Curriculum Policies and Review Procedures

This section of the Faculty Handbook is intended to define the curricular policies and procedures of the college. The information provided below includes guidelines for curricular proposals developed by the faculty, and it reflects the review procedures for such proposals that were adopted in the Faculty By-Laws approved by the Board of Trustees in May 2001.  This section also includes policies adopted by the Senate in 2005.  Copies of the required forms can be downloaded from the Faculty Resources section on PrideNet.

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A). Curriculum Policies: 

During 2004-2005 the Academic Policies and Standards Committee recommended, and the Faculty Senate and Provost And Vice President For Academic Affairs approved new curriculum policies to be used in the review of current and future programs.  These policies include:

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1) Academic Standard: Definition of Major, Concentration, Minor and Electives:

Major

A major is a program of study offering both depth and breadth in a particular discipline or field of study. The requirements and the curriculum for a major are determined by the academic department offering the major with appropriate approvals of the Springfield College faculty governance and the Office of Academic Affairs.  A major must comprise a minimum of 30 semester hours.

Concentration

A major may offer concentrations, areas of specialization within the field of study. If offered, the academic department may determine if a concentration is an optional or required component of the major. Generally, students complete a portion of the core major requirements and then select focused courses to complete the concentration. A concentration must include a minimum of 12 semester hours of specialized coursework.

Departments are encouraged to construct major curricula that allow students to complete elective courses of their own choice, a minor, or, if applicable, an educator preparation program. A minor must be an elective choice - a student cannot be required to complete one as part of the requirements for the major.

Minor

A minor is a program of study, with less depth than a major. It may be completed to complement, or as an addition to a major. A minor has a minimum of 15 semester hours and a maximum of 18 semester hours. The requirements and the curriculum for a minor are determined by the academic department offering the minor with the appropriate approval of the Springfield College faculty governance and the Office of Academic Affairs.

Educator Preparation Program

An educator preparation program is a course of study, completed in addition to a complementary major, to prepare for licensure. The requirements for the educator preparation program are determined by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the curriculum is determined by the academic department with consultation of the Office of Educator Preparation and Licensure.

There will be a notation on the final transcript that will identify the major, and if appropriate, the minor, concentration, and/or educator preparation program completed by the graduate.

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2) Academic Standard: Definition of Course Levels:

Course levels:

100-level: These courses are broad surveys or an introduction to a discipline. They do not have prerequisites, unless it is a sequential course.

200-level: These courses are introductions to, or principles of, areas of study within a discipline. They may or may not have prerequisites.

300-level: These are advanced courses, providing depth of study in a specialized topic, or pre-practicums. They often have prerequisites, or assume readiness for advanced level study.

400-level: These are highly specialized undergraduate courses, capstone seminars, or capstone practicums. Prerequisites, a level of readiness, or advancement within the major may be required for this advanced level of work.

500-level: These courses are generally introductory or entry level graduate courses. Undergraduates ready for graduate level work may take these courses for undergraduate credit. Undergraduates seeking graduate credit must petition to do so. The course may apply to only one degree.

600-level: These courses are more advanced, in-depth and specialized graduate study associated with a profession or discipline. Undergraduates who qualify may petition to take these courses and must specify whether the credits will be undergraduate or graduate. The course may apply to only one degree.

700-level: These courses are highly specialized doctoral study associated with a profession or discipline.

Suggested Ranges of Course Numbers for Special Offerings:

X82, x83: Seminar Courses

X84, x85: Practicum Courses

X86, x87: Internships

X88, x89: Special Topics Courses

X90, x91: Community Services Courses (department specific)

X92, x93: Independent Study

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B.) Curriculum Review Procedures:

All curriculum proposals must be reviewed and approved by the department before being forwarded to a school or college curriculum committee. Curriculum Approval and Change form packets for each type of proposal are included in the Faculty Resources section in PrideNet. On the cover sheet of each form, space is provided for other departments to note their comments on the proposal, as well as School Dean, and Provost and Vice President’s recommendations regarding the proposal.

