Procedure for Proposed Curriculum Changes
for the 2008-2010 Undergraduate Catalog
In consultation with the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, the deadline for receiving proposed legislative changes in the Office of the General Faculty and Faculty Council (OGF) for the 2008-2010 Undergraduate Catalog is September 20, 2007.
Because reforms to the core curriculum are now underway, a new review and approval process will be utilized on a trial basis. The composition of the Committee on Undergraduate Degree Program Review (CUDPR) has been temporarily modified while we try this new approach; the new CUDPR will be primarily composed of associate deans from the colleges/schools or their representatives. The review process will continue to consider issues of the educational quality of degrees and possible implications of degree changes on course demand and graduation rates, impact on other programs (e.g., service courses), and other such issues as prescribed in Faculty Council document 1188. It is hoped that CUDPR’s new composition will improve coordination of curricular changes and their impact on degree requirements and course availability for undergraduate students as the curricular reforms are implemented across campus. In addition, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies will also review any proposed changes to core curricular requirements to assess progress toward meeting the recently adopted reforms.
One of the goals of this new review procedure is to separate the legislative approval process involving the Faculty Council from the details of catalog production involving the Office of the Registrar. To accomplish this goal, colleges/schools are being asked to prepare and submit the following items for each catalog change requiring Faculty Council approval in triplicate to the OGF by the September 20 due date:
- a new summary form that includes key elements of the proposed legislation (see the attached form) and
- suggested wording for the new catalog entry assuming the proposed legislation is approved
The new summary form is requested to facilitate the legislative and coordination review process while the suggested catalog wording will be helpful to the Office of the Registrar as it finalizes copy for the 2008-10 catalog. Submissions will returned to you if the forms are not filled out in their entirety and the rationale for the change is not thoroughly explained.
Catalog changes that require Faculty Council approval generally include the following:
- Adding or deleting a concentration, major, field of study, or degree
- Adding or deleting an academic unit, such as a center, division, or department
- College/school, departmental, or division name change
- Change in access to courses (ex. restricted to students inside major or college)
- Changing courses in degree requirements
- Changing the number of hours required to complete a degree
- Creating or abolishing a new college/school
The September 20 deadline for submission of proposed legislative changes has been set for the following reasons:
- to provide additional time for the review and coordination process to occur,
- to minimize problems that have typically occurred in handling the flow of proposed changes that must meet preset Faculty Council legislative deadlines, and
- to provide adequate time for the Office of Registrar to review and edit copy for the catalog printing deadline.
Given all the changes, this year will no doubt be a challenging one for all of us involved in the process. However, if we work together and communicate effectively, we hope the new review and approval process will result in a smooth transition in adopting meaningful curricular reforms and a 2008-10 Undergraduate Catalog that will be easy for students, faculty and staff to utilize.
Jenny Morgan or Debbie Roberts in the OGF are happy to answer any questions you may have. You can contact them at 471-5934 or at fc@uts.cc.utexas.edu. |
