to propose a new major (or graduate program) or certificate program, you MUST first complete the program pre-proposal including budget. This must obtain approval by the Provost before you can proceed with the UCC form. There are separate UCC forms for new programs and new certificate programs. The UCC proposal must include the entire curriculum for the new program (required courses, courses that will count as electives) as well as the perceived demand for the program, any resources that the program will require, a projection of the student enrollment over the next few years for the program, and what new courses are being proposed to support the program (as well as what existing courses are going to be used).Getting StartedThe first step in the entire process is to obtain departmental approval for your suggested changes. Check with your department chair to find out what the departmental approval process is. It may simply be to obtain chair approval. In some departments, there is a curriculum committee. In other departments, approval of the entire faculty is required. Do not submit any UCC form(s) until you have departmental approval. In order to support your proposal, present the entire proposal in written form to those involved in the decision making. This will help you in the next step. The written proposal should include what change(s) you are proposing, why (justification), the projected impact, and if a new course, a sample syllabus.Once approved at the departmental level, you can go on to the next step. Before you attempt to fill out any UCC forms, seek out your UCC representative for help. It is preferred that your UCC rep actually submit the form, but if you choose to submit the form, make sure your UCC rep proofreads the form before final submission to correct any errors. Errors are one of the biggest causes of delay in getting through the curriculum process.The UCC web site is at nku.edu/~ucc. Here is what it looks like:Most of the site should be self-explanatory. The members listing includes email and phone numbers. Agendas are typically posted one week in advance. You can obtain previous minutes through the agendas link. If you have never submitted a UCC form before, you should read the form guidelines and UCC bylaws before submitting a form. If you have questions, seek out your UCC representative or contact Mary Lepper or the current UCC chair.If you are submitting a new course or a new program or certificate program, you must include student learning outcomes and assessment. If you are unfamiliar with how to write these, follow the Student Learning Outcomes link to read information about that. NOTE: to view or submit forms, you must log in first using your NKU login.The UCC FormsThere are 8 forms for submitting curricular changes. They are:Form C: new minor/area of concentration or change in major/minor/area of concentration/certificate program (including deletion). This form should be used whenever courses are being added to or deleted from the major/minor/certificate program, admissions standards are being modified, or other rules governing the program are being added or modified (such as a minimal grade requirement for accepting a course). A new program (including certificate programs) is to be submitted using the new program proposal form.To start, fill in the top portion of the form. The “subject” should be the name of the program being changed (e.g., Bachelor of Science in Mathematics) along with a number to make it unique if multiple changes have been proposed during the same year, or a descriptor of what the change is (e.g., requirements change, program deletion, admissions). Fill in the department’s name, the type of change, if a program deletion then the program’s name (otherwise leave this line blank) and a narrative of what the change is. Box 4 must be filled in no matter what kind of change is being proposed. Boxes 5-7 (shown above) are the date by which the change is to take effect, the proposer’s name and email address. The next section, boxes 8-16, should only be filled in if you are proposing a new minor, area of concentration or track within your major. A new major (program) requires the Full Program Proposal form (described later). This section requires a name, the type of program being created, hours, and the catalog copy that you are proposing. The catalog copy entry is used only for review processes, it will be up to your department to update your own catalog copy. Attachments are allowed if needed. You must also include the new resources required to offer the new minor/area/track and if there are resources required, you must first fill out a planning pre-proposal (see below). Additionally, you must enter student learning outcomes for the new minor/area/track.The third section, boxes 17-19, pertains only to a change in major/minor/area/track. Provide the name of the program being changed (e.g., Minor in Political Science), the new catalog copy for just this program and whether this change will require a new designator for degree audits. This and the final section are shown on the next page.The final section, boxes 20-27, is only to be filled in if you are adding a web-based program from a current program. The last box should be filled out no matter which section you used.Form H: new course proposal. See the next page for excerpts from the form H. The form H submission MUST be accompanied by a syllabus (you upload the syllabus at the time you fill out the form). The syllabus MUST include the SLOs for the course and the proposed ways that the SLOs will be assessed. You must also include a unique designator/number, a course title (not to exceed 40 letters in length, if you need more space, abbreviate some of the words), the type of course (lecture, lab, etc), the credit hours of the course (broken into lecture hours, lab