Curriculum Proposal Forms
LX 137
- Summary of Proposed Changes
If a department is proposing numerous changes to numerous
courses, they may be summarized on this form. For example, if a
department is changing prerequisites for two courses, changing
four course numbers, and deleting three courses, all of these
changes can be listed on one LX 137 form. An original signed LX
138C must be submitted for each course included on the LX 137
for the official curriculum records.
LX 138C
- Course Curriculum Change (yellow/goldenrod)
If a course is being revised, check all of the changes that
apply. Although there might just be one change, the entire form
must be completed because it replaces the current form in the
official curriculum books. For example, if course credit is the
only change, all of the information, including the course
description must be entered on the form.
LEFT COLUMN
Effective Term: When does the change/proposed course take
effect? Sometimes departments are proposing significant
curricular changes/new courses as part of a departmental
reorganization, etc. In those cases keep in mind that there may
be students who are still trying to get through the "old
program", so you will not necessarily want all of the courses to
have the same effective date.
A course change affects all students, regardless of the catalog
they are following. There may be situations such as
prerequisites where students under earlier catalogs would not
meet the requirements. These exceptions would be granted through
override forms during the registration process.
Type of Course: Any proposed course that a department would like
to have included in the General Education program requires
separate approval by the General Education Committee AFTER it
has been approved as a course by the Undergraduate Curriculum
Committee. The same is true for any change to a course that is
already part of the General Education program—first the change
is approved by UCC, then by the General Education Committee.
Slash courses (graduate/undergraduate) must be approved by both
the undergraduate and the graduate curriculum committees. They
may be presented to either committee first. Separate LX forms
must be submitted to UCC and GCC for all slash courses.
Course Component/Contact Hrs Standard: The campus standard is 1
hour of instruction per week per credit during a full semester.
A regular semester-long 3-credit "lecture" class would have 3
contact hours on the first line in this section. Labs typically
meet 2-3 hours for 1 credit. Scheduled outside activity includes
activities such as required observation/service
learning/internships. It does not mean homework. It is
recognized that independent study usually does not have a
specific number of hours; simply indicate "ARR" for arranged. If
a department is proposing a different ratio for labs, clinicals,
fieldwork, etc. the department must be prepared to justify the
variance. Is it fair to the student? Is it consistent within the
department’s curriculum? How will it impact the faculty’s
workload calculations?
Although a course may be offered during a different time frame
than full semester, the contact hours should be calculated as
semesters, i.e. a class may meet one week for 14 hours, but the
contact hours would appear as "1".
Schedule: Check “Yes” if component will have a separate section
scheduled for student enrollment.
Length of Course: This assumes a standard offering. There are
numerous variations such as weekend courses, summer/interim
courses taught in a shorter format, extended terms that are
longer than the standard semester or summer session. Keep in
mind the complications that can arise from non-standard formats
such as availability of services (library, computer labs, etc),
grading timelines, and campus conditions (cooling, heating, and
maintenance work).
Grade Pattern: The standard grading pattern is letter grade.
Sometimes there are courses where a pass/fail grade is more
appropriate. If a department determines that pass/fail grading
is desired, there are two options. The course can always be
pass/fail or the department/instructor can decide if a
particular offering of the course will be pass/fail. This
generally applies to umbrella courses where some topics are more
fairly graded as letter grade while other topics are best as
pass/fail. The university has restrictions on the kinds of
courses that can be offered as pass/fail and the number of
pass/fail credits a student may earn (see UCC guidelines).
This campus does not offer STUDENTS the option to choose whether
or not to take a course as graded or pass/fail. All students
registered for a course will be graded under the same option.
Repeatable for credit: Departments might want to allow students
to enroll in a course more than once, usually if it is a skills
or participation course or if the content changes each time it
is offered as in an umbrella course. Usually there is a limit on
the maximum number of credits a student may earn. There are two
ways to approach this—either limit the number of credits a
student may take or limit the number of credits that may apply
to a major. The more common approach is to limit the number of
credits a student may take. A student can be prevented from
registering in more credits than allowed under this method.
Under the second scenario, a student will be allowed to register
for the repeatable course any number of times, but the
Advisement Report will only count the approved number of credits
toward the major. At the graduate level, this would be
controlled through advising.
This section is not related to the university-wide course repeat
policy for unsatisfactory grades.
Cross-listed: If this course is cross-listed with a course in
another department, the other department(s) must be aware of the
proposed change. In fact, the LX 138C should be signed by the
chair(s) and dean(s) of the cross-listed course. There is no
need for each department to submit a separate request. The
changes can be made to each of the listed departments based on
one form signed by all appropriate parties.
