Curriculum Committee Training
August 26, 2009
Linda Day
Curriculum Support Analyst
Curriculum Committee’s Purpose
The curriculum committee reviews
and evaluates curriculum
proposals for all courses,
programs, degrees, certificates and
other related academic processes.
Curriculum Committee’s
Structure
Members are
recommended by employee
constituent groups and appointed
by the College President.
Members:
Support:
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Joel Beck
Andreanna Duran
Judy Garrison
Christy Pacheco
Faculty:
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Jeff Bunkelmann
Keith Eubanks
Pat Harrington
Tim Hohmann
Tatianna Keeling
Marjorie Schiller
Managerial & Technical:
Administration:
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• Terri Ackland
• Phil Tompkins
• Georgia White
Jose Dagnino
Linda Day
Veronica Duran
Derrick Shank
Other structure personnel:
Process Owner:
Chair/Facilitator Process:
• John Irvine
Vice President of Academic
Programs and Services
• The chair/facilitator will be
responsible for preparing an
agenda in advance of the
scheduled meetings and for
distributing any supporting
materials; and providing
meeting minutes with
distribution to committee
members, process owner and
placement on the district shared
drive. The process owner is
responsible for arranging
appropriate support for the
committee.
Chair/Facilitator:
• Mary Menzel
Director of Curriculum and
Student Learning Assessment
Process of the committee:
• The curriculum committee is responsible for implementation of the
curriculum process and making recommendations for improvement
and enhancements to the existing process. The committee will
review and evaluate all curriculum proposals for courses, programs,
degrees, certificates and other related academic proposals. The
review will include all components such as outcomes, standards,
description, credits hours, lab/lecture ratios, pre-requisites, and
others. Programs with proposals on the agenda should have a
representative present at the meetings. The committee will approve,
not approve, table or refer the proposal back to the program for
additional information. If the proposal is approved, then it is moved
forward to the Chief Academic Officer.
Reviewing a proposal:
• Jennie Lee will send PDF
▫ Arranged to match agenda
▫ Please try to follow
• Proposers and Curriculum Mentors will be invited to
meeting
• Everything is connected to everything else!
▫ Split review duties?
▫ Work well?
 Example: modalities
• Begin at the top of each proposal
Reviewing a New Course proposal:
• Department should ALWAYS match the course
prefix!
▫ If it doesn’t, ask questions!
• Division chosen should house the department/
prefix requested
▫ If it doesn’t, ask questions!
• Course prefix – does it make sense?
▫ Example, the class is a physical activity and they
are asking for MSC prefix!?
▫ Again is the prefix and department the same?
• Course Number – Does it fit the outcomes and
standards?
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Bloom’s Taxonomy
Knowledge, Comprehension & Application – 100
Analysis, Synthesis & Evaluation – 200
If no number and no 1xx or 2xx, ask!
• Credit hours (see Elmo)
▫ Looking at the credit breakdown, do they add up
correctly?
▫ Practice: How many ways can the credit breakdown
total 3 credits? (see Elmo)
• Course Title
▫ Short – 32 characters or less
▫ Over 32, Curriculum Office shortens in Banner
 Not always pretty when shortened by others!
• Effective Year – the fall of the next catalog
▫ Now – fall 2010
▫ Why? 12 review stops and each one takes time!
• Effective Semester
▫ If the request is for spring, changes won’t be
reflected in the catalog until the fall
▫ Banner will not match catalog
▫ Confusion reins supreme!
▫ We always prefer FALL
• Terms Offered:
▫ Question: should all courses be available all
semesters?
• Teaching methods
▫ Directly related to credit breakdown
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2 Lectures, 3 Labs = Lectures and Labs
1 Lecture, 3 Practicum = Lecture and Practicum
Etc…
If credit breakdown is 1 Lecture, 3 Labs and 1
Practicum, what should the teaching methods reflect?
