Arts, Education, & Sciences

Required Documentation for Submitting Curriculum Change Proposals

Application Forms: Appropriate proposal forms in MS Word format are available on the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee website.  These include new courses, changes in course offerings, catalog changes, and changes in degree plans.

Required Supporting Documents:

1) UCC forms:

  • Routing and Approval Form
  • Explanatory Memo providing a brief summary of all of the proposals submitted by a department
  • Signature Page Form(s) if necessary
  • Proposal form(s)

 
2) Syllabi
 

3)  Degree requirements page from current catalog if curriculum is changed
 

4)  Major requirements and course description page(s) from current catalog if changes are proposed
 

5)  Corrected Arts and Sciences Degree Requirements Checksheet if curriculum changed
 

6)  A copy of the mandate if the proposed change is required by an outside agency

7) A copy of current catalog page(s) edited in red to reflect the changes.
 

Submission Process: 

For the College's Curriculum Committee, submit the original copies of the completed necessary forms and other required supporting documents to the Dean's office at least one week before the ASCC meetings.

A representative from the department must attend the ASCC meeting to answer any questions that may arise.

If the ASCC accepts your proposals, make any recommended changes and send three complete hard copies of the submission packet to the Chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee at least one week before the UCC meetings. In addition, email a copy of each UCC MS Word file to the UCC Chair.

Criteria for Expedited Review

Expedited Review is intended to accelerate the approval of curriculum proposals that do not involve substantive content or pedagogical modification.  Departments are encouraged to apply for Expedited Review.  The following guidelines will apply to Expedited Review:

  1. Proposals must be received by the Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee deadline in order to be considered for Expedited Review.
  2. Departments requesting Expedited Review should still plan to attend the scheduled Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee meeting unless otherwise informed.
  3. Changes related to Board of Regents mandates, consolidations, and terminations will be considered for expedited review.  If your proposal is in response to the Board of Regents, then this should be stated clearly in your request for Expedited Review.
  4. Proposals that have are internal (within one department), have no substantial impact on another department, and do not involve substantive content or pedagogical modifications are eligible for expedited review.

            That may include:

  • Course Closure/Removal/Replacement
  • Course Change
  • Closure/Removal of Minor, Option, or Concentration
  • Changes in Minor, Option, or Concentration
  • Closing a Degree Plan or Program of Study
  • Change in a Degree Plan or Program of Study
  • Catalog Change
  • Global Degree Change
  1. These actions may not be eligible for expedited review:
  • Course Additions
  • Addition of a Minor, Option, or Concentration
  • Adding a Degree Plan of Program of Study
  1. Per the stipulations stated in Section 4 and Section 5, eligibility for Expedited Review is subject to change based on the specifics of individual proposals and is to be determined by the Expedited Review Subcommittee.  Departments are free to request Expedited Review.
  1. If the Subcommittee determines that a proposal submitted for ER involves significant curricular changes and/or that it will impact other departments, the proposal will be sent to the Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee for normal review.

The Expedited Review process will be overseen by the Expedited Review Subcommittee comprised of three members of the Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee and chaired by the Chair of the Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee.  Membership of the Expedited Review Subcommittee is determined by the Chair of the Arts and Sciences Committee and can be altered at the discretion of the chair.  Appointment to the Expedited Review Subcommittee does not guarantee a fixed length of service. If the Subcommittee determines that a proposal submitted for ER involves significant curricular changes and/or that it will impact other departments, the proposal will be sent to the Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee for normal review.  The subcommittee chair will break ties.  Expedited Review discussions, editorial changes, voting and approval will occur electronically between subcommittee members.

Dispute Resolution Policy
 

Since the ULM College of Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee’s charge includes oversight of the college’s departmental structure, disputes over academic boundaries naturally fall under its scrutiny. The following procedures specify in what manner and under what circumstances the ASCC will become engaged in conflict resolution. In providing a clear definition of its role in this process, the Committee seeks to strike a balance between the need to facilitate negotiation and the need to provide an adjudicatory function should negotiation fail.

ASCC Jurisdiction

The ASCC will engage in a process of conflict resolution only in the case of disagreements between departments within the College of Arts and Sciences. If one of the departments involved in a dispute belongs to another college, the matter will be referred to the university-level Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. Any proposal that proves to be the object of an intradepartmental dispute will be tabled and returned to the submitting department. An objection that does not represent the official position of a department, as stated by the head of that department, will not necessarily result in the tabling of a proposal, but will be taken into consideration by the Committee in its usual closed session. Individuals with concerns about a proposal are therefore advised to consult with their department heads in advance of an ASCC meeting.

Resolution Process

In the event of a disagreement between two departments within the College of Arts and Sciences, the proposal in dispute will be tabled, and parties will enter into negotiations mediated by the ASCC Chair. During this time no other member of the ASCC may be contacted in regard to the proposal. If after a period of one month an agreement has not been reached, the Committee will invite from each disputing party the department head and no more than one faculty representative to present arguments at its next scheduled meeting. The ASCC Chair will establish a time limit for each presenter. Following presentations and a question-and-answer period, the ASCC will deliberate in closed session and submit its majority decision as a recommendation to the Dean.

Evaluation Criteria

Arguments presented by departments will be assessed based on both academic and curricular considerations (for example, is a proposed course to be a simple elective, a degree requirement, or necessary for accreditation?). Inadmissible material includes personal accusations, new objections to a proposal, and any reference to disputes—whether past or ongoing, whether between the same two parties or different parties—that are not directly related to the case at hand. During the entire conflict resolution process, it is expected that all parties concerned will adhere to the standards of appropriate professional conduct as specified on the ASCC Procedures page of this website.