Curriculum Workshop

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Curriculum Workshop

• University Curriculum and Catalog
• Visit www.reg.msu.edu/ucc/ucc.asp

Rev. 10/08
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• Linda O. Stanford, Associate Provost for Academic
  Services
• Joy Speas, University Curriculum Administrator
• Doug McKenna, Associate Registrar
• Stephanie Smith, Administrative Assistant
• University Curriculum and Catalog
• Office of the Registrar176 Administration
  Building355-8420ucc_at_msu.eduhttp//www.reg.msu.e
  du/ucc/ucc.asp

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Purpose

• To understand and improve the curricular process
• To assist colleges and departments in achieving
  curricular change responsive to their needs
• To provide some helpful hints and resources
• To provide a time for questions

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Whose responsibility is it to shape the
curriculum?
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The faculty!
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The faculty shapes the curriculum for students.

• Directed to the skill and knowledge needs of
  students.

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As an Associate/Assistant Dean, Chairperson, or
Staff Person, you are

• Helping to improve the curriculum at Michigan
  State University
• Helping faculty to propose new or changed
  undergraduate and graduate programs and courses
• Working with faculty and staff to facilitate the
  movement of curricula through the academic
  governance system

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ACADEMIC GOVERNANCE SYSTEM

• The academic governance system is
• the system for the participation of faculty and
  students in the development of policy on academic
  matters.
• Bylaws for Academic Governance

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ACADEMIC GOVERNANCE SYSTEM (cont.)

• The academic governance system is essentially a
  large communication system.
• The academic governance system includes
  committees that have faculty and student
  representatives.
• One of these standing committees is the
  University Committee on Curriculum (UCC).
• The UCC exercises delegated authority over the
  curriculum.

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UCC and THE CURRICULAR PROCESS

• Faculty propose a new, change, or delete
  request
• Department or School enters the request in the
  Academic Programs or COURSES system
• College approves the request and forwards to
  the University Committee on Curriculum (UCC)
• The College is responsible for discussing
  curricular initiatives and resource needs with
  the Provost via the annual planning and budget
  process. The UCC does not consider resource
  needs.
• UCC reviews and approves/disapproves all
  curricular requests.
• The University Curriculum and Catalog office, on
  behalf of the UCC, forwards requests as
  appropriate to other committees. (University
  Committee on Academic Policy, University Graduate
  Council, and Teacher Education Council)
• The UCC itself may also forward requests to other
  colleges and departments for sign-offs and
  approvals as needed.

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Path of Curricular Requests
Department
College
University Committee on Curriculum
Sub A, B, or C
About ½ of all programs goto at least one of
these committees
UCAP
UGC
TEC
UCC Full Committee
Academic Council
Statewide Academic Program Review
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University Committee on Curriculum (UCC)

• The UCC has four subcommittees
• Subcommittees A, B, and C have faculty and
  student representatives who review courses and
  programs submitted by all colleges on behalf of
  their departments and schools.
• Subcommittee A includes the Colleges of
• Agriculture and Natural Resources, Engineering,
  Human Medicine, Lyman Briggs, Natural Science,
  Nursing, Osteopathic Medicine,
• and Veterinary Medicine
• Subcommittee B includes the Colleges of
• Agriculture and Natural Resources (Department of
  Agricultural Economics), James Madison, Law, and
  Social Science
• Subcommittee C includes the Colleges of
• Arts and Humanities (RCAH), Arts and Letters,
  Business (Eli Broad), Communication Arts and
  Sciences, Education, and Music
• Subcommittee D is composed of the chairs of the
  subcommittees. This committee considers policy
  and procedural matters.

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UCC Full Committee

• The Full Committee of the UCC, comprised of
  Subcommittees A, B, C, and D, considers
  recommendations from UCAP, UGC, TEC and votes on
  the recommendations from the subcommittees. This
  becomes the Report of the UCC to Academic Council.

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University Committee on Academic Policy(UCAP)

• Undergraduate program changes that implicate
  academic policy or impact students must be
  approved by UCAP.
• Specifically, most requests are for grade-point
  requirements, admission requirements, certain new
  programs, disbandments, or moratoria.

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University Graduate Council(UGC)

• Reviews all new or changed graduate programs with
  attention to policy implications. It also reviews
  all requests for moratoria and disbandments.

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Teacher Education Council(TEC)

• Teacher Education Council reviews all new or
  changed programs that lead to teacher
  certification.

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Report of the UCC to Academic Council

• This report is the official record of all
  approved courses and programs.
• A copy of this report is available on the web
  at
• www.reg.msu.edu/UCC/ReportsAC.asp

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In addition to being approved by Academic
Council, some programs are also sent for
Statewide Academic Program Review.

