APPENDIX E SPECIFIC PROCEDURES FOR PROCESSING CURRICULAR MATERIALS


Routing of all curricular proposals:




 

ALL COURSES


|

Approval by Department Faculty

                                            |                                                  |
                  
Permanent Course  
         Temporary Course
                                           
                                            |                                                   |

                            Approval by College           

            Approval by College Dean               


                                                                                                                  |                                                   |

 Undergraduate courses
 Graduate courses

Undergraduate courses

 Gradaute courses
                                                                                                            
                                                                          |                                             |                                                   |                                                        |

499 & below
400 &above
 499 & below

 400 &above

                                                                           |                                                   |
                                                                                      
  Approval by CAC    Approval by the
Graduate Council
   Approval by CAC 

Approval by the
Graduate Council

                                                                          |                                                   |                                          |                                                       |                                                  
                                                         
Approved by Faculty Senate       
AUTHORIZED TEMPORARY COURSE
 

                                                                                                                   |

 

Approved by President


                                                                                                            |
                 APPROVED PERMANENT COURSE

                                                                                                             |
UNIVERSITY CATALOG


I.         GENERAL PRINCIPLES

 

The Curricular Affairs Committee processes undergraduate curriculum matters, including courses at the 100-, 200-, 300-, and 400-levels. The Graduate Council processes graduate curriculum matters, including courses at the 400-, 500-, 600-, and 900-levels. 400-level courses are processed simultaneously by the two committees unless they specify "not for graduate credit."

 

After curricular matters are approved by the faculty of the appropriate college(s) and signed by the Chairperson of the College Curriculum Committee and the College Dean, electronic proposals are forwarded by the Curriculum Committee Chairperson or the Dean's Office to the Curricular Affairs Committee and Graduate Council as follows:

 

Forward proposals for the Curricular Affairs Committee (100-, 200-, 300- and 400-level courses) to FSO@etal.uri.edu and electronic proposals for the Graduate Council (400-level courses for graduate credit and 500- 600- and 900- level courses) to gradnewc@etal.uri.edu.

 

Dates of meetings of the Curricular Affairs Committee and Graduate Council are on the web at http://www.uri.edu/facsen/Committees.html Materials should reach the respective committees at least two weeks in advance of their meetings:

 

II.       CURRICULAR PROCEDURES

 

Procedures for curricular changes are available on the web at http://www.uri.edu/facsen/Curricular_Procedures.html.

 

Major curricular matters require the approval of the Curricular Affairs Committee and/or the Graduate Council, the Faculty Senate, and the President. In some instances they also require approval by the Board of Governors. Less important matters require approval of the Curricular Affairs Committee and/or the Graduate Council but are reported to the Faculty Senate for informational purposes only. Editorial changes are reported directly to the Secretary of the Curricular Affairs Committee by department chairpersons; the committees do not review them.

 

A. Major changes include creation of new degree or certificate programs, creation of new centers, creation of permanent courses, changes in curriculum, significant changes in existing courses, and deletion of courses. Once a course is deleted, the course code and number may not be  used for four years.

 

B. Informational changes include changes in course numbers at the same level, minor changes in course titles, descriptions, grading method or method of instruction, changes in course prerequisites and cross-listing of approved courses. The Curricular Affairs Committee and Graduate Council have final authority as to whether changes are informational or major. 

 

C. Editorial changes include minor editorial corrections in catalog descriptions of courses and programs and changes in frequency of course offering.

 

III. OTHER CURRICULAR MATTERS

 

A. Undergraduate Online Courses

 

The Curricular Affairs Committee distinguishes between technology-enhanced courses and technology-based courses, particularly as instruction involves use of the Internet.

 

 

Following is the procedure for seeking approval to offer existing courses using web-based instruction. The supplementary on-line course form is available on the web at

http://www.uri.edu/gsadmis/facultystaff.html.

 

1. The faculty member who is proposing to teach a course entirely on-line will demonstrate that the online version of the course meets all appropriate content and outcomes requirements.