hours, total hours), and the catalog description. The catalog description is limited to 50 words. Do not use quote marks in your catalog description because it will cause difficulty in parsing the form. You must also list the course pre-requisites and co-requisites (these must appear in the designated boxes, they can also be repeated in the catalog description). Other entries into the form are a justification for the course, additional resources required for the course, how the course will accommodate honors students (separate honors course, combined course, separate honors section, no special consideration), whether the course includes a service learning component (and if so, how), whether the course is a major/minor requirement, free elective or other. If the course is to be one of a list of electives to fulfill a category (e.g., select 2 of the following to fulfill part of your major), it should be listed as a free elective. Student learning outcomes and how they will be assessed MUST appear on both the form and the syllabus. Grading option, course type (e.g., lecture, lab), how the course will be offered, whether the course can be repeated and whether it is cross listed must selected. Typically courses with x9x numbers (topics courses, projects, practicum, etc) are the only ones that would be repeatable (that is, a student can take it multiple times to receive credit each time). If a course is to be cross listed, you must list all such courses. If the cross listed courses do not yet exist, those courses should be submitted at the same time as this course.One of the most common mistakes in submitting a form H is specifying that a course is required in the major/minor but not submitting a form C. Be clear as to whether the course is required in the major/minor or is being added to a list of electives such that one course from that list is required. The latter does not (currently) require a form C.Form G: new general education course. Use this form in place of form H when the course being proposed is a new course that is being proposed to be part of the general education program. This form is similar to a form H but has an additional section that is General Education category specific. Once you select the category (e.g., scientific inquiry), additional fields are shown (see the next page for an example with the “Oral Communication” category). If you do not answer these questions fully and clearly, it is likely that the course will not be approved and you will have to do more work. Note that general education courses can only fulfill one category UNLESS they are being submitted for the Global Viewpoints category, in which case, they can fulfill one additional category. In order to be approved for any given category, they must fulfill ALL of the SLOs for the two categories. If a course already exists and you wish to add it to the general education program, you will still fill out a form G. As with form Hs, all form Gs must be accompanied by a syllabus. The syllabus must include the SLOs of the course and the methods by which you will assess them. These SLOs must include ALL of the SLOs for the category (or two categories if the course is to fulfill two categories). What follows are the SLOs for the Scientific Inquiry category. When filling out the form G, you will be required to respond to how your course fulfills each SLO and the direct method that you will use to assess that SLO.Justify choice of General Education category.A.1.Students effectively gather material relating to a focused topic, using a variety of tools, sources and search strategies.C.1.Students demonstrate the ability to express ideas using oral communication skills with appropriate attention to topic and audience. C.3.Students employ the principles of rhetorical communication. The form G also requires that you specify the approximate number of sections that you plan to offer each semester and the expected enrollment. General education courses are expected to generate a minimum of 75 SCHs per course (25 students for a 3 hour course). If the course is not expected to generate this minimum, you must include an explanation of why not. NOTE: be careful when answering the student learning outcome questions in form Gs. They will be scrutinized much more heavily than form Hs or Ks. Form K: course change proposal. This form is used when you want to change a single course. The types of changes that you can propose are designator and/or number, description, title, hours, pre-requisites, co-requisites, grade type, other, or a course deletion. You must include both the old and new versions of the portion of the course’s catalog copy that you want to change (e.g., old catalog description and new catalog description, old name and new name, old pre-reqs and new pre-reqs). A general rule is that if you are making 3 or more changes, then you probably have a new course. For a new course, submit a form K to delete the old and a form H to create the new. If this is a required course, submit a form C to indicate the change in the program. If you have more than 2 changes to a course but the course is mostly staying the same, a form K can be permitted. For instance, if you are changing all of the designators of a program, then this would probably also impact course pre-reqs. If you have a course whose designator, pre-reqs and course title are all changing but the course content is staying the same, this can be done by a form K. If you are unsure whether changes constitute a new course (and thus a form K), speak to Mary Lepper or the chair of the UCC for clarification. NOTE: you only have to fill in the relevant portion(s) of this form. For instance, a change in hours does not require that you fill in the portions pertaining to grading, course type, whether the course can be repeated, etc. Also, unless