- General Criteria for Course Attributes
Course attributes apply at the course level except for the Community-Based Learning attribute which is applied at the class section level by term. An attribute is attached to a course in the course catalog which signifies a commitment by the department(s) to consistently offer the course in alignment with the attribute.
- A course attribute must:
- Serve broad populations of students and programs across multiple schools/colleges; and/or
- Serve an academic or strategic purpose, meet an accountability requirement, or serve a compelling and enduring student interest; and
- Act as the single authoritative source for the concept the attribute embodies. An attribute must not duplicate or conflict with other authoritative sources of information such as the curricular requirements for a specific degree/major.
- A course attribute is not appropriate:
- To identify groups of courses that are already identified by course numbering schema, subject designations, or other existing identifiers.
- To identify groups of courses associated with a single degree/major, specific degree requirements, or a certificate program.
- Criteria for Community-Based Learning Course Attribute
Community-based learning is a credit-bearing educational experience that integrates meaningful community engagement with guided reflection to enhance students’ understanding of course content as well as their sense of civic responsibility while strengthening communities. A course with the community-based learning course attribute must:
- Integrate service or other engagement activity with course content and support its academic focus, with a minimum of 25 hours of community contact if direct service, or a deliverable (product or project outcome) to the partner if project-based community engagement, for each student in the course; and
- Involve students in the engagement of value to the community, as designed in collaboration with the community itself; and
- Include preparation and training for students before they enter communities, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations; and
- Include structured opportunities for guided reflection (processing, debriefing of experience) e.g., writing assignments, discussions, presentations, or journaling which:
- Examine critical issues related to the student’s community-based learning project; and
- Connect the community-engaged experience to the coursework; and
- Enhance the development of civic and ethical skills and values; and
- Help students find personal relevance in the work.
- Criteria for Foreign Language Course Attribute
The foreign language course attribute differentiates language courses where the primary focus of the course is teaching a method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way, from courses that focus on the culture, literature, history, and polity or other aspects of language learning. A course with the foreign language course attribute must:
- Include learning outcomes related to reading and writing a language other than English; and
- Include learning outcomes related to speaking and understanding a language other than English; and
- Promote the advancement of communication skills in a language other than English.
- Criteria for Graduate Level Course Attribute
The graduate level course attribute is assigned to courses that meet graduate-level standards and contribute to the requirement that at least 50% of credits applied toward a graduate degree must be in courses designated for graduate work. A course with the graduate level course attribute must:
- Align with courses numbered 700 and above; and/or
- Align with courses numbered 300 – 699 that are specifically designed for graduate students enrolled in a graduate program; and/or
- Align with courses numbered 300 – 699 that hold graduate students to higher standards of learning than undergraduates in the same course.
- Criteria for Workplace Experience
Workplace experience encompasses internships, clinical work, cooperatives, practica, student teaching, and other simultaneous credit-bearing experiences based on an immersive workplace experience that is linked to an academic program. A course with the workplace experience course attribute must:
- Align with credit-bearing courses at the undergraduate level numbered <699 in which the workplace experience is linked to learning in an academic program and include intentional learning objectives related to the experience; and
- Include reflection on the workplace experience in which a student demonstrates an ability to reflect on, evaluate, and improve their performance, and link their current and previous academic work with the activities in the workplace experience; and
- Identify both an on-site workplace supervisor and a faculty/instructional academic staff member who serves as the course instructor. The on-site supervisor is to assess the student’s workplace performance and provide feedback to the course instructor who, in turn, ensures that credit awarded is linked to instructional activity and to projects appropriate to the learning experience; and
- Establish format of instruction.