 

2. The faculty member will explain how assignments and examinations will be accommodated in the online course; this includes grading criteria.

 

3. The faculty member will demonstrate that the student workload for the online class is equivalent to the in-class and out-of-class work in its face-to-face equivalent. (See section 8.31.10 of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL, ÒBasis for Credit.Ó)

 

4. The faculty member will present a plan for delivering the course online i.e. clearly explain how the course and related materials will be prepared, modified and made available for online offering. This is particularly important for courses being offered online for the first time.

 

5. The academic department will review the syllabus and relevant materials for the online course, as well as the implementation plan, and the chair will certify that the course to be offered meets all content and outcomes requirements as determined by the department faculty. If a course has been approved for online teaching by one instructor, the department will certify that online proposals for the same course by different instructors are equivalent.

 

6. Forward electronic proposals for online courses for the Curricular Affairs Committee (100-, 200-, 300- and 400-level courses) to FSO@etal.uri.edu and electronic proposals for the Graduate Council (400-level courses for graduate credit and 500- 600-l and 900- level courses to gradnewc@etal.uri.edu

 

7. The Curricular Affairs Committee will review the materials and certify the course for scheduling. A list of approved online courses will be forwarded to Enrollment Services for scheduling and included in the CACÕs reports to the Faculty Senate.

 

For more details and deadlines see http://www.uri.edu/facsen/Online_Courses.html

 

For both graduate and undergraduate courses, interactive electronic New Course Proposal forms, Minor Course Change Proposal forms, the Online Supplementary Proposal Form and instructions for electronic signatures are available on the web at http://www.uri.edu/gsadmis/ under "Faculty/Staff"

 

Proposals for new web-based courses must include the supplementary form for online

courses in addition to the electronic interactive New Course Offering Proposal form.


B. Open-Ended Courses

 

Section 8.80.11 of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL defines open-ended courses as permanent courses, "where subject matter may vary between offerings." Seminars, workshops, colloquia, special problems and special topics are all included under the term open-ended courses. Independent study and directed study courses are not included in this category.

 

Departments planning to offer open-ended courses should familiarize themselves with sections 8.81.20 through 8.81.22 of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL. These sections outline the procedures to be followed each time an open-ended course topic is offered.

 

After approval by a department of each offering of an open-ended course topic, a copy of the title, subtitle, and description must be forwarded for schedule authorization to the Office of Enrollment Services via the dean of the college in which the department resides. The dean of the departmentÕs college must review topics and will ensure that no overlap exists between specific topics and existing courses before authorization is forwarded to the Office of Enrollment Services.

 

Specific topics may be offered three times. After three offerings, the topic may not be offered unless it is approved through the appropriate channels as either a permanent course or as a permanent topic within an open-ended course and shall be included in the University Catalog. Departments are encouraged to include recurring topics in the open-ended course description.

 

C. Temporary Courses

 

These courses, designated by the suffix "X", may be offered no more than twice and only during a two-year period following their approval and must meet certain criteria which are outlined in 8.80.12 of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL.

 

The Curricular Affairs Committee and/or the Graduate Council must approve temporary courses after they have been approved by the Department and College Dean. Prior to action by the Curricular Affairs Committee and/or the Graduate Council, all proposed temporary courses will be published in a TEMPORARY COURSE NEWSLETTER and a seven-day period will be provided for interested faculty members to register comments with the Chairperson of the Curricular Affairs Committee and/or the Chairperson of the Graduate Council.

 

The TEMPORARY COURSE NEWSLETTER is published on the last workday of each month, as required, throughout the year. It is also available on the web at

http://www.uri.edu/facsen/XNewsletter.html. Temporary course proposals received by the 25th of the month will be included in that month's edition of the TEMPORARY COURSE NEWSLETTER. The Graduate Council will not consider temporary courses at the graduate level during the summer months.