• Statewide Academic Program Review Criteria
• New program (new field of study for the
  institution)
• Spin off (conversion from an existing program)
• Disbandment (program deletion)

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Path of Curricular Requests
Department
College
University Committee on Curriculum
Sub A, B, or C
About ½ of all programs goto at least one of
these committees
UCAP
UGC
TEC
UCC Full Committee
Academic Council
Statewide Academic Program Review
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How long will it take for my program to become
effective?
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Program Submission Cycle for the University
Committee on Curriculum

• For a SPRING effective date, colleges must be
  submit program requests by September 1st.
• New programs that fit Statewide Academic Program
  Review criteria must be submitted by January 1st
  for the following spring.
• For a FALL effective date and availability for
  annual enrollment, colleges must submit program
  requests by January 1st.

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The length of time until approval depends on the
. .

• Completeness of the program request
• Program submission cycle
• Necessity for Statewide Academic Program Review

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Creating a Program Request

• Program requests must be entered by an authorized
  Academic Programs user in the Academic Programs
  system.
• https//www.reg.msu.edu/Forms/FormsMenu.asp

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New Programs Things to Consider

• Name of Program
• Type of Program
• Effective Date
• Target Student Audience
• Enrollment
• Source of budget for program
• Projected costs as compared to others
• Staff Requirement
• Will additional equipment be required?
• Will additional library materials be required?
• Will additional space be required?
• Detailed description of the program

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Revising an Existing Academic Program

• Simply enter revisions by creating a academic
  program change request in the Academic Programs
  system.
• Take care to include all necessary signoffs and
  approvals.

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Discontinuing an Academic Program

• Simply request the discontinuation of an academic
  program in the Academic Programs system.
• Programs will be phased out and discontinued
  based on current student enrollments and time
  limit to degree.

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Completeness of the program request . .

• Clarity of requested changes
• Appropriate sign-offs and/or approvals
• Sign-off is a request for support or commentary
  (act of collegiality)
• Units have 14 days to respond
• Indication of support/non-support is not binding
• Approval is a request for support (required)
• Example interdepartmental programs require
  approvals

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Academic Programs Guidelines and Procedures

• Detailed information regarding guidelines and
  procedures for academic programs can be accessed
  on the University Curriculum and Catalog website
• Visit - http//www.reg.msu.edu/ucc/guidelines.asp

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COURSES

• What do you need to know about courses?
• Creating a New Course
• Revising an Existing Course
• Deleting a Course

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Creating a New Course

• Course requests must be entered by an authorized
  COURSES user in the COURSES system.
• https//www.reg.msu.edu/Forms/FormsMenu.asp
• COURSES Training is available for those needing
  authorization.
• http//train.msu.edu

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New Courses Things to Consider

• Course Numbers
• 001-099 Non-Credit
• 100-299 Undergraduate
• 300-499 Advanced Undergraduate
• 500-699 Graduate-Professional
• 800-899 Graduate
• 900-999 Advanced Graduate
• See Academic Programs for definitions
• http//www.reg.msu.edu/read/UCC/Updated/coursenumb
  ers.pdf

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New Courses Things to Consider

• Course Title
• The full course title should be consistent with
  the information provided in other items on the
  form, especially the course description, course
  objectives, and outline of major topics. It
  should be succinct enough to be abbreviated
  meaningfully to a short title.
• The short title is the 30-character course title
  that is printed on the MSU transcript.
• Avoid abbreviations such as Ass, Stud, Anal

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New Courses Things to Consider

• Course Description
• A well-written course description accurately
  reflects the content of the course. Avoid
  unnecessary phrases such as An introduction to
  or This course is designed to. Spell out
  acronyms unless they have become common words in
  the English language (example RADAR). Incomplete
  sentences are acceptable.

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A poorly written course description

• As submitted for a University Curriculum
  Committee agenda
• MT 150 Introduction to Biomedical Research
• Spring of every year. 1(1-0)
• Survey course intended to assist students in
  deciding whether a biomedical research career is
  appropriate for them. An introduction to
  Biomedical Research in the United States,
  including funding, safety, regulatory agencies,
  ethics, experimental design, trouble-shooting,
  and data interpretation. This course also
  intended to assist students in deciding whether a
  biomedical research careers appropriate for them.

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A well-written course description

• As rewritten and approved by the UCC
• MT 150 Preview of Biomedical Research
• Spring of every year. 1(1-0)
• Exploration of biomedical research careers.
  Biomedical research in the United States.
  Funding, safety, regulatory agencies, ethics,
  experimental design, trouble-shooting, and data
  interpretation.

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New CoursesPolicy Considerations

• Remedial-developmental-preparatory Courses
• Tier II Writing Courses
• Diversity Designation Codes for Integrative
  Studies Courses

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New CoursesPolicy Considerations

• Remedial-developmental-preparatory courses
• The policy governing remedialdevelopmentalprepar
  atory types of courses was established to protect
  the academic standards of Michigan State
  University undergraduate degrees while at the
  same time reinforcing the University's commitment
  to assist students in remedying their academic
  deficiencies in fundamental skill areas. The
  policy serves to motivate students to overcome
  their deficiencies while ensuring that all
  students complete a minimum of 120 credits of
  college level work as a condition of graduation.
• There are five types of remedial-developmental-pre
  paratory courses. See Academic Programs for
  definitions of these types http//www.reg.msu.edu
  /read/UCC/Updated/rdpcourses.pdf

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New CoursesPolicy Considerations

• Tier II Writing Courses
• The designation code is (W) following the course
  title or a restriction of Completion of Tier I
  writing requirement.
• The Universitys Tier II Writing Requirement is
  met by completing either
• One or more 300-400 level Tier II writing courses
  as specified for the students academic major and
  degree program or
• A cluster of 300-400 level courses that involve
  writing experiences and that are approved as the
  Tier II writing requirement for the students
  academic major and degree program.

