SOUTH CENTRAL COLLEGE
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE GUIDELINES
Curriculum Committee Approval Date: May 5, 2017
AASC Approval Date: October 27, 2017
Review Date: As Needed Up to Every Three Years
The Curriculum Committee is a faculty-driven committee, and operates as a standing committee of the Academic Affairs and Standards Council. South Central College provides accessible higher education to promote student growth and regional economic development. The Curriculum Committee Charter and Bylaws summarize the Purpose, Membership, Roles and Responsibilities, Meetings, Evaluation, and other necessary information of the organization’s operations. The faculty members on this committee require the use of Worldwide Instructional Design Software (WIDS) as the software of choice for common course outlines and program plans, both new and modified. Use of WIDS allows for publication of common course outlines to the SCC website.
The following guidelines serve as an outline to help faculty in the development of relevant and high quality courses and programs. Anytime during the Curriculum Development Process, the Faculty Development Specialist and Curriculum Committee members are ready to serve and assist faculty.
The following curriculum additions, modifications, or eliminations must be submitted to the Curriculum
Committee for endorsement:
· Modified Courses
o Any additions or deletions of course competencies in the Common Course Outline (CCO)
o Changes or additions to prerequisites/corequisites
o Changes to the course description language
o Modification in Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) Goal Area – LAS courses
· New Courses
o Change to the title and/or prefix of a course
o Changes in course credit
· New Academic Programs
o Includes adding a new location to an existing program
o This requires MinnState Notice of Intent (NOI)
· Modified Programs
o Redesign – change in course requirements, name, CIP code, credit length, addition or deletion of an emphasis
o Closure
o Suspension or reinstatement
o Replication or relocation
THE COURSE OUTLINE/APPROVAL STANDARDS
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board Policy provides a definition of a course outline in Policy 3.22 and Procedure 3.22.1: https://www.mnscu.edu/board/policy/322.html and https://www.mnscu.edu/board/procedure/322p1.html, respectively.
The Curriculum Committee requires a Common Course Outline (not a syllabus) for all new courses or other changes listed above that require approval. On February 28, 2003, the Academic Affairs & Standards Council determined that the contents of a Common Course Outline must include the following:
a. Course title
b. Semester credit value
c. Credit breakdown (lecture/lab/internship)
d. Course description
e. Prerequisites
f. Student learning outcomes (must meet WIDS standards for areas outlined below)
i. Course Competencies & Learning Objectives
ii. MnTC Standards
According to the Master Agreement Between the Minnesota State Colleges and University Board of Trustees and the Minnesota State College Faculty, Article 23, Section 4, Subd. 4, “Common course outlines that are departmentally developed and approved by the Academic Affairs and Standards Council shall belong to the college.”
The Curriculum Committee requires the use of WIDS in order to have a consistent format across the college.
THE COURSE SYLLABUS
The syllabus provides an outline of a course and serves as a communication device and contract between the student and instructor.
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board Policy provides a definition of a course syllabus in Policy 3.22 and Procedure 3.22.1: https://www.mnscu.edu/board/policy/322.html and https://www.mnscu.edu/board/procedure/322p1.html, respectively.
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board’s Educational Policies state, “Each college and university shall establish institutional procedures which assure that each student enrolled in a course shall be provided a course syllabus within a maximum of one week from the first class meeting. When courses are offered in a condensed format, the time frame for distribution of the syllabus shall be adjusted accordingly.”
This syllabus may be provided in paper form but must be posted on D2L Brightspace for students to view. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities mandates the use of the syllabus for the following reasons:
a. It describes the scope of the course content, telling what a course will and will not address.
b. It communicates course focus by showing the instructional intent and how the course can be tied to other courses.
c. It outlines the prerequisites needed to successfully complete the course.
d. It identifies the goals that the student should achieve by the completion of the course.
e. It outlines the evaluation system for the course, clearly stating the number of points or the percentage required to earn a specific grade.
f. It identifies the competencies, which are a more precise measure of how the student will be evaluated.
On February 28, 2003, the Academic Affairs & Standards Council determined that the contents of a Syllabus must include the following:
a. Components from the common course outline
b. Standards for evaluation, including how grades are calculated/assigned
c. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) statement
The following additional content is encouraged:
a. Assignments
b. Schedule
c. Attendance policy
d. Additional policies & guidelines
e. Learning Activities
f. Assessment Activities
According to the Master Agreement Between the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees and the Minnesota State College Faculty, Article 23, Section 4, Subd. 4, “A course syllabus is a scholarly work and as such is the sole property of the faculty member. Upon request, the faculty member shall provide a copy of the syllabus to the administration. The Academic Affairs and Standards Council will develop procedures for student access to syllabi”.
THE COURSE OUTLINE/SYLLABUS: DEFINITIONS
COMPETENCIES (WIDS)
The number of credits assigned to a course provides a good estimate of the number of goals or competencies required for the course. Faculty using WIDS should include approximately 3-6 competencies for each credit.
