Primary Initiator(s): Anthony Ucci
Department/Division: Central Academic Affairs
Telephone # & Extension: x2127 Date: 9/13/16
Email: anthony.ucci@bristolcc.edu
Initial
Proposal
Working Title
of Proposed Project: Curriculum
Development (CD) Process Guidelines Taskforce, A joint Administration &
Senate Initiative
Working Summary
of Project – Include required resources (not to exceed one page
in length):
The
proposed project would bring together a number of academic administrators,
faculty & professional staff (potentially including members of CWCC) to:
1.
Gather,
organize and review the existing CD processes across the college
2.
Research
CD best practices in higher education
3.
Develop
and specify a coherent College-wide CD process that incorporates aspects of 1
& 2 and external requirements (DHE, DOE, etc.) and is consistent with the
Academic Initiative Implementation Guidelines.
4.
Once
properly vetted and agreed upon, create a CWCD Guidelines policy document
Due Date
(please indicate if fixed & why): 5/15/17
Population(s) to be served: College community
Identified
or requested funding source: No
additional funding requested
Notification
President of F&PS Senate __________________________
Required for all College-wide Academic Initiatives
Approval
President or his designee, usually Academic V.P.
Academic VP ___________________
Required for all College-wide Academic Initiatives
NOTE: Approval to Investigate Does NOT Constitute Final Approval
FINAL
– 11/20/17
Curriculum Maintenance:
Upholding
the high quality, academic integrity, applicability, transferability, and
relevance of the College’s offerings is the responsibility of all members of
Academic Affairs. The processes for
maintaining these qualities should be inclusive, transparent, and well
defined. Guidelines should include
timelines, clear roles and responsibilities, and verification that stakeholder
input was taken into consideration.
As
the subject matter experts, Faculty play a vital role in initiating new and updating
current curriculum as appropriate. As
such, it is essential that they remain scholarly engaged in their discipline
and that the College strongly supports their professional development. In addition, the College will undertake an
annual environmental scan for new academic transfer programs (especially those
offered at other Massachusetts state institutions) and employment trends to
identify opportunities that would benefit our students and serve the needs of
the community. It is recognized that the
development, implementation, and completion of curriculum is a lengthy process,
so predictive analytics are required for this assessment to be proactive.
New and revised Curriculum is evaluated
using the College’s College-Wide Curriculum Committee (CWCC) Process (including
the guidelines set forth in this document once approved). New
Associate Degree and Certificate Programs (of 30 or more credits), are also
subject to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) “New Academic
Programs – Submission Template” requirements.
Existing Associate degree programs are evaluated using the College’s
Program Review process. In addition,
program enrollment, retention and graduation rates, particularly for
Certificate programs, are assessed annually to ensure their continued
viability. As an organization with
limited resources, it is necessary to regularly retire ineffective curriculum
to allow for the support of new offerings.
Curriculum Development Initial Steps
Originators
of all New Programs, New Courses, and any Major Curriculum Revisions will
initiate the Curriculum Development (CD) process by distributing a Letter of Intent to the College
Community (via BCC Weekly). For all
proposals, the originator(s) must inform all known stakeholders, across the
entire college community, prior to submitting a proposal. This feedback, and the originator’s (s’)
response, will be summarized as part of the proposal on the appropriate CWCC
Form.
For
major curriculum proposals, including new programs and significant revisions of
existing proposals, originators are encouraged to use a Developing A CurriculUM
(DACUM) or similar process. This
process incorporates the use of a focus group(s) of internal and external
stakeholders in a facilitated process to identify competencies for any program,
job, role, or function, as well as the necessary knowledge, skills, and traits. This process encourages group interaction and
brainstorming, helps to build consensus, orients programs toward the future, and
has the potential to gather input efficiently from external sources (alumni, employers,
industry, high school and transfer college educators, etc.) early in the CD
process. Originators can find a wide
array of DACUM resources online and/or can contact the Lash Division for
Teaching & Learning for assistance in facilitating the process. This may also be a good opportunity to
recruit members for the program’s Advisory Committee, which is required by the
Department of Higher Education (DHE) for new programs.
Departmental Curriculum Approval
Process
Faculty
and staff members of the department/program should evaluate all parts of the
proposal but pay particular attention to those areas that are specific to their
area of expertise. Originators should
address concerns and make any necessary changes and/or corrections before
submitting the proposal to the division.
This feedback, and the originator’s (s’) response, will be summarized as
part of the proposal on the appropriate CWCC Form. All CD proposals must be approved by the department/program
before being submitted to the division by the Department Chair/Program
Coordinator.
If
the department/program rejects a proposal, a written rationale must be provided
to the originator(s) in a timely manner.