Proposals that affect a graduate program must be received by the Graduate Council as an information item. Proposals that affect General Education requirements will require the review of the College Curriculum Committee. Each step of the review process is outlined in the Curriculum Change Packets.

The curriculum review process provides an important peer review of curriculum proposals and an administrative review that considers the resources needed to make changes in the college’s course/program offerings. The review process also ensures that changes in the curriculum are clearly communicated to the Departments, Schools, and administrative offices of the college. Actual changes in the courses included in the academic schedule or in the College Catalog can only occur when the proposed changes have been recommended by the Department, School Committee, and School Dean. When approved by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, these changes are then officially communicated to the college Registrar for inclusion in the class schedule and the catalog.

Given the importance of the peer review and administrative review of curriculum proposals, all proposals should be submitted by the Department to the School Committee in a timely way. Proposals that will have an impact on the next year’s class schedule and/or catalog should be submitted by the Department to the School Curriculum Committee no later than December 1.

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C). Curriculum Guidelines:

Guidelines for each type of curriculum proposal have been adopted by the College Curriculum Committee, (the former Faculty Curriculum Committee). These guidelines are designed to ensure that consistent college standards are used in the development of new courses and new majors, and that requested modifications of courses or programs still meet these standards. The guidelines for each type of proposal are listed below:

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1). New Course Proposals:

A department submits a new course proposal when no existing course within the department or the schools will meet the educational needs of students at the college. New course proposals are normally accompanied by a request to delete an existing course, and should outline the rationale for the addition of the course, and provide a review of the resources (supplies, staff, library materials, computer software, etc.) needed to offer the course at a quality level. All new course proposals should include a catalog description of the course, and identify the proposed course level, credits requested, and where appropriate, the course pre- requisites, etc. New course proposals must be accompanied by a complete syllabus for the proposed course.

Each year, proposed new courses generally fall into predictable categories. Many courses are courses developed to support a major, minor, program, or concentration offered by a department or school at either the undergraduate or graduate level.  Other courses are developed to satisfy the General Education requirements of the college. Sometimes, a course is developed to support a particular major, and also qualifies as a General Education course as well, (e.g. WAC courses within a program). Regardless of the type of course developed, once a Department has approved a course, all course proposals are sent to the School Curriculum Committee and then to the School Dean for review. Upon their review of the proposal, the School Dean will forward the proposal to the next appropriate reviewer, i.e. directly to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for courses developed in support of a major or to the College Curriculum Committee for courses proposed to satisfy General Education requirements.

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2). Proposals for Experimental Courses:

The purpose of an Experimental course is to allow a department to offer a new course on a temporary basis without the full review of the curriculum review process. Such courses can be used to make “emergency” changes in the curriculum of a program or to test a possible new course topic or format as part of the regular college course schedule. Experimental courses will be provided with a special course code by the Registrar, and normally are offered only once before being submitted for full review.

Faculty members wishing to offer an experimental course should complete the “New Course Proposal Packet” and submit this form to their Department for review with an attached letter of explanation/rationale for offering the course on an experimental basis. Upon approval of the Department, the Chair will forward the proposal to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for approval for the course schedule. A copy of the proposal will also be provided to the School Curriculum Committee and the College Curriculum Committee.

To be eligible for approval, the proposal for an Experimental course should include a complete course outline/syllabus, and the Department should demonstrate that the course can be offered using current departmental and college resources, (faculty, supplies, library resources, etc).

Experimental courses will not appear in the College Catalog, but can be listed in the course schedule bulletin if the course is approved by the Dean and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs prior to the deadline for publishing the academic schedule. Since experimental courses are not subject to review by the College Curriculum Committee, they may not be used to satisfy a student’s General Education Requirements.