HOURS OF INSTRUCTION
Recommended guidelines for the scheduled hours of instruction are as follows: 16 hours for each lecture credit; 32 hours for each lab credit; and 48 hours for each internship credit (OJT) credit. Lecture credit may include formal and impromptu lectures, demonstrations, discussions, and in-class activities.
CREDIT HOUR DEFINITIONS
All credit course curricula are organized around a format using course goals. These courses are segments of instruction designed to be taught as stand-alone entities. SCC follows the Federal Credit Hour definition.
Federal Credit Hour Definition: A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally-established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than the following:
1. One lecture (taught) or seminar (discussion) credit hour represents 1 hour per week of scheduled class/seminar time and 2 hours of out-of-class preparation.
2. One laboratory credit hour represents 1 hour per week of lecture or discussion time plus 1-2 hours per week of scheduled supervised or independent laboratory work, and 2 hours of student out-of-class preparation.
3. One practice credit hour (supervised clinical rounds, visual or performing art studio, supervised student teaching, field work, etc.) represents 3-4 hours per week of supervised practice. This represents between 45 and 60 hours of work per semester.
4. One independent study hour is calculated similarly to practice credit hours.
5. Internship or apprenticeship credit hours are determined by the needs of the program and the internship site(s) and calculated similarly to practice credit hours.
Additionnally, SCC defines special considerations for the following credit-hour definitions:
Management Credit: It is suggested that one management credit equals a minimum of 4 hours of group or individualized instruction and up to 44 hours of appropriate and reasonable application for a total of 48 hours of student effort. Management courses emphasize the application of management activities, which are defined and discussed during instructional activities. Students are in an owner/operator position within their own business setting.
College Readiness/Developmental Course: College Readiness (Developmental) course content prepares students for entry into college level courses. Course credit from these courses does not apply toward a certificate, diploma, or degree. Students will receive a grade for the college readiness courses. The courses do not meet graduation requirements. Student assessment scores are used for placement in developmental courses.
PROGRAM AWARD STANDARDS
Program award and standards must comply with MNSCU Board Policy 3.36 and Procedure 3.36.1 and all pertinent SCC academic policies.
MNSCU Board Policy 3.36 link - www.mnscu.edu/board/policy/336.html
MNSCU Board Policy 3.36.1 link - www.mnscu.edu/board/procedure/336p1.html
GENERAL EDUCATION–MN STATUTE (M.S. 136F.32) https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=136f.32
THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE PROCESS
There are 4 curricular projects that require Curriculum Committee endorsement which include:
· New Programs
· Modified Programs
· New Courses
· Modified Courses
Each curricular project has a set of tasks to complete which are outlined on the specific Curriculum Development Process forms according to each project. These forms can be obtained from the Curriculum Committee Forms section of the website: http://www.southcentral.edu/Curriculum
All new courses and programs, and ALL modifications of courses and programs require the endorsement of the Curriculum Committee.
ENDORSED PROPOSALS
The following steps are possible post-approval steps:
Modify an Existing Program/Credit Length Change/New Program
· Upload proposal to MnSCU Program Navigator
· Vice President of Student and Academic Affairs electronic approval (1st approval and final approval following President’s approval)
· President electronic approval
· MnSCU reviews for final approval and requests clarification if required
· MnSCU grants approval
Student Affairs
· ISRS; DARS; eCatalog
· Scope and Sequence for Perkins Programs of Study
· Federal Dept. of Education review
· Higher Learning Commission (HLC) review
Modify an Existing Program/No credit length change
· Student Affairs (documentation posted on CC website)
· ISRS; DARS; eCatalog
· Scope and Sequence for Perkins Programs of Study
a. Approved Curriculum Committee minutes will be e-mailed college-wide and posted on the SCC Web site: http://www.southcentral.edu/Curriculum
b. A copy of the meeting minutes will be submitted to the Academic Affairs and Standards Council at monthly meetings.
Modify an Existing Common Course Outline (CCO)
· Once the proposal is endorsed, the Curriculum Committee Chair will forward Curriculum Development Form to the Vice President of Student and Academic Affairs for approval
· The Vice President of Academic Affairs will notify Public Relations/Marketing Specialist, Academic Advisors, and the Registrar of the curriculum change
· The Vice President of Academic Affairs will maintain the official file for future reference
Create a New Common Course Outline (CCO)
· Once the proposal is endorsed, the Curriculum Committee Chair will forward Curriculum Development Form to the Vice President of Student and Academic Affairs for approval
· The Vice President of Academic Affairs will notify Public Relations/Marketing Specialist, Academic Advisors, and the Registrar of the curriculum change
· The Vice President of Academic Affairs will maintain the official file for future reference
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Mission: South Central College provides accessible higher education to promote student growth and regional economic development.