In this event, the originator (s) can withdraw the proposal, amend the
proposal and resubmit it, or, in the rare cases that a satisfactory resolution
is unattainable, appeal to the Divisional Curriculum Committee. If the proposal is rejected by both the department/program
and the Divisional Curriculum Committee, it is considered defeated and cannot
be resubmitted for a period of two years.
Divisional Curriculum Approval
Process
All
CD proposals should be distributed to the entire division, at least one week in
advance whenever possible. An
opportunity for discussion will be provided at a division meeting before being
considered by the Divisional Curriculum Committee (DCC). This discussion is for
informational purposes only.
The DCC will consist of
at least three members including the following:
·
The Divisional College-Wide Curriculum
Committee representative.
·
Chairpersons from all departments within
the division (or their designee).
·
The Divisional Dean, primarily as a
facilitator but also serving as a tie breaking vote if required.
·
Program Coordinators (or their Designee)
may be included as determined by the Division and/or the Divisional Dean.
The
DCC members should evaluate all parts of the proposal but pay
particular attention to those areas that are specific to or significantly
related to their area of expertise.
If
the DCC rejects a proposal, a written rationale must be provided to the
originator(s) in a timely manner. The
originator can then withdraw the proposal, amend the proposal and resubmit it,
or, in the rare cases that a satisfactory resolution is unattainable, appeal to
the CWCC. If the proposal is rejected by
both the DCC and the CWCC, it is considered defeated and cannot be resubmitted
for a period of two years.
College Wide Curriculum Committee
Approval Process
The
College-Wide Curriculum Committee (CWCC) is a Standing Committee that makes
recommendations to the Vice President of Academic Affairs on all issues
relating to the curriculum of the College. The Committee reviews proposals for
new and revised academic programs and courses and determines whether they are
consistent with the academic standards of the institution and the level of
course work generally considered appropriate for a community college
curriculum. Upon DCC approval, the
Divisional Curriculum Committee Chair or other designated divisional submitter
should submit proposals using the appropriate forms found in:
·
Public Folders, All Public Folders, BCC
Forms, Curriculum Committee Forms
·
All Share drive at S:\Curriculum Committee
All
proposals must be submitted electronically and be in compliance with
CWCC deadlines and guidelines, including the eSubmission requirements,
as posted in the All Share drive at S:/Curriculum
Committee:
·
Submit proposals for extensive revisions
as early as possible.
·
Save the file with the name of the course
or program, name of the originator, and the division number.
·
Save your proposal (in MSWord format) in
the appropriate subfolder of the All-share folder, Curriculum Committee.
·
Subfolders will be named for Due
Date/Action Date, for example, “Due
9-11-17 for Action on 10-10-17.”
·
Send an original with all signatures to
the CWCC Chair by noon on the deadline indicated.
·
Current course description must match the College
Catalog.
·
Only signed original proposals are
reviewed by the CWCC.
Proposals
must be discussed and approved at the department or program and division
level before they are submitted. Originators must also submit a paper
copy of the proposal with all required signatures and any supporting
documentation to the CWCC Chair/Co-Chairs (current CWCC membership can be
found in the Central Committee’s Committee Membership Document). The CWCC will post its
agenda, approved minutes, a tracking chart, and the final curriculum approval
memo from the Vice President of Academic Affairs to the All Share drive at S:/Curriculum
Committee.
Members of the College
community can review proposals after the submission deadline and before action
by the committee approximately one month later. As is the current
process, forward any questions or comments about proposals to the
committee divisional representative and/or the Chair. Your CWCC Division representative will
disseminate the Vice President’s recommendation memo. Approved proposals up to and including the
May Standing meeting will be included in the next Catalog.
Vice President of Academic Affairs
and Board of Trustees Approval Process
Once
the CWCC completes their review of a curriculum proposal, a
recommendation packet (includes minutes, and all approved forms: course,
program or certificate) is sent to the Academic Affairs Office. All proposals are submitted to the Vice
President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) for review and approval
and/or denial of request. This completes
the curriculum development process for New and Revised Courses and Program
Revisions (that do not include a name change).
For
all VPAA approved New Programs, a Presidential Memo (completed by AA), Curriculum
Outline, and Cost Spreadsheet (completed by originator and Divisional Dean) are
prepared. All program materials are submitted
to the President for consideration at the next Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting. If a program receives the approval of the BOT,
the following additional documentation is prepared for specific proposal types:
·
Department of Higher Education (DHE)
Template (with Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code, completed
by originator and Divisional Dean in collaboration with AA & IR) for New
Degree and Certificate (w/ >29 credits) Programs.
·
DHE Notification Form (completed by AA)
for New Concentrations and Certificate (w/ <30 credits) Programs and Suspension.
·
DHE Program Name Change Requests Form (completed
by originator and Divisional Dean in collaboration with AA & IR).