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New CoursesPolicy Considerations

• Diversity Designation Codes for Integrative
  Studies Courses
• The designation codes follow the course title and
  are as follows
• (I) International and Multicultural Diversity
• (N) National Diversity
• (D) National Diversity, and International and
  Multicultural Diversity
• Students must include at least one N course and
  one I course in their Integrative Studies
  programs. A D course may meet either an N or
  an I requirement, but not both.

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New CoursesAcademic Preparation and Access

• Prerequisites
• Recommended Background
• Corequisites
• Restrictions
• Semester Alias

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New CoursesAcademic Preparation and Access

• Prerequisites
• A course to be completed either prior to or
  concurrently with another course. The Student
  Information System (SIS) will verify.
• Recommended Background
• Prior academic work, experience, or other
  qualifications recommended, but not required, to
  be successful in the course. SIS will not verify.

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New CoursesAcademic Preparation and Access

• Corequisites
• A course completed concurrently with another
  course. SIS will verify.
• Restrictions
• A limitation on student access to the course.
• Class levels, majors, departments, or colleges
• Semester Alias
• A course identified as the equivalent of another
  course.

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New Courses Checklist

• Does the course accurately inform the student
  about the course content?
• Have you requested appropriate approvals and/or
  signoffs?
• Is the course request form complete?

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Revising an Existing Course

• Simply enter revisions by creating a course
  change request in the COURSES system.
• If the revision is substantial and completely
  alters the content of the course, it will be
  necessary to request a new course.

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Deleting a Course

• Simply request the deletion of a course in the
  COURSES system.
• Course numbers may not be reused for a period of
  six years.
• Courses not taught for a period of four years
  will automatically be deleted by the Office of
  the Provost with notification to the Associate
  Dean.

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How long will it take for my courses to become
effective?
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New Courses

• A new course may have a two-year interim approval
  in SIS after being approved by the College.
• The request for interim approval must be made to
  the University Curriculum and Catalog office.
  After interim approval is granted, the course may
  be scheduled.
• Concurrently, the new course will continue its
  normal route through the governance process.

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Course Changes and Deletes

• Must go through the governance process. May not
  be scheduled as an interim course to avoid
  negative impact on students.
• The UGC and UCC recognize that departments,
  schools, and colleges are responsible on an
  ongoing basis for monitoring enrollments in the
  courses that they administer and taking the
  actions that they deem appropriate. The UGC and
  UCC also recognize that the courses that are
  listed in the catalog must be taught on a regular
  basis as part of the University's contract with
  students.

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Course Changes and Deletes

• Four Year Rule - To provide a mechanism for
  deleting from the catalog those courses that have
  not been taught on a regular basis, the UGC and
  UCC reaffirm the goal of deleting from the
  catalog courses that have not been taught in the
  preceding four calendar years.
• After the end of every Summer Semester, courses
  that have not been taught, either on or off
  campus, during the preceding 4 calendar years (12
  calendar semesters including summer sessions)
  shall be identified and administratively deleted
  from the catalog.
• Notification will be sent to Assistant/Associate
  Deans.

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To find all the information needed for MSUs
curricular process, visit . .
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University Curriculum and Catalog
Websitehttp//www.reg.msu.edu/UCC/UCC.asp

• Whats New ?
• Academic Programs (Keyword Search)
• Course Descriptions
• Academic Programs and COURSES
• Academic Policies
• Academic Programs Guidelines and Procedures
• Academic Program Terminology
• University Committee on Curriculum

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Important Items to Remember

• Think about how your change affects other
  existing programs or courses and notify affected
  units before the college submits to the
  University Curriculum and Catalog office.
• Dont assume others know. Share!
• Approvals and signoffs are necessary!
• If they are not available, program review will be
  delayed.
• COURSES Training is available for those needing
  authorization. See http//train.msu.edu/
• If you have questions, ask!

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University Curriculumand Catalog

• To serve as a curricular resource
• Explain academic policies and procedures
• Develop and maintain the University catalog
• Academic Programs
• Descriptions of Courses
• To assist units in implementing curricular
  changes via academic governance
• To facilitate faculty efforts in shaping the
  curriculum. The University Curriculum and Catalog
  office works with you (Associate Deans,
  Chairpersons, and Staff) in this ongoing process.

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Whom to Contact

• Office of University Curriculum and Catalog
• 176 Administration Building
• 355-8420
• ucc_at_msu.edu
• Joy Speas University Curriculum Administrator
• Stephanie Smith Administrative Assistant