Course Approval Requests

Guidelines

Faculty who wish to submit a course for approval to fulfill a University Studies requirement should use the online Submission Form.

To complete the application, the following items need to be included:

1. Master Syllabus. Under the Supporting Materials section, there is a template to be used for the Master Syllabus.  In addition, the Annotated Template provide extenstive instructions on how to complete each section of the Master Syllabus.
2. University Studies Course Rationale statement.  This statement, no longer than 500 words, should describe the general content and goals of the course, the pedagogical approaches and types of assignments and the ways in which the course will attempt to help students meet the University Studies learning outcomes for that Cluster requirement.  This statement is an opportunity for the sponsoring faculty to speak directly about how the course will fit into the Cluster requirement's scope and goals.
3. Faculty and Chair Sponsor Sheet.  This is the only item that will not be submitted electronically, because it requires the signature of the sponsoring faculty and the department chair.  This Sheet describes a set of responsibilities the faculty and chair agree to uphold as part of having an approved University Studies course.
4. Course Catalog Description.  For existing courses, this is the official course description contained in the undergraduate course catalog.  For newly proposed courses, the proposed description can be used.  Faculty are encouraged to update the official catalog description prior to submitting the course here, such that the description is an accurate depiction of the current scope and content of the course.
5. New Course Proposal Form for newly proposed courses.  If faculty are proposing an entirely new course that is simultaneously going through the regular curricular review process, they should upload a copy of the New Course Proposal Form.

When approval requests are submitted, they will receive a preliminary review by the Director of General Education.  Faculty may be contacted by the Director to make changes or provide additional information.  Once cleared by the Director, approval requests will be considered for final approval by the General Education Committee.

Any questions about the approval process should be sent to the Interim Director of General Education, Tom Boone.

Supporting Materials

Master Syllabus Annotated Template Revised  

Faculty and Chair Sponsor Sheet 

Request Deadlines 2012 - 2013

During the 2012-2013 Academic Year, the General Education Committee will continue to review, at any time, submissions for Clusters 1, 2, 3 and 4.

In addition, the Committee seeks to focus on several requirements at specific points in the year. 

First, there will be a focused round of approvals for the Cluster 1C, Intermediate Writing, requirement starting in mid-October, 2012.  Departments are asked to put forward a request approval before October 15.

Next, the Committee plant to review proposals for Cluster 3A, Literature, beginning early in the Spring semester; requests should be submitted before the end of the Fall semester.

Finally, Departments will be asked to submit approval requests for both Cluster 5 requirements (Capstone and Learning Through Engagement) early in the Spring semester for consideration by the Committee starting in March.

Submission Form

CLICK HERE TO SUMBIT AN APPROVAL REQUEST