Major Modification

MAJOR CURRICULUM MODIFICATION

Major Curriculum items are curriculum modifications that entail the establishment of a new course, curriculum or degree.

Proposal Process | Prepare a Proposal | Submit a Proposal

PROPOSAL PROCESS

  1. An idea for a curriculum change is developed
  2. The department/program curriculum committee studies, refines and approves the proposal
  3. The department consults with and obtains approval from the academic dean (**If New Programs/Options or Curricular Experiments are being developed the proposal follows a slightly modified process.)
  4. The department faculty approves the proposal at a departmental meeting and records the approval in its minutes
  5. The department chairperson sends one copy of the completed proposal package (including the CURRICULUM MODIFICATION FORM and required supporting documents) via email to Curriculum Committee chairperson
  6. The timetable begins as soon as the chairperson of the Curriculum Committee establishes a calendar for the remaining steps in the route of the proposal.
  7. The Curriculum Committee chairperson appoints a subcommittee and charges it to examine the proposal.
  8. Within one week of receipt of the proposal, the dean of instruction forwards written recommendation to the provost.
  9. Within two weeks of receipt of the proposal, the provost reviews the material, attaches comments to the dean’s comments and forwards these to the chairperson of the Curriculum Committee.
  10. Within 20 working days of the subcommittee’s receipt of the proposal, the subcommittee, following procedures, investigates the proposal, conducts interviews, holds hearings if necessary and prepares the final report. After final consultation with the Curriculum Committee chairperson, the subcommittee presents the final written report citing strengths and weaknesses of the proposal to the full committee. The proposer may be called upon to answer questions at the meeting. *Subcommittees do not make any recommendations on support or non-support of a proposal.
  11. The Curriculum Committee votes on the proposal.
  12. If the proposal is approved, the chairperson brings it to the Executive Committee of the College Council. If not, the proposal is returned to the proposers with the recommendation of the Curriculum Committee.
  13. The Executive Committee votes to agenda the proposal for presentation to College Council as soon as possible. If the Executive Committee votes not to agenda the proposal, it is returned to Curriculum Committee with recommendations. However, if the proposal is presented to Executive Committee a second time, the proposal must be put on the agenda for the council meeting.
  14. The chairperson of Curriculum Committee presents the proposal to the College Council submitting it as a motion. If the vote is affirmative, the proposal is submitted to the provost who is responsible for submitting the necessary documentation to the Board of Trustees for approval and, where appropriate, the State Education Department and will implement those changes at the college. If the council does not vote affirmatively, the proposal is returned to the proposers for appropriate action.

**Please Note: Curricular Experiments and New Programs/Options follow a slightly modified process

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PREPARE A PROPOSAL

Please review the following requirements to prepare your proposal for submission. The References section provides additional templates and guidelines. Past proposals may be also be reviewed.

Presentation Guidelines:

When preparing a proposal please make sure the following presentation guidelines are followed.

  • Proofread and check for typographic errors
  • Number all pages and include Table of Contents
  • Date with version number when modified or updated
  • Save files as DOC or RTF

New Course Proposal Document Checklist:

When preparing a New Course please make sure the following items are included in the proposal document.

  • Detailed course description
  • Hours and credits for lecture and labs, prerequisites and/or corequisites
  • Clear statement of learning objectives and expected learning outcomes
  • Course structure: how the course will be offered — lecture/seminar, lecture/tutorial, seminar/field trip, etc.
  • Assessment strategies: how the students will be evaluated with respect to the course structure and the learning objectives.
  • Context of the course: how course will relate to the department, program, degree — elective, core requirement, etc.
  • Weekly course outline: topic outline showing of how the learning resources will be used and incorporated within the course and how this relates back to the assessment strategies.
  • Grading Policy and Procedure: weightings to various sections of the course (e.g. Mid-term 15%, Major Paper 35%, Field Trip 15%, Final 35%)
  • Required texts, library resources and bibliography

Major Modification Proposal Package Checklist:

Your Curriculum Proposal Package should include the following documents. Please review the checklist below to insure the following documents are on hand and ready for submission.

  • Completed CURRICULUM MODIFICATION FORM — (available for download in the Submit a Proposal section)
  • Complete description of MAJOR modifications and rationale
  • All course proposals including performance objectives, assessment indicators, and course outlines (see Course Proposal Document Checklist above)
  • Catalog course description specifying hours and credits for lecture and labs, prerequisites and/or corequisites
  • Relevant minutes from department meetings
  • Completed Chancellor’s Report Form.
  • Documentation of needs assessment
  • Documentation of student views
  • Documentation of Advisory Commission views (if applicable).
  • Evidence of consultation with all affected departments
  • Projected headcounts (fall/spring and day/evening) for each new or modified course.
  • Memo or email from the academic dean to the Curriculum Committee chairperson with a recommendation for or against adopting the proposed change(s) and reasons for the recommendation.
  • Completed Library Resources and Information Literacy Form
  • Memo or email from the VP for Finance and Administration with written comments regarding additional and/or new facilities, renovations or construction (if applicable).
  • Comparative charts, specifying differences in class hours, lab hours and credits, including course titles and codes.
  • Documentation indicating core curriculum requirements have been met for new programs/options or program changes.
  • Curricular Experiments must also include a plan and process for evaluation developed in consultation with the director of assessment. If and when the experiment is reintroduced to curriculum committee as a permanent curriculum modification, the results of this evaluation must be included in the package.
  • Curricular Experiments must also include an established time limit for the experiment (not to exceed one year).

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SUBMIT A MAJOR MODIFICATION PROPOSAL

Before submitting a Curriculum Modification Proposal please review the Prepare a Proposal section and the Supporting Documents checklist to ensure your proposal is ready for submission.

Curriculum Modification Form and Required Documents

One CURRICULUM MODIFICATION FORM is required for all curriculum modifications.

Steps:

  1. Right-click to save the CURRICULUM MODIFICATION FORM to your desktop.
  2. Open the form in Microsoft Word and complete.
  3. Compose an email to the Curriculum Committee Chair, Andrew Douglas and cc: Provost August.
  4. Attach the form and all documents listed in the Major Modification Proposal Package Checklist to the email and send.
  5. The completed proposal package must also be submitted in hard copy (4 copies) to Andrew Douglas, Curriculum Committee Chair.
  6. You will receive notification from the Curriculum Committee Chair when the proposal is received.

Major Modification: curriculum changes which entail the establishment of a new course, curriculum or degree.

Minor Modification: all curriculum modifications which do not involve the establishment of a new degree, curriculum, course, or the elimination of an existing degree or curriculum.

Curricular Experiments: a new course, group of courses or modification of existing courses that meet a need that has arisen in a department or program that is perceived as crucial and must be addressed immediately, or is mandated by accrediting agencies, business/industry, outside agencies, grants, etc., or for certification.