Mode of Instruction: self-explanatory
RIGHT COLUMN
Department/Course Prefix: Use the 2-letter subject prefix.
Course Number: If there is a change in course number, list the
proposed number here and indicate the current/old number in the
top part of the form under course revision-number (was____). If
it is a slash course, list both the undergraduate and the
graduate numbers. Course numbers should comply with the
departmental numbering guidelines, which should be on file.
Before proposing a new number, check with the Records and
Registration office for number availability. A course number
must lie dormant for ten years before it can be re-used.
Credits: Sometimes courses are offered for a range of credits.
This is particularly true for umbrella courses or independent
study. It provides more flexibility depending on specific course
content.
Course Title/New Umbrella Course Topic Title/Abbreviation: When
deciding on an appropriate course title, remember that there is
a limit of 30 characters, including spaces, for what appears on
a student’s transcript. There are some courses where a variable
title is appropriate, i.e. umbrella courses. That means each
course offering could have a different title. In these cases,
the generic course title is listed as "Course Title" and the
specific course offering title is listed under "New Umbrella
Course Topic Title". This is the title that will appear on the
student’s transcript.
Course description to appear in university catalog: There are no
specific rules about writing course descriptions, but keep in
mind that it is a catalog description, not a marketing piece for
the course. For revision, use existing catalog description.
Italicize deletions and underline additions. It is not
necessary to provide the description for a course that is being
deleted.
Prerequisite to appear in catalog description: List courses or
other requirements that must be completed prior to enrolling in
the course.
Other restrictions: Are there other restrictions you want to
place on a course, such as junior standing, concurrent
enrollment, not open to students who have credit in other
particular courses? Examples of restrictions that can be
checked during registration include classification, acceptance
into program, open to majors, certain grades in previous
courses, cumulative GPA, and required concurrent enrollment with
one other course.
Approvals: It is understood that by having the department
chairperson’s and dean’s signature on the LX form, the proposal
has their support, and that, as stated, there are qualified
staff, adequate demand, and adequate facilities, equipment, and
materials to support the proposal.
Proposals that reflect cross-listed courses need the signatures
of each department chair and dean that sponsor the course.
Proposals for courses that are interdisciplinary require the
signature of the program director and dean. Graduate courses
require the signature of the department chair, but not the
program director; the college dean, but not the director of
graduate studies. It is permissible to make copies of the LX
form for the committee prior to getting the signatures, but the
original must be signed prior to the curriculum committee
reviewing the proposal.
SIDE TWO
Course Typically Offered: This information is included in the
catalog to help students and advisors plan. This serves as a
guide. Actual offerings may vary depending on staffing
levels and enrollment demands.
Teacher Education Programs/Courses: Items 1-3 are
self-explanatory
Other considerations: Items 1-4 are self-explanatory
Formal consultation with other academic departments: The
curriculum committee(s) pays close attention to this item to
ensure there is communication between departments and to avoid
duplication. Verbal consent is not adequate; a record of e-mail
communication is acceptable. Attach a copy of this record to the
original LX; it is not necessary to make copies for each
committee member.
Extra-departmental courses ONLY: Complete this section if a
course is developed across more than one discipline; for
example, HPR or NUT.
Graduate sponsorship: A department that does not have a graduate
program cannot offer a graduate course without "sponsorship".
Sponsorship means that particular department/program supports
offering the course and thinks it will be useful to students
enrolled in that graduate program.
SIDE THREE (for new course proposals only)
Justification for offering the course: Simply, why is this new
course needed?
Projected enrollment: Self-explanatory
Relationship of proposed course to other courses within
department: How does the new course fit into the curriculum? Is
it replacing something? Will it be part of a sequence?
etc.
Programs potentially served by this course: List all majors,
minors, concentrations, emphasies, etc. where this course could
be added as an election or requirement.
Requirement/Elective: This provides an opportunity to have
courses included in programs and the catalog without submitting
a separate proposal. If a new course will be considered an
elective in a program, indicate the programs and sub-programs to
which it applies. Be specific if it fits into a particular
category. Electives can be programmed into Academic Requirements
Report and listed in the catalog directly from this information.
No additional paperwork is needed. Feel free to submit a
separate sheet if it will clarify the information. If a course
will be a requirement in a program, a new LX 138P must be
submitted which includes the proposed course. In these cases,
often there are changes in total program credits, other changes,
or deletions that can be reviewed more meaningfully by seeing
them on a separate program proposal.
