Changes to the Curriculum - Procedure 4.0600

Purpose

In order to maintain programs that are up-to-date in terms of curriculum content, the curricula must be periodically reviewed and revised. It is also necessary from time to time to add new curriculum offerings, to inactivate courses, and to inactivate programs that are no longer needed in the service area of the College. This procedure allows for an orderly process for change in the curriculum.

Procedure

1. Curriculum change is defined to include the following categories of activity:
   
   
   1. changes to graduation requirements of a curriculum, including changes in the General Education components of programs, degrees, certificates and diplomas
      
      
   2. addition, inactivation, and/or deletion of courses in a curriculum,
      
      
   3. changes in course title, prefix and number, catalog description, course objectives, credit hours/contact hours, co/prerequisites, elective status, inclusion in or deletion from the General Education core,
      
      
   4. introduction of new programs to the College,
      
      
   5. suspension or deletion of programs offered by the College.
      
      
2. Proposed changes to the curriculum offerings of a department shall be submitted to the department chair.
   
   
   1. For new courses or changes that affect the Master Course Syllabus, the completed or updated Master Course Syllabus (hard copy) and a completed fee sheet must be attached to the proposal. If the chair approves, he/she will sign the Master Course syllabus and the fee sheet and forward to the dean.
      
      
   2. For new programs or changes that affect the program description or course list, the updated program description and course list (hard copy) must be attached to the proposal. (Download the official program inventory version from the Syllabi File and make changes on it.) Provision for course substitutions, if needed, will be attached to proposals involving program change. Electronic copies will be emailed directly to the Office of Educational Services.
      
      
   3. If the chair approves of the proposal, he/she will sign and forward to his/her dean.
      
      
   4. If the chair disapproves of a new course, program or fee or disapproves of proposed changes in a course, program or fee, he/she will provide a written explanation of the decision to the initiator of the proposal.
      
      
3. The dean will review the proposed change(s).
   
   
   1. If the dean approves, he/she will forward proposals for new courses and programs to Institutional Research for validation of ICS codes and CIP Codes. The Institutional Research Office will forward them to the Director of Educational Services. Proposals for changes to existing courses, programs, and fees go directly to the Director of Educational Services.
      
      
   2. Proposals must arrive at the Office of Educational Services at least a week prior to the meeting at which the change is to be discussed. Submission deadlines will be posted on the college's electronic bulletin board.
      
      
   3. If the dean disapproves, he/she will return the proposals to the department chair or appropriate director and give the reason in writing.
      
      
4. The Director of Educational Services will review all proposals to ensure that they are complete and technically correct and that all facets of the course and program proposed meet the high standards of quality expected of the curriculum at Seminole Community College.
   
   
5. The Curriculum Committees will be appointed according to established, college-wide procedures for committee appointment. At least one week prior to scheduled meetings, the Director of Educational Services will send an agenda and copies of all proposals to the members, the Vice President for Educational Programs and the deans. The agenda will also be posted on the college's electronic bulletin board.
   
   
6. The Curriculum Committee will meet monthly to consider proposed changes and to recommend a course of action to the Vice President for Educational Programs.
   
   
   1. Prior to the meeting, committee members will review each proposal.
      
   2. If a member is not able to attend the meeting, he/she will provide written authorization for another member of the committee or of his/her department to attend and vote as proxy.
      
      
   3. The elected chairperson conducts the meetings following standard rules of order.
      
      
   4. If a quorum is present, discussion and debate on proposals will take place. A quorum is defined as one more than half of the members currently appointed to the committee.
      
   5. Proposals may be approved, not approved, approved with changes, tabled or taken off the table from previous meetings.
      
      
   6. Department Chairs are responsible for having someone at the meeting to answer questions and to approve suggested alterations to each proposal. If no one is available at the meeting to represent the proposal and questions are raised, the committee may take one of the following actions: table the proposal until the next meeting, approve the proposal, approve the proposal contingent on changes the committee recommends, reject the proposal.
      
      
   7. If a quorum is not present, discussion will still take place and the chairperson will declare that a mail vote will follow. The Office of Educational Services will coordinate the mail vote.
      
      
7. Following each Curriculum Committee meeting, approved proposals will be forwarded to the Vice President for Educational Programs and official minutes of the meeting posted on the college's electronic bulletin board. Proposals that have not been approved will be returned to their initiator and/or department chair for revision and may be resubmitted with changes noted.
   
   
8. The Vice President for Educational Programs may take one of the following actions:
   
   
   1. approve the proposal and submit to the President
      
      
   2. return the proposal to the curriculum committee for clarification
      
      
   3. reject the proposal and notify the department chair in writing of the reason, with copies to the initiator, the appropriate dean, the chairperson of the Curriculum Committee, and the Director of Educational Services. The Vice President sends approved proposals forward to the President.
      
      
9. If approved by the President, the proposal will be included on the agenda of the next meeting of the Board of Trustees for final approval. If rejected by the President or the Board of Trustees, the Vice President for Educational Programs will notify the department chair in writing of the President's or Board's objections. Copies of the notification will go to the appropriate dean, the chairperson of the curriculum committee, and the Director of Educational Services.
   
   
10. Once the Board of Trustees approves of a change, the Office of Educational Services will notify the counseling office of the changes and will update the Master Course Syllabi File and the Master Program File. Originals of all proposals then go to the Registrars Office to be input into the mainframe system. The Registrars Office will notify the initiator, the appropriate department chair, and the Office of Educational Services when the courses/programs have been input.
    
    
11. When a proposal has been rejected and the department chair believes that the disapproved change is in the best interest of the program, he/she may revise the proposal and resubmit it in accordance with this procedure.
    
    
12. The Director of Educational Services will provide an addendum to each annual catalog by mid-year. The addendum will contain course and program changes which become effective before publication of the next catalog. The office in charge of publications will make the addendum available to students.
    
    
13. The Director of Educational Services will provide faculty and administration with a calendar of due dates for submission of proposals and the dates of curriculum committee meetings.
    

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