there is a change in course content (catalog description), you do not need to submit new student learning outcomes or assessment plans.Any change in course that impacts other departments should be discussed first with those other departments before you submit the form. You will have to list all other departments impacted by the change even if you are only changing a course number (because those departments may have to now modify their own programs/catalog copy).If the change in course includes some change in content, you will have to supply new student learning outcomes and assessments.Form M: mass course changes. This form has been changed into five forms. The reason for this is to prevent the abuse of this form. If you have multiple courses that are undergoing the same change, you can submit all of them under a form M. These include:Deleting a list of courses from the catalogChanging several course namesChanging the designators of a list of coursesChanging the numbers of a list of coursesMaking the same pre-req/co-req change to a list of coursesMost of these should be self-explanatory. The last one requires a little bit of explanation though. Imagine that you have several courses and you want to add “grade of C- or better” to every pre-req. You can do this with a form M. You specify “grade of C- or better” as the new-pre and append. This will then append that to every pre-req already specified for the courses listed. Other examples might be to remove ABC 123 as a pre-req from a list of courses, or changing ABC 123 to ABC 223 for the list of courses. See below to see what this form looks like.These mass change forms are new and may have bugs in them. If you find a problem, report it to the UCC chair or Mary Lepper.Each of the mass change forms allows you to submit up to 10 courses at a time. If you need to do more, either submit multiple form Ms or contact Mary Lepper for assistance.Form L: non-traditional/experimental course form. This form is used when you want to experiment with a course format for a pre-existing course. This is seldom used. Most changes of formats such as taking an in-class course and making it an on-line course do not require any special form submissions.Full Program Proposals/Certificate Program Proposals:Before filling out this form, you MUST receive approval for the new program/certificate from the Provost’s office. This is done by submitting a planning pre-proposal. Much of the preparation work done for the pre-proposal can be used when filling out this form. The intent of the planning pre-proposal is to ensure that the Provost’s office will support the new program, given whatever resources might be requested and the demand for the program. Prior to having the pre-proposal, it was possible that all of the effort that went into submitting a full program proposal would be rejected by the Provost’s office due to the resources requested.The full program proposal (part of which is shown at the top of the next page) requires a great deal of detail such as a budget, projected enrollment, the entire curriculum (list of courses), an analysis of the types of jobs that a student might expect, and whether other institutions in the area have similar programs. You may also be required to fill in information regarding the program type with respect to Kentucky/CPE. For assistance with this information, speak to Mary Lepper.Often, full program proposals are accompanied by a single attachment that responds to all of the questions asked. In addition to the questions shown above, the form requires answers to the following:Program description (catalog copy)Description of new courses to be proposedDepartment or major goalsWhat are the educational goals for the proposed program?How do the goals for this new program relate to the mission of the University?Statement of need (including a formal needs analysis)Similar programs in the areaProposed options in this programJob opportunities for graduatesArrangements to offer all or part of the program via KYVU or other distance learning methodsFaculty requirements and other resources requiredAny plans to collaborate with other institutionsMajor curriculum and course analysis:What is rationale for the structure of this major - number of courses required, number of electives suggested, concentrations available, and course sequence suggested?Do courses in other departments appear to overlap with some of the courses offered in your major? If so, which ones?What courses from other departments are you planning to include or require in your curriculum?What are the preparatory courses in the major that serve to introduce the student to the program?Are the courses included in the major new courses or are they presently in the curriculum?How do the courses in this major prepare students for employment or advanced studies?How do courses prepare students in adjusting to future changes in the field?What opportunities are available for internships or work study programs in this major? Finally, if the program includes new courses, then accompanying form Hs are required, one per course.The Stages of the Process, the Timeline, the Signature Forms and DeadlinesThe stages of the process vary on the particular course/program being proposed. Therefore, some steps are optional (that is, not included). The full process is given below for any curricular change except for new programs/certificate programs, which are addressed separately.Seek departmental approval. This step should include discussing your proposal with your departmental chair.Upon approval, get your UCC rep involved.Submit the proper UCC form(s). Also print out a copy of the forms including the signature form (and a copy of the syllabus for forms H or G). Sign the signature form and have your departmental curriculum committee chair or departmental chair sign the