Faculty Senate

Curriculum Change FAQs

Commonly asked questions regarding curriculum change proposal processing can be found below with corresponding responses. If you do not find the question(s) and answer(s) you are looking for please contact Curriculum Manager Lisa DeChano-Cook.

Last updated on August 21, 2024

 

Curriculum Proposals

Go to https://wmich.curriculog.com and log in (far upper right) using your BroncoNet ID and password.

Anyone with a BroncoNet ID and password can access the WMU electronic curriculum system. Only board-appointed faculty can initiate a proposal.

Only board-appointed faculty may initiate a curriculum change proposal.

Yes, department chairs can initiate a proposal. However, there needs to be documentation attached to the proposal that indicates the department faculty are aware of the proposal and support it.

No, you will need to submit two proposals: one for the name change and one for the curriculum change.

Yes, a separate proposal needs to be submitted for each course. The reason is so that each course is reviewed and considered individually to ensure that the course really needs to have the requested change made. This is especially true for restrictions (major and class). Sometimes a blanket change is not actually what needs to happen.

The proposal initiator needs to validate and launch the proposal. This person also needs to approve the proposal to send it on to the next step in the approval process.

Listed below are the symbols and colors utilized in Curriculum (formally Curriculog):

Image

To reactivate a course, use the course change form. You will be able to search for the inactive course and begin your proposal. If however, the course does not show when you do the search, it will have to be submitted as a new course.

A syllabus is needed for every course proposal, except when deleting a course.

Catalog copy is needed for all proposals.

When current and new catalog copy is needed, it is helpful to have a side-by-side comparison of old and new catalog copy. Copy the full current catalog copy from the online catalog (https://catalog.wmich.edu) and paste it into a Microsoft Word document. Then on a separate page, past the current catalog copy again and markup this new page with highlighting and strike-through that show the changes to be made (additions, deletions, and modifications to the existing text). If you use colors, please make sure to note what each color denotes.

Attach a document with the old and new catalog copy, using track changes or some other indicator of the changes being made.

There are many different types of assessments that may have led to your proposal. The Curriculum Assessment Guide outlines many of these formal and informal assessments. Use one (or more) of these assessments when answering this question. In most cases, this question should not be answered as "not applicable" or "N/A."

The impact report indicates which other courses and/or programs may be impacted by your curriculum change. As soon as this report is generated, conversations should begin with any impacted programs/departments as soon as possible so any potential negative impacts can be discussed.

  1. Click on "Run Impact Report" at the top of the proposal.
  2. A pop-up box will appear.
  3. Click on the catalogs that you need to include in the report.
  4. Click "Generate Report" at the bottom of the pop-up box.
  5. A new screen will appear in the pop-up box.
  6. Copy the text that appears in that new screen and past it into the proposal.

Four-digit Banner major/minor codes need to be included if you have a course that is for specific majors and/or minors only, otherwise enter "none".

If you have a course that you do not want students in specific majors or minors to be able to take then these four-digit Banner codes would be entered in this box. If any student, regardless of major, can take the course then you would enter "none" in the box.

If you have a course that you only want students in specific majors or minors to be able to take then these four-digit Banner codes would be entered in this box. If any student, regardless of major, can take the course then you would enter "none" in the box.

Student learning outcomes complete the following stem: "By the end of this course/program, student will be able to...". Use action words/verbs such as those in Bloom's Taxonomy so that SLOs are assessable.

Bloom's Taxonomy graph

From: Valamis (https://www.valamis.com/hub/blooms-taxonomy)

If your proposal will impact a large number of international students (large to be determined by the unit) then you should, as a courtesy, talk with HIGE.

Majors / Programs

Concentrations have evolved over time and in practice are technically the same as a major. To simplify the WMU curriculum, no new concentrations will be created.

Two proposals are needed to change a concentration to a major/program. A delete program proposal is necessary to delete the concentration and a new program proposal is necessary to create the new major/program.

Yes, however the track name will not appear on the student's transcript or diploma. For it to appear on transcripts and diplomas it must be a major, not a track within a major.

The WMUx Market Research team provides services that support faculty with their program curriculum proposal research needs. Services available include:

  • Market analysis reports that include student demand, employer demand, and competitive analysis.
  • Primary research using quantitative or qualitative methods (surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc.)

These services are provided for free, and faculty are encouraged to use them if assistance is needed. Fill out a Project Request Form to get started.

Appeals

There are two types of appeals:

  • Academic Officer appeal - include the department chairs decision to the college dean and the college dean's decision to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
  • University Council/Committee appeal - process violations only.

Appeals must be in writing to the college dean or the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and acted upon within 30-calendar days of receipt of the appeal.

If good faith discussions for interdisciplinary proposals do not yield a compromise, the proposal can be appealed, in writing, to the college dean for intra-college issues and to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for inter-college issues. The decision of the dean or Provost is final and cannot be appeals once the decision is made.