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3). Proposals for Special Topics Courses:

The purpose of special topics courses is to allow a department to offer courses on topics of current interest/concern/controversy within a particular field as a regular part of the college curriculum without adding to the catalog a variety of specific courses that will be taught on an irregular basis. Once the special topics course has been approved for the College Catalog, each specific special topics offering must be reviewed by the Curriculum Committee, (either School or College as appropriate), for inclusion in the College Schedule.

The Registrar’s Office has established a special topics course code for each department to enable faculty to offer special topics courses as needed. To add a Special Topics course to the course schedule, the Department follows the usual procedure for seeking approval for a new course using the New Course Proposal Packet and obtaining the appropriate review signatures. A course syllabus for the course must be attached to the form, and following approval of the Department, the proposal is submitted to the School Curriculum Committee, the School Dean, and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. For courses that are intended to meet undergraduate General Education requirements, the School Dean will submit the new course proposal to the College Curriculum Committee for review. For Special Topics courses at the graduate level, the School dean will submit the course proposal to the Graduate Council as an information item.  The course will be listed in the college schedule once approved by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

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4). Proposals for WAC, SJ, or CASL:

The College Curriculum Committee (CCC) can form subcommittees to assist in its functions. The existing subcommittees are: Social Justice (SJ), Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC), and Service Learning (SL). The CCC (2008-2009 academic year) voted to codify subcommittee membership as follows:

• Subcommittees will consist of four faculty members (staff may be employed on advisory panels). The members will be volunteers or nominated by existing subcommittee members, subject to approval by the CCC.
• Term of service for subcommittee members will be two years, with one possible consecutive term for a total of four years. After these four years, members must take a year off before serving on the subcommittee again.
• Membership will be staggered to ensure continuity of subcommittee work; two members rotate off each year. *Because all subcommittee members will start at the same time upon implementation of these guidelines, two members shall serve an odd number of year(s) (one to three) to begin.
• Ex-officio members are possible and must have served on the subcommittee. Ex-officio members may not vote.
• The members of the subcommittee will select a chairperson. The maximum term of service for the chair cannot exceed subcommittee membership terms.
• The CCC reserves the right to change membership, including chairperson, to ensure functionality of the subcommittee.

Information Literacy (IL) is a component of the General Education objectives. Thus, the CCC is also responsible for ensuring proper implementation of IL. Because IL goals are very broad and developmental in process, courses will NOT be designated as such. However, courses that incorporate IL goals will have an appropriate statement in their syllabi and will be reviewed by the CCC as necessary. To assist in this manner, an IL Advisory panel may be employed. Membership of this panel is to be determined by the CCC yearly.

The Writing Across the Curriculum, Social Justice, and Service Learning Committees are sub-committees of the College Curriculum Committee. These committees review proposals sent to them by the Chair of the College Curriculum Committee, and they make recommendations back to the College Curriculum Committee when requested. The New Course Proposal Packet form provides a space in which a department can indicate if their proposal will require the review of one or more of these committees. Yet, such proposals will be forwarded to the College Curriculum Committee by the School Dean for distribution to these sub-committees.

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5). Proposals for Course Modifications:

Once a new course is adopted as part of the curriculum of the college, faculty members teaching the course should adhere to the basic course content approved for that course during the review process. Should modifications to the original course proposal be needed, these modifications must be approved through the regular curriculum review process. The modifications proposed should be described on the Course Modification Proposal Packet, and generally fall into two categories.

Significant modifications include a change in course content, course level, course description, or course credits. Minor modifications include a change in course title, a change in course prefix, or a change in course number without a change in course level. The proposed modification should be described on the Course Modification Proposal Packet, and departments submitting proposals for minor course modifications need not submit a complete course proposal with this request. Proposals for significant modifications should be accompanied by a course syllabus showing the proposed changes.