▫ Definitions
 Internship
 A hands-on practice of skills learned in the classroom
at a location outside the college setting. The location
must be a place of work where the student will be
supervised by professionals in the specific area.
Reports from the supervising professional are sent to
the classroom instructor regarding the student’s
progress. Internship may be paid if the off-campus
company has a policy to do so; however, some do not.
 Lab
 A class involving hands-on activities and/or individual
practice in which the faculty of record supervises
students as they test, analyze, demonstrate, clarify,
apply, or evaluate theories, techniques, methods,
concepts, etc which may or may not have been
presented in a complementary class or classes.
 Lecture
 A class scheduled to regularly meet in which the faculty
of record presents and/or facilitates an educational
activity relevant to the course (as described in the
catalog) in order to accomplish specific education
outcomes.
 In a lecture class, the teacher may use a variety of
instructional methods such as lecture, discussion,
demonstration, cooperative learning in order to
accomplish educational goals.
 A lecture class does not necessarily mean that a faculty
member’s only pedagogical activity is lecturing; rather,
a lecture class means that verbal (written or oral)
discourse by both faculty and students is the dominant
means of transmitting, synthesizing, engaging with,
and presenting material.
 Recitation
 A class which may be independent or set us as a
complement to other classes, in which small groups of
students advance and extend their study by discussing
class work, their research interests, and/or developing
creative, independent research projects that are
presented to an audience.
 Studio
 Studio is a hands-on teaching or practice of an art (i.e.
art, design, music, pottery, etc.)
 Practicum
 Is a supervised curricula or course emphasizing practical
applications of theory, methods, skills, professional orientations,
and ethics in a specialized area of study.

A practicum offers a more advanced learning experience in the
application of previously learned principles to "real life" setting
.
under the supervision
of the instructor. The competencies to be
practiced and achieved are those for work commonly associated
with the field. Evaluation is accomplished through the supervision
process, in which student/instructor contact is frequent, and
affords opportunity for critique and refinement of skills. At the end
of the short period, a report may be written on the student’s
performance by an observer or the student may be required to
prepare a report based on their observations. Students usually are
enrolled in other courses simultaneously to enrollment in a
practicum. Hours of work and credits earned are commensurate
with the activity of the student, both in quality and quantity.
• Modalities:
▫ Approve as many modalities as you think are
appropriate – even if the proposer does not
request them.
▫ Do not approve multiple modalities if only one is
possible.
• Supplemental Materials:
▫ What types of supplemental materials will be
used?
• Interaction with Instructor:
▫ How does faculty make themselves available to
these students?
 Especially important if this is an online or ITV class
 Adjunct faculty?
• Special Requirements
▫ Are there any special requirements?
 Camera for digital photography course
 Who will provide required items?
• Special billing information
▫ Third party billing
 If not, “none”
• Prerequisite
▫ Course (s) that must be completed prior to
enrolling in the selected course.
 Choose courses that will help the student be
successful in the selected course.
• Corequisite:
▫ Course(s) that may be taken at the same time as
the selected course.
 Should enhance or build upon learning
 Example: theory course and practicum course
• Catalog Description
▫ Clear and concise
 Approximately 2 sentences
 Sometimes there are exceptions: outside accreditation
 Describe what the student will learn by completing
this course.
 Refrain from making the description an
advertisement
• Grading options
▫ A – F typically used for 100 and 200 level courses
 May be used for 80 and 90 level
▫ S – U typically used for 70, 80, and some 90 level
courses
▫ Credit/No credit – 80 and 90 level courses
▫ Both A-F and S/U
 Be careful
 It may be used for 100 and 200 level courses
 Courses included in degrees and certificates must
use A – F!
• Times for credit
▫ How many times may a student take this course
FOR credit? Typically, 1, if more…give
• Justification for Repeat Credit
▫ Why?
