As faculty and staff members prepare for a new academic year, the Curriculum, Academic Effectiveness and Policy Development Office has some key information and resources to help you prepare for and participate in the curriculum cycle.
First things first — curriculum due dates can be reviewed here. Check out this memo regarding the expanded course-count rule and how it might impact your program(s). Curriculum Committee chairs should submit committee rosters to allow the CAEPD Office to update the Curriculog access.
Also, implementation of the Ethnic Studies and Social Justice special designation will be in full swing this semester. Check out this landing page for information on the implementation plan and course-redesignation schedules.
New leadership
Todd Laugen, Ph.D., will join the CAEPD Office as the new director of General Studies. The prior director, Keah Schuenemann, Ph.D., will return to teaching full-time.
“We are grateful to have Todd as our new director of General Studies,” said Shaun Schafer, Ph.D., AVP and interim deputy provost. “His experience with all aspects of General Studies courses and his experience at the University are invaluable.”
New features and formatting
A new feature in Curriculog will officially roll out this cycle. This feature allows cross-listed courses to be created and modified more effectively by duplicating proposals and connecting them in Curriculog so all changes to the main proposal will be pushed out to the cross-listed duplicate proposals. These proposals are all then routed to their respective departments and colleges/schools for review and approval. Faculty members who originate curriculum are strongly encouraged to use this feature. Video with step-by-step instructions is available.
Historically, strict formatting requirements were enforced on the course-content portion of curriculum proposals (course outline, student behavior learning objectives and evaluation methods). The CAEPD Office has removed these requirements, and faculty members may use whatever numbering or bulleting format they choose. This was a barrier for many proposals that were otherwise ready for committee approval, and the hope is that this change will allow proposals to be approved more efficiently. Originators are asked to maintain consistency in the proposal with whichever format they choose, and the CAEPD staff recommends that numbering of some type be used in the course outline.
Other updates
Work on the Curriculum Database is nearing completion. Most proposals from the previous curriculum cycle have been added, and fewer than 20% of the University’s courses in the catalog remain to be added. If you have not accessed the database yet, please check out this landing page for instructions. As the University moves forward with the database as our means for accessing current course information, staff and faculty members should find the system easy to navigate and a comprehensive record of course information.
Work also continues for the Distribution of Credits Task Force, and no path forward has been determined. Faculty members should continue to follow the current process for recording a course’s hours.
Learn more
The Curriculum SharePoint site includes several helpful resources and tools — make sure to bookmark it. Additionally, if you aren’t signed up for the Curriculum Mailing List, check out this link to register and receive important curriculum announcements and updates.