Proposals for course modifications go through the same curriculum review process as for new course proposals. Once the proposed modification has been approved by the Department, it should be sent to the School Curriculum Committee, and then to the School Dean. If the modification affects General Education, the School Dean will send the proposal to the College Curriculum Committee, and then to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. If the modification affects a graduate program, the School Dean will send the proposal to the Graduate Council as an information item and then to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

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6). Proposals to Change Instructional Format of a Course or a Program:

For departments seeking to propose a new format for one their programs, or to propose that a course within an existing program should be offered in a new format, the Department Chair will complete the Change in Instructional Format Proposal form, (see Academic Affairs Faculty Resources site on PrideNet), and submit this to their School Dean for consideration. Approval of the Dean, the Provost and Vice President For Academic Affairs and the CIO is required for the proposal to be implemented. The implementation process will require the Department or the faculty member to complete specialized training to be certified to offer web-enhanced or on- line instruction and a course template for that instructional format will be utilized to ensure consistency across the College. When a change in format is approved, students who are admitted to programs with web- enhanced or required on-line courses will be clearly notified, in advance, of the instructional format(s) that will be part of their program requirements.

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7). Proposals to Modify Existing Majors/Minors/Programs/Concentrations:

Once a new major, minor, program, or concentration has been approved, changes in these programs must be approved through the curriculum review process using the Major/Minor/Program/Concentration Curriculum Change Packet” available under Faculty Resources on the Academic Affairs page of PrideNet. As with course modifications, proposals to modify existing programs may vary from fairly small changes, (e.g. the addition of a new course to a list of selectives for the program), to significant changes in the courses a student must complete to earn their degree.  Significant modifications to existing programs should be described in detail on the proposal form, and should include a rationale for the change, a summary of existing vs. proposed requirements, and a complete description of the resources required to implement this program change, (e.g. faculty, supplies, library resources, etc). If the change requested requires the adoption of one or more new courses, the the New Course Proposal Form should be included with the proposal to modify the program.

Once approved by the Department, proposals to modify existing majors, minors, programs, or concentrations are sent to the School Curriculum Committee and to the School Dean. If the proposal affects General Education requirements, the School Dean will send the proposal to the College Curriculum Committee and then to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. If the proposal affects a graduate program, the School Dean will send the proposal to the Graduate Council and then to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

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8). Proposals to Add New Majors/Minors/Programs/Concentrations:

If proposing to add a new major, minor, program, or concentration, individuals should use the Major/Minor/Program/Concentration Curriculum Change packet. Development of a new academic program should always involve an evaluative process within the department, and a careful review of the program by the school and college curriculum committees. To assist in this process, the College Curriculum Committee has developed the following guidelines for the development and presentation of such proposals:

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Process for Proposal Development:

1. Develop a preliminary statement of the need for the new program and the resources, (faculty, facilities, equipment, operating funds, library resources, etc.), needed to initiate and support the program.
2. The preliminary statement should be presented to the academic department for discussion and an analysis of the impact of the new program on current programs within and among the departments. If the department is supportive of the new program offering, the Department Chair/Campus Director will present the program to the School Dean, who will discuss the program with the Provost and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.  The School Dean and the Provost and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will provide feedback to the department on the preliminary program description.
3. If appropriate, a Program Proposal should be developed using the format described below. Faculty members developing such proposals should be sure to contact the library and ITS staff to get detailed estimates of resource costs needed to implement and sustain a quality program.

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Process for Formal Review of the Proposal:

All proposals should be reviewed and recommended by the members of the academic department that will offer the program. If recommended by the department, the Department Chair/Campus Director should submit 3 copies of the proposal to the School Curriculum Committee for review. The proposal should include the completed Major/Minor/Program/Concentration Curriculum Change Packet and indicate that appropriate Department Chairs/Campus Directors and the Library have been fully consulted in the review process. Upon receipt of the proposal, the Chair of the School Curriculum Committee will schedule a presentation date with the School Curriculum Committee.

