University Curriculum Committee

I. 

The Heading:

Each proposal should begin with a heading containing four items: the address, the provenance of the proposal, the date of the proposal, and the type of material contained in the proposal.

1. 

The proposal must be addressed to the Curriculum Committee, not to an individual.

2. 

The proposal must come from the academic unit with responsibility for the material contained in the proposal, unless the proposal deals with university requirements, in which case it may come from any academic unit affected by those requirements. It may not come from an individual. The academic unit submitting the proposal should be clearly indicated in the heading, e.g., Dr. Jane Doe, Chairperson, Department of XYZ.

3.

Each proposal must bear the day, month, and year of submission.

4. 

Each proposal should indicate in the heading the type(s) of material contained in the proposal, e.g., Curricular Changes, Course Changes, or New Degree Program in XYZ.

II.

Course and Curricular Changes:

The ordinary business of the Curriculum Committee consists of requests for course changes and curricular changes. Proposals for new degree programs must follow guidelines set by the Tennessee Board of Regents and Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Please consult the TBR Policy #2:01:01:00 and complete Forms A-010 for any of the following prior to submitting to the Curriculum Committee: New Academic Programs, Units, and Policies and for Modifications of Existing Academic Programs, Units, and Policies.   The policy and forms are available on TBR’s website (http://www.tbr.state.tn.us/)  and TTU’s Strategic Planning website (http://www.tntech.edu/planning/).

Non-substantive items must be submitted to the committee, but are for information purposes only, not for action. They must be submitted to insure that they are, indeed, non-substantive. When in doubt, include such items in a regular proposal.

Course changes include: the addition of a new course; the deletion of an existing course; changes in an existing course's level, title, credit, or content in a substantive way. Curricular changes include: adding or deleting requirements to the program, shifting courses from one year to another, or altering the emphasis or direction of a program.

Both kinds of changes should follow a four-part format, listing additions (if none, so state), deletions, changes, and finally the justification for the proposed changes.  

The following is an example of proposed course additions, deletions, changes, and justifications.  

In the examples given above, please note the following features:

1.

The abbreviation for the discipline is given first, in the form in which it will appear in the semester schedules of classes and on the student's transcript.

2. 

This is followed by the course number, and where appropriate by the graduate level number in parentheses, followed by a period.

3. 

Then comes the course title as it will appear in the catalog. Course titles should be limited to 25 spaces if possible in order to avoid possibly confusing abbreviations in the semester schedules and on the student transcript. A course number used for another course in the same discipline should not be repeated within ten years of the last offering of the previous course with that same number.  Please contact Cari Williams (cwilliams@tntech.edu) in the Records Office at 3505 to find out if a course number has been used in the last ten years.

4. 

If desired, the semester during which the course will be offered by be listed after the course title, separated from the title by a dash. This is not necessary.

5. 

Still on the top line, indication should be made of the number and type of hours involved in the course, e.g., Lec. (lecture), Lab. (laboratory), Sem. (seminar), Ind. (Independent Study), Int. (internship), Pra. (Practicum), Rct. (Recitation), Stt. (Student Teaching), or Stu. (Studio). Usually, two laboratory hours are considered the equivalent of one lecture or seminar hour for purposes of assigning credit hours.  Designating the number of credit hours for a lab varies by department.

6. 

On the second line, any prerequisites should be listed, using the disciplinary abbreviation and course number as they appear in the semester schedules of classes, not the course title, e.g., use BIOL 3530, not Animal Physiology.

7. 

The course description should immediately follow the prerequisite statement.  Course descriptions should be limited to 140 spaces. Avoid unnecessary phrases. Complete sentences are not necessary.

8. 

For deletions, it is not necessary to give complete information. The disciplinary abbreviation, course number, and course title are sufficient.

9. 

For changes, list first the existing version, then on a separate line(s), the proposed change.

10. 

Under the sub-heading "Justification" should be included the reasons for proposing the changes desired, and any additional information (including syllabus, who will teach the course, impact on other curricula, etc.) which you believe might be of assistance to the members of the committee in acting upon the proposal. In addition, state how the proposed change(s) relate to the departmental student outcomes goals and the financial impact of these changes. In some cases, it is the tendency to tailor curricula for faculty expertise instead of student outcomes. Please be conscious of this concern as curricular changes are pursued.

11. 

When curriculum changes involve nine hours or more within the major, minor, concentration or option, with the following information for each item:

a. 

Description of curricular changes and how these changes affect the goals of the unit with an implementation schedule

b. 

Evidence of need/student interest

c. 

Fiscal considerations

1. 

Faculty

2.

Instructional facilities

3. 

Library resources

4. 

Support services

d.

How and when will the program be evaluated with these changes included.