form.Send these items on to TEC if necessary. Otherwise, submit the items to your college curriculum committee chair and request that the item(s) be placed on the next agenda.After approval of the college curriculum committee, it requires approval by the Dean of your college.After college approval, if the item involves graduate courses or graduate programs, the item(s) need approval by Graduate Council.At this point, the items are forwarded from the college or Graduate Council to the UCC chair and placed on the next UCC agenda for approval.After UCC approval, the item(s) must be approved by Faculty Senate and finally the Provost.Throughout the entire process, signatures are added to the signature form(s) to indicate at what step the item is at in the process. Further signatures are then added by the Office of Curriculum and Assessment, Degree Audit and the Registrar. Once approved by the Registrar’s office, the item(s) will be entered into SAP. College curriculum committees typically meet once every other week, on opposite weeks of the UCC. Graduate Council meets one to two times a month, on opposite weeks of the UCC. Faculty Senate meets once per month, the Monday after the last UCC meeting of the month. Therefore, the timeline for approval varies on where the item must be routed. The longest chain involves department, TEC, college, graduate council, UCC, Faculty Senate. This is a minimum of 6 weeks and possibly as long as 8-10 weeks depending on the specific dates and meeting times. Items that do not go through TEC or graduate council should make it through the process is less than a month. The importance of understanding the timeline is that there are deadlines by which a change can make it into the catalog for the following year (see below). There are also deadlines imposed by the registrar’s office dictating when a change can take effect. For instance, if you want to have a course’s name changed for the following semester, you must start the curriculum process early in the current semester. Finally, at each stage of the process, the UCC web site is updated to reflect the current status of any submitted item. That status can include form submitted, no action, approved by college committee, approved by graduate council, approved by UCC, final approval.Deadlines are imposed by two different constraints. The first is the deadline set by the publisher for the university catalogs (undergraduate and graduate). Working backward from these deadlines sets the date that all items must be approved by Faculty Senate and the UCC. Therefore, the last meetings in December are the dates by which all curricular items must be approved to be in the catalog for the following fall. To make the last UCC meeting (early December), items need to be approved by Graduate Council for the mid November meeting, the college curriculum committees the week prior, and therefore must be posted to the UCC website by late October. For the 2011 catalog, the deadline for submissions is October 28. The deadline for spring and summer changes are set by the registrar’s office. Typically the deadline for Spring changes is early in the prior fall. Items need to be posted by early September for a Spring change. For the summer, deadlines are typically in early January.MiscellanyHere are some terms and policies regarding curriculum at NKU.Definitions of programs:Major – A cohesive combination of courses, including introductory, intermediate, and advanced course work, that designates a student's primary areas of specialization, i.e. bachelor of arts (degree) in health informatics (major).??? Majors are designated on university transcripts.? The offering of new majors requires approval by the Board of Regents and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE). Sequence/Emphases/Tracks – A subdivision of a major in which there are specific requirements.? Sequences/Emphases/Tracks of the same major generally share a common core within a major.? Sequences are may need approval beyond the University Curriculum Committee (Faculty Senate and Provost).Area of Concentration – An academic area of concentration consisting of at least 12 upper-division semester hours that are different from the student’s major.? Approval required if identified as area of concentration included in undergraduate catalog.? Minor – A combination of courses designed to provide a cohesive introduction to an area of study beyond the major.? Minors are designated on university transcripts and need approval beyond the University Curriculum Committee (Faculty Senate and the Provost). Embedded Minor in Major – Requires students to earn a minimum of 65 semesters hours with a maximum of 78 semester hours toward the degree, requires students to complete at least 12 semester hours of coursework in discipline(s) outside the primary major (i.e. courses with a designator other than the major program’s designator); and requires student to complete at least 36 upper-division semester hours.Course Formats:Clinical – Course which offers a range of planned instruction levels and a range of experience in a chosen clinical field, i.e. nursing.Examination – Course where an oral or written examination is the basis for grade.Independent Study – Intensive study in a special area of the student's interest under the direction of a qualified member of the faculty.? Each individual investigation is to culminate in a comprehensive written report and/or examination and/or artistic project. Independent Study is designated by the number “*99” and is offered for one to six credit hours.Laboratory – A course with a unique physical facility for investigating specific problems under the close supervision of a faculty member.? Lecture –? A course in which a faculty member directs a large portion of the content by using lectures but may impart a portion of