The School Curriculum Committee will review the proposal and make a recommendation to the School Dean. The School Dean will review the proposal and make a recommendation to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, (note graduate proposals will be sent to the Graduate Council for informational purposes). Normally, for the proposal to be adopted and implemented in the coming academic year, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs must receive and approve the proposal no later than March 15.

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Format and Content of the Proposal:

The program proposal should include information that describes the need, mission, purpose, and design of the proposed program. In addition, proposals should identify the resources needed to ensure program quality, the methods of program assessment and evaluation that will be used by faculty offering the program, and an appropriate program description that can be utilized in college publications, (viewbooks, catalog, etc.). To ensure that all needed information is included in the program proposal, please use the format described below:

1. Define the Need for this Program:
   • Describe the number of inquiries for this program received by SC
   • Identify the other programs of this kind in the Northeast. How many students are enrolled in these other programs?
   • What is the anticipated enrollment for this program at SC? What is the basis for this estimate?
   • What is the market for graduates in this field? What is the basis for this estimate?
2. Mission and Philosophy of the Program:
   • Is this program consistent with the mission of SC?
   • How will this program affect the other programs offered by SC? III).
3. Describe the learning objectives for graduates of this program:
   • What skills, abilities, and knowledge will graduates of this program be able to demonstrate?
   • What outcomes assessment procedures will be used to provide an evaluation of the program and promote student learning?
   • What summative measures of program quality can be used to assess the academic strength of the program?
4. Describe the design of the proposed program:
   • Provide a clear outline (or program worksheet) of all required, recommended, and selective courses
   • Identify the total credits needed to meet discipline, general education, and elective requirements
   • Explain how each of the required courses relate to the learning objectives of the program
   • Identify all new courses required to implement the program and include course proposal forms for those courses
5. Identify the resources necessary for a quality program:
   • Given the courses/sections needed to offer this program, what is the staffing plan proposed to meet these needs?
   • What are the department budget resources needed to add this program to the curriculum, (include supplies, equipment, accreditation fees, etc.)
   • What are the college budget resources needed to add this program to the curriculum, (include facilities, maintenance, etc.) to support students and faculty in the program
   • What are the library, computer, and network resources needed to support the needs of this program, (include real estimates of books, journals, reference materials, online databases, etc.).
6. Provide a description of this program that can be used in Springfield College publications: (complete sentences, present tense, etc.)

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D). Curriculum Proposal “Deadlines”:

Since all proposals require the review of at least 4 different entities, (the Department, the School Committee, the School Dean, and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs), proposals must be submitted to Department in a timely way. Given the lead-time for printing the Academic Schedule and the College Catalog, we realistically have only the Fall Semester for the development and initial review of proposals within an Academic Department. Departments that know that they must modify their programs/courses for the following year, are advised to consider the following approximate schedule/deadlines:

• Department Discussion: September 1 - October 31
• Submission to School Committee: October 15 - November 30
• Submission to School Dean: November 15 - December 15
• Submission to CCC (for proposals affecting General Education) and to Graduate Council (for proposals that affect graduate programs as an information item) - December 1 - February 1
• Submission to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs: March 15

Given these dates, and the importance of allowing all reviewers to have adequate time to review the curriculum proposals submitted by a Department, we strongly encourage faculty members to begin working on proposals early in the Fall semester.

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E). Curriculum Proposal Forms:

Curriculum proposal forms needed to submit a proposal for review can be found on the Faculty Resources section of PrideNet.  These forms include:

• New Course Proposal Packet
• Course Modification Proposal Packet
• Major/Minor/Program/Concentration Curriculum Change Packet

These forms are reviewed periodically and modified as appropriate. Please be sure that you are using a current form (New Course Proposal Packet, revised 8/2015; Course Modification Proposal Packet, revised 8/2015; Major/Minor/Program/Concentration Curriculum Change Packet, revised 8/2016).