The review of course proposals is a shared responsibility, the intent of which is to broadly communicate curricula, offer feedback, enhance the quality of instruction, and meet certain standards. This policy outlines the requirements for the review of course proposals.
A group of faculty who are not all in the same department but who share responsibilities for departmental functions. This unit exercises a broad range of functions and duties in relation to faculty academic life, and generally houses at least one academic program (degree/major or certificate) or subject listing. A department-like academic unit usually does not serve as a tenure home. When a department-like academic unit is approved to serve as a tenure home, each faculty member’s tenure home will be approved on a case-by-case basis by the University Committee.
An academic organization that has department-like status and serves as a faculty tenure home, sometimes with restrictions, is approved as such by the University Academic Planning Council and the University Committee per UW-805 Faculty Policies and Procedures Chapter 5.
University Curriculum Committee, academic divisions, and academic units.
All course proposals are subject to at least three levels of review and approval:
Some course proposals may require an additional approval step, e.g., course attributes.
It is expected that at each level, respective members will, in good faith, review the entire proposal in the context of their departmental, school/college, and university policies and standards.
Cross-listed courses are owned equally by all cross-list partners and each partner must approve the proposal before it advances to the next level. Subject owners with courses that may share content with the proposed course will be notified by Lumen of the course proposal but are not required to approve it.
Course Proposer Responsibilities
Department Review and Approval
School or College Review and Approval
University Curriculum Committee Review and Approval
Boundaries of Academic Disciplines
The proposer of the course, or a delegate, is responsible for completing all required course proposal form components in Lumen for action by the department chair. Once the form is submitted, the proposer is responsible for monitoring the progress of the proposal, responding to questions and requests for additional information, and resolving issues. From the time the proposal is initiated, the proposer has six months to submit the proposal for review. A completed proposal must receive full approval within one year of submission. If not fully approved within one year, the proposal will be canceled and removed from Lumen.
Subject listings are owned by departments or department-like units within the schools and colleges. Per UW-805 Faculty Policies and Procedures Chapter 5 – Departmental Faculties, the chair of the department has responsibility for submitting new courses, major revisions of existing courses, and deletion of courses proposed by the department for action by the school/college and the UCC. The chair may delegate responsibility for course proposal review to a departmental curriculum committee. Course proposals must be thoroughly reviewed by the department that owns the subject(s) that will house the proposed course.
Approval of a course by a department/subject owner is an attestation by the department to the following:
The department review must:
Approval by the department is an indication that the department or program’s faculty, via an appropriate approval body such as a curriculum committee, has approved the course and agrees to support it.
The next level of review is by the school/college. In addition to affirming that the department-level review is complete, the school/college curriculum committee must:
Approval by the school or college curriculum committee is an indication that the school/college approves the academic merits of the course and of the decision of the department/program faculty to offer it. Generally, courses are offered within existing departmental/program resources, and dedication of new school/college-level resources or assignment of course scheduling preferences are not conveyed by this approval unless specified in the proposal.
A review of course proposals with specific content or course attributes may be required when, for example, a course attribute is requested. In cases where such review takes place, the review body is responsible only for the aspects of the proposal that relate to the attribute.
The successive levels of review allow for evaluating broader contexts. As stipulated in UW-806 Faculty Policies and Procedures Chapter 6 – Faculty Committees, the final level of review and approval is by the UCC. It is assumed that proposals that reach this level have been refined during the departmental and school/college reviews and require few or no corrections.
The UCC will consider only complete course proposals. Proposals with missing information will be returned to the school/college. The UCC will focus on:
The UCC bears the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that courses meet all university policies.
Review and approval by the UCC signals that a course:
The UCC expects that those submitting a course proposal will consult with the subject listing units that offer courses with similar content or learning outcomes. The course proposal form includes a field for indicating those subject owners. The Lumen Course Proposal System automatically notifies the department chair and designees of those units and offers the opportunity to review and comment on the proposal (either by contacting the proposer and/or entering a comment on the proposal). If relevant subject listing units are not entered by the proposer, the proposal will not be approved by the UCC.
The UCC expects that this process will provide appropriate notification for potential impingement across academic disciplines. Any contentions related to these boundaries are to be resolved by the involved subject listing units and/or among the schools and colleges that house those subject listing units. If resolution at the department or school/college level is not achieved, the issue will be considered by the UCC.
06-30-2023
09/02/2020
