Discontinuation of Obsolete Courses

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Policy Number:
UW-1007
Responsible Office:
Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

Courses that appear in the catalog and are no longer taught present a number of challenges. To comply with the Higher Learning Commission’s accreditation standards (Criterion 2), an institution must present “. . . itself clearly and completely to its students and to the public.” In doing so, the institution must ensure “. . . the accuracy of any representations it makes regarding academic offerings . . .”. Students and advisors expect courses in the catalog to be offered on a regular basis. A streamlined array of courses promotes efficiencies in the management of administrative and faculty workload. Courses that are not regularly taught likely require updates to course descriptions, course syllabi, requisites, etc. to bring them up to date with current scholarship.

Definitions:
Academic Division (School/College)
An academic group of the university, defined in UW-803 Faculty Policies and Procedures Chapter 3, that serves as a school, college or like unit and is led by a dean or director who reports to the provost.
Academic Program
An area of study that leads to a degree/major, certificate, minor or named option.
Academic Unit
The academic and administrative home for an academic program or subject listing, also known as an academic department, housed within an academic division (school/college). The academic unit originates all program and curricular changes through academic governance; ensures the curriculum is appropriate and that courses are offered regularly; provides student support services such as advising; prepares all content for the Guide and assures the program and subject listing is represented accurately at all times; oversees the course evaluation process; coordinates assessment and program review; and receives allocation for program enrollment, degrees, certificates and credits in the information systems.
Discontinuation
For purposes of this policy, the permanent end to a course and any related activities.
Subject Listing
Structure for organizing groups of courses in a related subject area or topic that represent a coherent area of study.
Scope:

All academic units that offer courses.

Policy:
  1. To more efficiently conduct the review of obsolete courses, Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research (DAPIR) and the Office of the Registrar collaborate each fall to identify courses that have not been taught in six or more years. Course discontinuation proposals for the identified courses will be initiated and sent via workflow to the appropriate academic units.
  2. Academic units that receive notification of an obsolete course they wish to continue offering will have the option to:
    1. Schedule the course, or
    2. Notify DAPIR that the course will be scheduled within the next three terms from the initial identification (spring, summer, or the following fall), or
    3. Appeal for an obsolete course waiver. A waiver allows for an additional academic year to schedule the course with enrollment (two years from the initial identification), and will be considered if the following is provided via a course change proposal:
      1. Rationale for why the course has not been taught in the past but will be soon; and
      2. The instructor(s) who will teach the course; and
      3. A plan for including the course in the academic unit’s course array where it will be used regularly in a meaningful way.
  3. Courses offered with enrollment of zero the past six years (fall, spring, and summer terms) will also be identified for discontinuation. The A2 session (courses taken on a UW–Madison study abroad program), third-party test credit, credit by exam, credit by portfolio review, and transfer credit equivalencies do not factor into the enrollment counts for the obsolete course process since enrollment in these usually represent off-campus enrollment for course equivalency purposes.
  4. Independent study courses (numbered x99, x98, x89, 681, 682, 691, 692) and those created specifically for study abroad equivalencies (the study abroad subject and those in other subjects that have a course attribute that identifies them as an equivalency-only course) will be excluded from this review.
Related UW-Madison Policies:
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:
External References:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Policy Manager:
Vice Provost for Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research
Contact:
Associate Director, Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research -- Michelle Young, MEYOUNG@WISC.EDU, (608) 262-2143
Effective Date:
06-18-2018
Date Issued:
06-18-2018
Revised Dates:

03-05-2020, 04-26-2023, 03-28-2024, 12-04-2024

Retrieved:
03-21-2025 19:35:56