MEMO

 

TO:                 Roger Gilman, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

FROM:           Audrey Reynolds, Chair, Faculty Council on Academic Affairs

DATE:            December 5, 2003

RE:                 Streamlining the Curricular Process

 

The Faculty Council on Academic Affairs has concluded its consideration of your proposal for streamlining the Curricular Process (your e-mail of October 2, 2003).  I am now writing to inform you that the following changes in the Curricular Review Process have been approved by the Faculty Council on Academic Affairs:

 

(1)   Certain curricular actions will be treated as “housekeeping” steps for programs; e.g., course deletions, substantive title changes (syllabus required), non-substantive title changes, non-substantive course descriptions or catalog changes, and number changes not affecting course level.  These changes will be published for a ten-day period.  For these changes, only three copies of required paperwork must be submitted, and the Faculty Council on Academic Affairs will not review the actions.

 

(2)   A series of curricular actions that are related can be submitted as a composite action, requiring one transmission form.  The transmission form will indicate that the curricular changes in question are “see list attached (date).”  For instance, a list of deletions would be titled, “Deletions for Psychology – see list attached, dated 10-1-03.”  The accompanying list should specify all the changes, and a single rationale statement for the changes should accompany the list.

 

(3)   The Faculty Council on Academic Affairs will permit programs to submit three paper copies and one disk copy of course proposals.  The disk copy of course proposals will be attached to the agenda item on the FCAA web-site.  These course proposals can be reviewed by Council members, thereby reducing paper/disk costs significantly.

 

(4)   Since new suffixes on title varies courses are not being reviewed by the FCAA, the paperwork requirement will be reduced to three copies.

 

C:         L. Frank, Provost                                                         V. Titus, Dean of CBM           

                        K. Forhan, Dean of CAS                                              M. Duster, Dean of AcD         

                        N. Giblin, Dean of CEd                                                J. Fredericks, Dean of GradC

                        M. Rasheed, Chair, CAS AAC                                    Members of FCAA

                        C. Kadow, Office of Dean of CAS

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

 

TO:                 Faculty

FROM:           Lidia Filus, Chair

                                    Faculty Council on Academic Affairs

DATE:            April 26, 2002

RE:                 Streamlining Curricular Process

 

One of the goals that FCAA has been working towards during this academic year is to streamline curricular processes and to enhance the spirit of collegial trust in academic matters.  In this spirit FCAA, at its meeting of February 21, 2002, approved the following recommendations from its Ad Hoc Committee to Review the Curricular Approval Process. 

 

  1. It is our understanding that in the previous years, Faculty Council members indicated an interest in making use of technology in order to save both the time and the money that must be spent in order to produce a multitude of hard copies of proposed curricular changes.  In that spirit, we suggest that the impending set of state-mandated proposed changes in the programs offered by the Special Education Department will provide us with a golden opportunity to pilot-test the use of soft copy, i.e., computer disks, as a way of disseminating information about proposed curricular changes, with hard copies available for those who request them.

 

  1. We think the Council should make a distinction between curricular changes that involve whole programs and curricular changes that involve single courses.  Curricular changes that propose either new degree programs or changes in current degree programs certainly deserve close scrutiny, inasmuch as considerations related to both budgetary issues and academic standards are likely to arise.  These considerations are especially important at a time when money needs to be spent wisely and assessment of educational programs is mandated by external accrediting agencies.  However, curricular changes that merely propose new elective courses or changes in existing courses should not require the same level of intensive scrutiny by either the relevant college committee or the Faculty Council.

 

  1. We think the Council should explore ways to provide “fast-track” procedures for “Title Varies” and “grant-related” courses which need to be approved in a short amount of time to meet the special needs of departments or grants attempting to implement curricular innovation or professional development.

 

Let me commend all the members of FCAA, particularly the members of the Ad Hoc Committee to Review the Curricular Approval Process, Diane Ehrlich, Joyce Jennings, and Audrey Reynolds for their work and commitment to improve the curricular process, and let me express my thanks to all other members of the University Community who contributed their advice and input.

 

You may contact me at extension 5784 or e-mail:

l-filus@neiu.edu if you have any questions.

 

 cc:  Acting Provost Joyce Hieshima

       Deans

       Department Chairs