September 15, 2025

The presentation for fall semester was held on September 15, 2025, via Zoom. The faculty leaders from five university governance committees (FSBC, GC, GEC, OEMC, and UCC) and the ex-officio members were present to answer questions. The faculty leaders explained their role in the curriculum review and approval process. PowerPoint slides are available for viewing. There was an interactive question-and-answer session which was captured in the recording. 

Key Takeaways from the Session:

• Fast-track changes are available for curricular actions such as minor modifications involving prerequisites.
• In your proposal, ensure course descriptions, objectives, topics, and evaluation methods align cohesively with clear rationales.
• Always consult with other colleges when curriculum changes may impact their majors.
• Group related changes when submitting a proposal so that related courses are in a single proposal and demonstrate clear progression in course sequences.
• Keep prerequisites minimal and align content carefully with specific knowledge goals.
• Avoid using "demonstrating knowledge" as a learning objective; instead, check existing resources before proposing new micro-credentials.
• Respond promptly to amendment requests to expedite the review process.
• Multiple committees (FSBC, GC, GEC, OEMC, and UCC) each play specific roles in the review process.

If you have specific questions about curriculum proposals or the curriculum review process, don't hesitate to reach out to your college curriculum committee chair, the appropriate standing committee chair, or contact me directly, Felix N. Ngassa, AVP for Academic Affairs.

January 27, 2025

The presentation for winter semester was held on January 27, 2025, via Zoom. The faculty leaders from five university governance committees (FSBC, GC, GEC, OEMC, and UCC) and the ex-officio members were present to answer questions. The faculty leaders explained their role in the curriculum review and approval process. There was an interactive question-and-answer session.

Key takeaways included:

• The University Curriculum Committee (UCC) will continue working with College Curriculum Committees (CCCs) to address faculty questions about the curriculum review process.
• We continue to make progress in providing clear guidance to proposers and implementing streamlined review procedures.
• We continue to address and resolve areas where committee jurisdictions overlap in an effort to make the review process unambiguous and more efficient.
• A question was raised on enhanced communication protocols. We will continue contemplating new, more precise protocols for documenting unit communications. This may include updating best practices for showing consultation between colleges and units.
• A question was raised about the difference between a Course Change Proposal (CCP) and a New Course Proposal (NCP). Although there are no clear guidelines at this time, UCC will work to address this issue soon.
• During the spring and summer of 2025, UCC will collaborate with the Office of the Provost to evaluate the effectiveness of recent streamlining efforts and identify additional areas for improvement.
• Ultimately, our goal is to maintain quality standards while reducing redundant steps.

Questions may be directed to Felix N. Ngassa, AVP for Academic Affairs.

September 16, 2024

The presentation for fall semester was held on September 16, 2024 via Zoom. Representatives from four university governance committees (GC, GEC, OEMC, and UCC) explained their role in the curriculum review and approval process. There was an interactive question and answer session. PowerPoint slides may be viewed while a copy of the recording is available. For more resources, see newly created "how-to videos" or tutorials on the Sail system. 

Key takeaways included:

• We need to ensure that the expectations of the College Curriculum Committees (CCCs) vis-à-vis the University Curriculum Committee (UCC) regarding the procedures for curricular proposal types and curricular action types do not conflict.
• If applicable, each governance committee reviewing a proposal should check for evidence of communication between units and colleges.
• We should have clear guidelines on what “evidence of communication” means in the curricular review process.
• The roles of the College Curriculum Committees (CCCs) and the University Curriculum Committee (UCC) should be delineated.
• We can streamline our curriculum review process by eliminating redundancies and creating efficiencies without compromising quality.

Questions may be directed to: Felix N. Ngassa, AVP for Academic Affairs