LX 138P - Program Curriculum Change (yellow/goldenrod)
LEFT COLUMN
Effective Term: When does the change/proposed program take
effect?
Department/Program: Is the program change applicable to
Undergraduate or Graduate students? For that category of
student, check the specific areas where effected by the program
change.
Applies to Students In: The general rule is
that new programs or program changes affect only students
entering the university on or after the effective date. Students
who are already in a program have a choice. They may either
complete requirements as identified in the catalog they are
following or they may switch to the catalog in effect with the
new program. That means they have to complete all requirements
under the new catalog. There are times when a change is made to
a program that must be applicable to everyone because of
external requirements such as licensure, etc., but that does not
happen often. Other times, program changes provide more
flexibility or are advantageous in some other way to students.
In
RIGHT COLUMN
Labeling a program can be confusing. There is a lack of
consistency among departments and programs, particularly in the
definitions of subprograms (anything less than a major).
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee plans to recommend
(sub)program guidelines to assist departments and to ensure
consistency across campus when developing new opportunities. UW
System Administration must give approval to plan for a new
major. System approval is NOT required for new subprograms, but
System notification is required for a new program. A new
subprogram requires approval by the department, college,
curriculum committee, Faculty Senate, and the Chancellor. The
Academic Planning Committee is involved in the approval process
prior to UCC/GCC submission.
Program Title: Self explanatory.
Description: Usually a new or revised program description
includes a long list of course numbers. In order to make the
changes clear, the old description should be used on the form.
Italicize deletions and underline revisions. This should prevent
inadvertently eliminating a course or listing a wrong course
number, as well as, assisting committee members in identifying
the changes.
Approvals: It is understood that by having the department
chairperson’s and dean’s signature on the LX form, the proposal
has their support, and that, as stated, there are qualified
staff, adequate demand, and adequate facilities, equipment, and
materials to support the proposal. The department chair
(director for interdisciplinary programs) and the college dean
must sign the original LX 138P prior to committee review.
Graduate proposals require the college dean’s signature, but not
the director of graduate studies. Any change affecting any
teacher certification program must also be approved by the
Director of the School of Education prior to committee review.
SIDE TWO
Number of credits required: List minimum number of credits
required.
Rationale for Increase: If this is an increase in credits,
describe the rationale for the increase.
New Undergraduate Program: Refer to
http://www.uwlax.edu/records/FacultyServices/UCC/Policies.htm
Other Pertinent Information: Provide any other information you
deem appropriate here.
Academic departments you have consulted with: Be sure to consult
with any department or program that may be affected by your
proposal.
For All Teacher Education Programs/Courses: If this impacts any
teacher certification program, it must first be approved by the
UW-L Teacher Education Governing Council (TEGD). The TEGC
will require a brief description of how the proposal enhances
teacher education and will ask for evidence from you that you
have consulted with teacher education programs affected by this
proposal. The Director of the School of Education must
sign this LX form before it will be considered by the UCC or
GCC.
LX 139
- Course Outline (green)
This form is to be completed for each new course proposal and
any time there is a major change in objectives, outline or
instructional methods for an existing course. Ideally,
departments would update course outlines periodically.
Objectives/Outline/Instructional Methods: When determining the
level of detail to include in the course outline, one guide is
to think about another institution being able to understand what
the course covered, if a course was being transferred, the
curriculum committee being able to review the course, another
department being able to judge potential overlap, a faculty
member teaching the course for the first time. Some courses are
less structured and involve independent research, work
experience, etc. so the outline will be generic. In those cases,
there will still be objectives and evaluation procedures so it
is necessary to complete the form. Do not assume that an LX 139
is not needed for independent study/research/fieldwork courses.
Principal Activities: This information is particularly important
for slash courses. It is where distinctions are made between
requirements for graduate and undergraduate students. According
to the 1995 report on course numbering, "slash course proposals
should be substantially justified in terms of student learning
outcomes, content, method, and student assessment procedures for
both graduate and undergraduate students. The addition of an
‘extra paper for graduate students’ does not constitute a
substantive rationale."
LX 140 - General Education Course Change (green)
This form is used for courses that are part of the General
Education Program. The General Education Committee uses it; it
is NOT used by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.
LX 140D - General Education Course Deletion (green)
Form used to delete a course from the General Education
program. Submit LX 138C to permanently delete a course
from the course catalog.