Curricular Policies and Procedures

Curricula
Undergraduate Curriculum Oversight

Responsibility for undergraduate degree requirements lies with the Academic Program Area within which the degree is housed.

The CCC is responsible for assigning course oversight/maintenance responsibilities to an Academic Program Area for each undergraduate course offered by the College.

Each undergraduate course offered by the CAE is directly supervised by an Academic Program Area that is responsible for course development, review, revisions, and curricular changes. The Academic Program Area will establish, define, and maintain Basic Data Sheet (BDS) forms, course objectives, course content, course prerequisites, appropriate delivery methodology, and all other pertinent curricular issues in accordance with the needs of the College's undergraduate curriculum.

Graduate Curriculum Oversight

The GFAC is responsible for developing and maintaining graduate degree requirements.

The GFAC is responsible for all graduate course development, review, revisions, and curricular changes.

The GFAC will establish, define, and maintain Basic Data Sheet (BDS) forms, course objectives, course content, appropriate delivery methodology, and all other pertinent curricular issues, in accordance with the needs of the College's graduate curriculum.

Undergraduate Curricular Development

The University’s Educational Policies Council (EPC) has oversight of all curriculum issues, programs and policy proposals. Formal approval of specific curricular proposals is required to establish, to revise or to inactivate courses, programs, policies, academic administrative structures or agreements with curricular implications.

In support of the EPC’s oversight function, the Office of Curriculum Services is responsible for analyzing, facilitating and monitoring proposed curricular changes and the implementation of those changes as approved by governing bodies. The Office of Curriculum Services produces an annual Curriculum Guidelines document that describes the review processes and procedures required to obtain approval for curricular proposals. The Curriculum Guidelines provides a blueprint to develop and revise academic policies, majors, concentrations, minors, certificates, courses and organizational changes and agreements with curricular implications. Faculty who initiate and/or develop curricular changes should refer to the Curriculum Guidelines document, available through the Curriculum Serves web site, for guidance on the requirements, procedures, and policies associated with specific types of curricular proposals.

Individual full-time faculty members may develop new or revised program-specific courses and curriculum proposals. Undergraduate curricular changes may be proposed by any full-time CAE faculty member for consideration by the CCC. Faculty members are encouraged to develop all curricular proposals in consultation and collaboration with other faculty members in the Academic Program Area and/or curricular area affected by the proposed changes. A diagram depicting the process flow for undergraduate-level curriculum is provided in Appendix B of this Handbook.

Proposals to make changes in an undergraduate academic program must originate from a Faculty Organization member within the applicable Academic Program Area. Curricular proposals must be submitted by the proposal originator to the applicable Academic Program Area Coordinator/Director for review by all Faculty Organization members in the same Academic Program Area. Upon approval of the proposal, the Academic Program Coordinator/Director shall forward the proposal to the CCC Chair for consideration by the CCC.

The CCC Chair shall submit the proposal to the CCC members at least four working days prior to a vote by the entire CCC.

The CCC membership shall consider the proposal and make a recommendation for approval, disapproval, or approval with minor revisions. The Academic Program Area Coordinator/Director and/or the proposal originator should be present or available during CCC deliberations in order to provide assistance to the committee in their discussion of the proposal. The CCC Chair shall notify the proposal originator for any proposal that is disapproved or that requires revision, and shall provide the rationale for the decision. If the CCC determines that a proposal requires major revisions, the proposal must be revised and the new version must be approved by the Faculty Organization members in Academic Program Area, and then resubmitted to CCC by the Academic Program Area Coordinator/Director for reconsideration. If the CCC approves a proposal that requires minor revision, the proposal must be revised, the new version must be approved by the Academic Program Area Coordinator/Director, and the “final” proposal must be submitted by the Coordinator/Director to the CCC Chair.

All required documentation for approved proposals shall be provided to the Dean's Office by the CCC Chair.

The Dean's office will process and forward CCC curricular recommendations to University officials and governance bodies as appropriate, or return them to the CCC with suggestions for revision.

Graduate Curricular Development

The University’s Educational Policies Council (EPC) has oversight of all curriculum issues, programs and policy proposals. Formal approval of specific curricular proposals is required to establish, to revise or to inactivate courses, programs, policies, academic administrative structures or agreements with curricular implications.
In support of the EPC’s oversight function, the Office of Curriculum Services is responsible for analyzing, facilitating and monitoring proposed curricular changes and the implementation of those changes as approved by governing bodies. The Office of Curriculum Services produces an annual Curriculum Guidelines document that describes the review processes and procedures required to obtain approval for curricular proposals. The Curriculum Guidelines provides a blueprint to develop and revise academic policies, majors, concentrations, minors, certificates, courses and organizational changes and agreements with curricular implications. Faculty who initiate and/or develop curricular changes should refer to the Curriculum Guidelines document, available through the Curriculum Serves web site, for guidance on the requirements, procedures, and policies associated with specific types of curricular proposals.

Graduate curricular changes may be proposed by any CAE Graduate Faculty member for consideration by the GCC. A diagram depicting the process flow for graduate-level curriculum is provided in Appendix B of this Handbook.

Faculty members are encouraged to develop all curricular proposals in consultation and collaboration with other faculty member in the curricular area affected by the proposed changes.

Curricular proposals must be submitted by the proposal originator to the GCC Chair for review by the GCC.

The GCC Chair shall submit the proposal to the GCC members at least four working days prior to a vote by the entire GCC.

The GCC membership shall consider the proposal and make a recommendation for approval or disapproval. The proposal originator or a proposal advocate should be present or available during GCC deliberations in order to provide assistance to the committee in their discussion of the proposal. The GCC Chair shall notify the proposal originator for any proposal that is disapproved, and provide the rationale for the disapproval decision.

All required documentation for approved graduate curriculum proposals shall be provided by the GCC Chair to the CCC Chair. The CCC chair shall provide the documentation to the CCC members as Informational Items for discussion by the CCC. The CCC may request re-consideration by the GCC of graduate curricular items. After review by the CCC, the proposals shall be submitted via electronic workflow to the Dean's Office by the CCC Chair.

The Dean's office will process and forward GCC curricular recommendations to the Dean of Graduate Studies and any other University officials and governance bodies as appropriate, or return them to the GCC with suggestions for revision, via electronic workflow.
Final Exams
1. Final examinations in all courses must be offered at the time and date specified in the University’s schedule of final examinations. Changes of the time and/or date of a final examination require prior approval of the Academic Program Area Coordinator/Director and the Dean, but in any case, the exam must also be offered at the time scheduled and publicized by the University for those students who desire to take the exam at that time.
Grades
1. Faculty members must inform students of their progress throughout the semester. Grades are a faculty member's responsibility and should be assigned fairly and objectively. Submission of final grades must comply with University Policy, including but not limited to the deadline for the timely submission of grades. Failure of faculty members to provide grades in compliance with University Policy will be taken into consideration in reappointment, promotion, tenure and Faculty Merit decisions.
2. Grade books/spread sheets and other materials used in computing grades (e.g., exams, papers, reports, etc.) that are not returned to the student must be retained by the faculty member for one year after final grades are submitted. Students have a right to inspect the written work performed during a course and discuss the grade with the faculty member.
Audits
1. Students may audit any course subject to space availability and University policy. Faculty members have the discretion to determine conditions and requirements for the audit.

Curricular Policies and Procedures

Mailing Address