·
New England Association of Schools and
Colleges (NEASC) Notification for all New Programs.
Once
all necessary DHE and NEASC requirements (responses, waiting periods, etc.)
have been met, the curriculum development process is completed for these types
of proposals.
Academic
Affairs distributes a monthly “Curriculum Approval Memo” to primary
stakeholders (originator, CWCC Chair(s), Deans, Communications, Advising,
Financial Aid, Registrar’s Office, VP of Enrollment, VP of Institutional
Research, and Admissions) of approved curriculum.
Department of
Higher Education Curriculum Approval Process
New Degree and
Certificate Programs (w/
>29 credits) Programs
Public
institutions seeking new degree programs file expedited applications, which are
reviewed by Board of Higher Education staff. Resulting reports and
recommendations are then voted upon by the Board of Higher Education. An
expedited review of new degree program proposals must be aligned with the
mission of an institution and specifically identified as priority programs in a
state or community college implementation plan approved by the Board of Higher
Education. Expedited applications may be submitted between August 15 and April
15.
New
Certificate Programs (w/
< 30 credits) and Concentrations
A
public college or university expecting to offer (a) new certificate programs
under 30 credits, or (b) new minors, concentrations, tracks, or options within
existing programs is to notify the Commissioner of Higher Education in writing
at least 60 days prior to announcing such program changes. These changes do not
require action by the Board of Higher Education.
Program
Name Changes
Changes
in the name of an existing program require approval by the Deputy Commissioner
for Academic Affairs and Student Success, as the designee of the Commissioner,
upon limited staff review. In submitting a name change request form, the
institution should include curriculum information and reason for the request.
In submitting a name change request that would result in renaming an existing
concentration (or minor) to a degree, also include for the preceding three
years, program enrollment data by concentration, graduation data, alumni
outcome data (job placement or enrollment in further study), copy of the accreditation
review report received within the preceding three years, and most recent
accreditation status letter. The program accreditation must be from an
accrediting body that is a member of the Association of Specialized and
Professional Accreditors.
Suspended
or Discontinued Programs
An
institution is to notify the Commissioner of Higher Education in writing if it
suspends or discontinues, or reactivates a suspended or discontinued academic
program or a minor, concentration, track, or option within a program. When a
program is suspended or discontinued, it will be removed from the Board of
Higher Education’s inventory of active, authorized programs. A program
suspended or discontinued may be reactivated with written notice to the
Commissioner of Higher Education and the approval of the Board of Higher
Education.
CWCC Fast-Track Curriculum
Approval Process
The fast-track process may only be
used to make revisions in programs or in courses that are considered
noncontroversial, do not impact other College offerings
outside of the division or other areas of the College, and, if not implemented promptly, could
adversely affect students or the institution. This process cannot be
used for proposing new courses or programs or any other revision not
specifically permitted for its application.
In the event academic concerns arise, any member involved in this streamlined
process can redirect a proposal to the full CWCC process.
Fast-track revisions can only be submitted by a Department
Chair or Program Coordinator. Before proposing a change, they will contact
necessary stakeholders college wide to ensure that there will be no unforeseen
adverse effects caused by the revision. The results of these communications
will be summarized in the revision proposal.
The
Department Chair or Program Coordinator will submit the “signed” proposed
revision (name, date, and sent from college e-mail system will suffice as proof
of approval) to the Divisional Curriculum Committee (DCC) Chair and the
Divisional Dean associated with the curriculum.
If both the DCC Chair and Dean are supportive of the change, and they
both determine that the revision is appropriate for the fast-track process, the
“signed” request is summited to both the CWCC Chair (s) and to the Vice
President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) or their designee. If both the CWCC Chair and VPAA are
supportive of the change, and they both determine that the revision is
appropriate for the fast-track process, the change is approved and will be
distributed using the standard curriculum revision notification system. If the change requested is not approved or is
considered inappropriate for this process at any stage, it does not invalidate
the proposal for consideration by the standard CWCC process.
Existing Courses and General
Education Competencies
Proposals
for the sole purpose of having an existing course considered for fulfillment of
a General Education Competency represent a special case within the College’s
Curriculum Development System. These
proposals are reviewed by the Student Learning Outcomes Subcommittee of the
Educational Effectiveness Committee and do not follow the standard CWCC
process. This separate stand-alone
process was created to implement the 2007-2008 General Education revision and
was a charge of the Outcomes Assessment Team for Student Success (OATSS). This organization has since been combined with
the Institutional Effectiveness Committee to form the Educational Effectiveness
Committee. While this process was primarily
developed to facilitate the implementation of major General Education
revisions, between revisions, the same process is used to evaluate proposals of
this type and this type only. All other
curriculum proposals, including those that consider General Education
fulfillment as part of other revisions, follow the College’s standard curriculum
approval process.