the content using group-discussions, demonstrations, presentations, etc.Lecture/Laboratory – A course in which a portion of the course is taught using the lecture method, but other portions include the use of physical facilities for hands-on application of theory to practice.Practicum – First definition: A placement in a cooperating facility either on-campus or off-site in which students refine their learning skills through a combination of theory and practice in a particular field of study. Intended for majors and students with sufficient background and knowledge. Second definition: A placement in an on-campus or off-campus facility in which students under the direct supervision of a faculty member and/or professional in the field being studies refine their skills through a combination of theory and practice in a particular area of study. Intended for students and majors with sufficient background and knowledge.Private Lesson – A course offering which is a private music lesson.Recitation – A course in which a faculty member is engaged in discussions. Research – A regular meeting of students, under faculty guidance, in which each conducts research and exchanges information, problems, and results through informal lectures, reports, and discussion.Studio – A course in which students must spend a significant part of the time working independently in applying theory to practice under the direct supervision of a faculty member.Delivery Methods:Web-Based Course - A Web (or online) course is defined as one where instruction and interaction are primarily (80% or more) based on the technologies available from the Internet and the World Wide Web. Students enrolled in a Web course interact with the class instructor and other classmates through Internet-based communications. There may be a technology orientation schedule the first week of the semester. All other courses will be listed as web-enhanced to inform students that there is a possibility of an Internet/E-mail requirement.Service Learning:Service Learning is a course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students:participate in an organized service activity that meets a community need, and reflect on their service activity as a means of gaining a deeper understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, an enhanced sense of appreciation of the discipline, an enhanced sense of civic responsibility, and/or greater interest in and understanding of community life.Courses that include a service learning component should indicate requirements in course description.? Course Number Policy:x90 - reserved for future use.x91 - reserved for thesis and comprehensive examA thesis is a product of scholarly contribution to knowledge in the form of a study, experiment, survey, or creative work (for example, paper, presentation) given in the final undergraduate or graduate yearComprehensive examinations are examinations that cover the entire field of major study given in the final undergraduate or graduate yearx92 – reserved for researchResearch is defined as scientific or scholarly investigation separate from thesis work; the latter is included in the 91 creditsx93 – reserved for future use.x94 – reserved for special topics and seminarSpecial topics and seminars?are courses offered by faculty on an occasional basis only and not intended to be part of the regular offerings in the disciplineTopics that are repeated should be converted into normal courses after no more than two offerings as a topics coursex95 – reserved for experimental coursesExperimental courses are courses to be offered for the first or second time in order to evaluate their viability as part of the regular curriculumx96 – reserved for practica, field experiences, internships assistantshipsPractica, field experiences, internships, assistantships are practical experience in a work environment that includes supervision by faculty and may include compensationx97 – reserved for exhibits, recitals, shows, portfolios, presentations and special ??????????? projectsExhibits, recitals, shows, portfolios, presentations and special projects are public exhibits, performances, and presentations that represent the finished product of student preparation and workx98 – reserved for future usex99 – reserved for independent study and directed readings Independent study and directed readings are studies undertaken by student(s), under the direction of faculty, but without formal class meetingsNOTE: recently, graduate thesis numbers have changed to 797 and 798.The Library approval process:As a new course is being developed, the originator goes to “New Course Form and Catalog Information (Form H), or General Education Course (Form G) The originator is instructed to select the appropriate library liaison, the to “schedule an appointment to determine adequacy of library resources for proposed new course.”The originator and liaison meet to discuss the information resource needs of the course and assess the library resources in meeting those needs.If the originator and liaison conclude that library resources are adequate, the complete and sign the “library Resources Verification Form.”The originator and liaison keep copies of the completed and signed form, then forward copies of the form to the individuals notes.? The originator’s copy accompanies the paperwork to the College Curriculum Committee chair.If resources are determined to be inadequate, the originator and liaison complete the “Insufficient Library Resources Form.”The originator and liaison keep copies of the completed and signed form, then forward copies of the form to the individuals noted.? The originator’s copy accompanies the paperwork to the College Curriculum Subcommittee chair, then to the University Curriculum Committee Chair ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download