Only process violations can be appealed.

  • Failure of a council/committee to allow discussion or debate
  • Failure of a council/committee to permit presentation of relevant information
  • Exclusion of interested parties in council/committee discussion
  • Demonstration of bias among the council/committee
  • Allegations of conflict of interest
  • Failure to provide feedback/guidance on how to remedy deficiencies in the proposal
  • Not attending a meeting
  • Not sending a representative to a meeting
  • Disagreeing on a content decision

Anyone in attendance at the council/committee meeting who believes a process violation has occurred can submit an appeal.

Anyone at the meeting of the council/committee can make a motion during the meeting or ask that a motion be consider. After the meeting, anyone who attended the meeting can submit an appeal, in writing, to the Faculty Senate Executive Board Ex Officio member of that council/committee within five-business days of the alleged violation that includes the reason for the appeal and any supporting information. The written appeal will be presented at the next available Faculty Senate Executive Board meeting. The Faculty Senate Executive Board can seek clarification from the appellant or others, in writing if needed, giving ten-business days for a response. A written response to the appellant will be done in writing within ten-business days of the decision, and documentation will move forward with the proposal.

This is not considered an appeal of the decision. Outcomes are either process violation was found warranting reconsideration of the proposal by the original council/committee, or there was no process violation. Decision is final and cannot be appealed.

Please note that the process for WMU Essential Studies Course appeal is a little different.

An appeal can be made by the proposal originator, in writing, within five-business days of notification through the electronic course approval system, clearly stating why the course should be included and address any feedback (or lack of feedback) to the WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee chair. The WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee will evaluate the appeal at the next available meeting and respond, in writing, withing ten-business days of the decision. The decision is final and cannot be appealed.

Timeline

Non-WMU Essential Studies Courses

  • Fall start: approval by dean by October 31
  • Spring start: approval by dean by March 31
  • Graduate courses: approval by Graduate College dean by December 31

WMU Essential Studies Course

  • Approval by dean by October 31
  • Approval by the WMU Essential Studies Course Review and Approval Committee by December 31

Programs (new, deletion, rename)

  • Approval by dean by October 31
  • Approval by the Faculty Senate Undergraduate Studies Council and/or the Graduate Studies Council by November 30
  • Approval by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the WMU President by Decebmer 31
  • Approval by the WMU Board of Trustees by January 31

Program (changes)

  • Approval by dean by October 31

YES! These are the hard and fast deadlines so other approvals can be done in a timely manner and the Registrar's Office has adequate time to get changes made to the catalog before freshman orientation in June.

It is suggested that new program proposals be initiated by January 1 of the prior academic year, with letter(s) of support or evidence of good faith discussions being obtained by April 15 or the prior academic year.

WMU Essential Studies

WMU Essential Studies Course

  • Approval by dean by October 31
  • Approval by the WMU Essential Studies Course Review and Approval Committee by December 31

Use the proposal entitled New WMU Course (new to catalog and WMU Essential Studies) for the appropriate WMU Essential Studies level.

If you are adding an existing course to WMU Essential Studies that does not need any changes use the proposal entitled Adding Existing Course to WMU Essential Studies (without course changes) for the appropriate WMU Essential Studies level.

If the course you want to add to WMU Essential Studies does need changes (e.g., title, description, restrictions) use the proposal entitled Adding Existing Course to WMU Essential Studies (with course changes) for the appropriate WMU Essential Studies level.

The catalog description of the course that includes a statement of WMU Essential Studies inclusion, the course syllabus, and the WMU Essential Studies assessment plan need to be attached to the proposal as files for a new WMU Essential course, at minimum. There may be other pertinent information that needs to also be attached.

The WMU Essential Studies language that needs to be included in the course syllabus is the course catalog description with the WMU Essential Studies language included and the appropriate student learning outcomes identified as WMU Essential Studies student learning outcomes.

Please use the following verbiage for WMU Essential Studies catalog copy:

"This course satisfies WMU Essential Studies Level #: Title - Cattegory."

Example: This course satisfies WMU Essential Studies Level 2: Exploration and Discovery - Scientific Literacy with Lab Category.

If the course also meets the Diversity and Inclusion or Planetary Sustainability SLOs the following statement must also be included:

"This course also meets the [choose either Diversity and Inclusion OR Planetary Sustainability] student learning outcomes."

Any course instructor or chair.

An appeal can be made by the proposal originator, in writing, within five-business days of notification through the electronic course approval system, clearly stating why the course should be included and address any feedback (or lack of feedback) to the WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee chair. The WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee will evaluate the appeal at the next available meeting and respond, in writing, withing ten-business days of the decision. The decision is final and cannot be appealed.

Faculty Senate
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5332 USA
(269) 387-3310