 

D. Temporary Courses into Permanent Courses

 

In its review of temporary courses, the CAC will focus primarily, but not exclusively, on the examination of overlaps with courses offered outside the college from which the proposal

<>originates.
  <>
With respect to proposals for permanent courses that have been offered previously as temporary courses, the CAC will request the following information in addition to the formal Course Proposal as part of its review:

E. Intensive Short Courses

 

Guidelines for courses to be taught in short intensive sessions appear in sections 8.32.10 through 8.32.14 of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL.

 

F. Cross-Listing

 

The cross-listing of courses requires approval by the departments and college(s) concerned prior to submission to the Curricular Affairs Committee and/or the Graduate Council. Cross-listing of courses will be considered when each of the departments has a substantive role in delivering the course or when a department is willing to use the course for its major. Such a role may include but shall not be limited to team-teaching the course, instructional staff from each department in different semesters, and other similar arrangements.

 

G. Internships


The Curricular Affairs Committee has developed guidelines for departments and programs as they design internships for academic credit. Copies of the guidelines may be obtained from the Faculty Senate Office. They are also available on the web at http://www.uri.edu/facsen/Internships.html.

 

H. Portfolio Course Guidelines

 

The Curricular Affairs Committee has developed guidelines for departments as they design portfolio courses for academic credit. Copies of the guidelines may be obtained from the Faculty Senate Office. They are also on the web at http://www.uri.edu/facsen/Portfolio_course_guidelines.html

 

I. Continuing Education Units (CEU's)

 

Procedures for the granting of CEU's are outlined in sections 8.43.10 through 8.43.15 of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL. CEU courses are defined as specific non-credit courses for which continuing education units are granted. Each CEU is identified as ten contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education, adult or extension experience, under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction.

 

<>Questions regarding procedures for granting CEU's should be directed to the Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education.

 

IV. ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND UNIVERSITY CENTERS

 

<>Proposals for the addition of academic programs should be prepared using formats specified by the Board of Governors and kept on file in the office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. See http://www.uri.edu/facsen/BoG_Regs_06.pdf. A template for the format is available on the web at http://www.uri.edu/facsen/Template-Full_Proposal.doc. Once approved by the appropriate college(s), these proposals are forwarded to either the Curricular Affairs Committee or the Graduate Council for review.

 

Proposals to eliminate academic units or programs or merge or rename departments and/or degree follow established curricular procedures. Templates for these changes are on the web at
http://www.uri.edu/facsen/Template-Notice_of_Change.doc and http://www.uri.edu/facsen/Template-Program_Closure.doc

 

Proposals for the addition or elimination of university centers should be prepared using formats specified by the Board of Governors and kept on file in the office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. See http://www.uri.edu/facsen/BoG_Regs_06.pdf. An outline of the formats is also available on the web at http://www.uri.edu/facsen/Template-Full_Proposal.doc. Once approved by the appropriate college(s), these proposals are forwarded to the Faculty Senate Office for determination of the appropriate committee(s) to oversee the review.

 

V. CURRICULAR FORMS

 

For undergraduate and graduate courses, interactive electronic New Course Proposal forms, Minor Course Change Proposal forms, the Online Supplementary Proposal Form and instructions for electronic signatures are available on the web at http://www.uri.edu/gsadmis/facultystaff.html

 

 

VI. LIBRARY IMPACT STATEMENT

 

At the request of the University Library and in consultation with the Faculty Senate Library Committee, the Curricular Affairs Committee and the Graduate Council have endorsed the use of Library Impact Statements by faculty members in concert with submitting proposals for new courses and proposals for new degree programs. The request for information on library resources has appeared on the course proposal form for over two decades. It is also included in proposals for new programs. It is now possible to answer the question(s) more fully and in consultation with the University Library. The Impact Statement form is available on the web at

http://www.uri.edu/facsen/LibraryImpact.html.

 

As faculty members prepare to submit course proposal [or other] forms to their college curriculum committees, they should complete the questionnaire designed by the Libraries and submit it to the Subject Selector or Collection Development Manager at the University Libraries. The Library faculty asks that faculty members allow them at least one week to prepare the statement before forwarding proposals to college curriculum committees.

 

VII. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

For additional information see http://www.uri.edu/facsen/Curricular_FAQs.html