January 2010
Dear Colleagues,
Now that most of the curriculum work for the academic year is done, I would like to report to you on some of the problems the University Curriculum Committee encountered, which led to proposals being delayed or referred back to the departments for changes or clarifications. This is very frustrating for everyone and my hope is that by sharing the most common issues with you that we can improve the approval process.
Signature of the Dean. A proposal without the dean’s signature cannot be approved. Colleges have many departments and sometimes the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.
Credit hours for a course. An increase in credit hours needs to be reflected both in the topical outline and the assignments. One credit hour of lecture is equivalent to one contact hour and two hours of outside work. One credit hour of lab is equivalent to two to three contact hours. Similar numbers apply to the “Other” category and workshops.
Course proposals. The University Committee and the Executive Committee work with hard copies. Frequently the course descriptions and justifications are cut off at the margins during printing. Without complete course descriptions courses cannot be approved. In addition to the hard copy, an electronic copy of the proposal needs to be sent to the Faculty Senate Office. That is the only way the proposal can be posted on the Faculty Senate page for Senate members to read.
Repeat information. For a course to be repeatable, it means it can be taken for credit more than once, such as variable-title courses. It does not mean that a student re-takes a class for a better grade.
Courses used in both undergraduate and graduate programs. These are becoming more prevalent. If a course has both a 3000/4000 and a 5000/6000 version, the latter needs to have graduate-level work specified in the syllabus.
Program changes. Most course proposals result in a program change which needs to be reflected in the catalog. This may be for credit hour changes, a different course title or number, adding or deleting a course or other seemingly simple items. A program change form should be included with such proposals. This has been a major source of having to return proposals to the departments. Several simple course changes can add up to significant program changes over time. It is imperative to look at the entire program when course changes are considered. That is why the program change form requests that the existing catalog description be included along with the new version showing the suggested changes, using strike-out or highlighting. Some departments use red fonts to show changes. That looks good on the computer, but unfortunately does not show up on the hard copies.
Add the numbers. Following up from the previous item, changing credit hours often changes the numbers in the degree. WSU has a number of 2+2 programs, where an AAS degree is the basis for a Bachelors degree. There are specific credit hour requirements for AAS, AS, AA and Bachelor degrees. While many of us do not pay much attention to the first three degrees, insufficient credit hours in these have huge impacts on scholarships and eligibility issues. On the other hand, not paying attention to all the requirements (AAS plus Bachelor requirements plus additional General Education requirements) can lead to exceeding the 126 upper limit for a Bachelor degree which is stipulated by the Board of Regents.
Requirements and pre-requisites. Pre-requisites should be listed separately from the program requirements but need to be added into the total number of hours required for the degree. Some graduate programs have so-called “leveling courses” which are equivalent to pre-requisites.
Scheduling. Curriculum items are placed on the agenda in the order in which they arrive at the Faculty Senate Office. If a proposal is submitted in two or more installments, it will show up as separate items on the agenda. This is very confusing to everyone.
Catalog deadlines. Legally, there can only be one catalog for every academic year. This version may be printed or electronic. New courses and experimental courses may be added throughout the year, but no courses will be added to the class list, once registration for the semester has started. New programs will be added once they have been approved by the Regents. Program changes that have been approved by the Faculty Senate by the January meeting will go into effect at the beginning of the new academic year. No substantive changes can be added to the catalog during the rest of the year.
I would be happy to meet with you and/or your committee to discuss curriculum matters or any questions, concerns or suggestions for improvement you might have.
Thank you for all the work you do to make the curriculum process work as smoothly as possible.
Regards
Erika Daines
Chair, University Curriculum Committee