 To build knowledge or skills
 Not to raise grade
• Credit Breakdown
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Lecture – 1:1 (15 contact hrs/30 homework hrs)
Labs – 3:1 (45 contact hrs = 1 credit)
Practicum – 1:1 (45 contact hrs = 1 credit)
Internship – 1 to 1 (min 45 contact hrs = 1 credit)
Recitation - 1 to 1 (15 contact hrs/30 hrs
homework)
▫ Studio – 1 to 1 (30 hrs contact/15 hrs homework)
 This is NOT equated hours
 CC typically does not review equated hours
• Cross Listing
▫ Courses that are cross listed MUST be exactly the
same except for the department and prefix
• Recommendations
▫ from an advisory committee, a task force,
accrediting agencies, or universities.
▫ Minutes may be attached to help you make
appropriate decisions
 Stakeholder feedback
• Enrollment
▫ Is the enrollment predicted to be enough to make
the course (certificate, or degree) permanent?
▫ Who is the target population?
▫ Make sense? If not, ask questions!
• Impact Statement
▫ How does this addition impact other programs?
• Budget Impact
▫ How does this addition impact the budget?
▫ Space, equipment, personnel or faculty?
• Learning Outcomes!
▫ 2 or 3 student learning outcomes for EACH credit
requested
▫ Bloom’s Taxonomy level on each outcome
▫ Outcomes cover the title and description?
▫ Measurable – Assessable?
• Standards/Assessments
▫ States what students will do to prove they have
mastered the outcomes (1:1, 1:many)
▫ Proposer may use the published standards of an
accrediting body
 Please ask if there is a hard copy on file with the
Curriculum Office
 May use a website (URL), but the standards must be
printed out and highlighted for each course
 May be attached in ACRES as long as pertinent
standards are highlighted
▫ Check to verify all outcomes are covered in the
standards
• Attachments
▫ Will help you make a better decision
▫ Understand why the proposal is in front of you
▫ No AGEC on a new course proposal
 Must transfer to all 3 state universities
 Must be articulated to get this info
• Campuses
▫ If online or ITV, please select “District/Statewide”
▫ Most should be district
▫ Few specific locations due to equipment, etc.
• Recommended Equivalency
▫ Proposed agreed upon university equivalent
course
▫ CC may not use
▫ If not listed, please ask if proposer has attended
their ATF meeting and requested an equivalency
This was reviewing a new course form –
what about a modified course form?
Modified course form
• Old information included at top.
• Same questions until…
• Proposed changes
▫ What are they changing?
▫ If something changed that is not listed, please ask
the Curriculum Office to add.
▫ Short and concise
 Description
 Credits
 Credit Breakdown, etc.
• Rationale for change
▫ Explanation of changes – more detailed
• AGEC – Arizona General Education Curriculum
▫ Read the criterion for area – each is different
▫ Does the course transfer to all 3 state universities?
 If so, how?
▫ Does it make sense?
▫ Does it fulfill the criterion?
▫ Choice of 11 AGEC forms
• Other questions same as new course form
Deletion
• Short form
• Your main concern
▫ Is it required in another degree or certificate?
▫ Will the deletion harm the students’ academic
progress?
▫ Losing an AGEC? Do we really want to?
▫ How does this deletion impact CAC?
▫ What is the current enrollment?
▫ Etc.
Degrees and Certificates
• Typically the same as courses
▫ New
▫ Modified
▫ Delete
What happens when a proposal is
sent back for revisions?
• Minor revisions
▫ Approved with minor revisions
▫ Completed by curriculum office staff to keep
curriculum proposals moving steadily forward
▫ Proposal will not return to committee
▫ Proposer should be present in the meeting and
agree with changes
• Major revisions
▫ Sent back to the proposer AND mentor to review
and revise
▫ Proposal will return to committee for review and
approval
▫ Please choose this option if there are many edits,
corrections, errors, or questions.
 Voice your concerns and suggestions
 Work with mentors and proposers
• Time is precious during this review process
▫ Please arrive on time – must have quorum
▫ All must be processed in time for catalog
▫ All must be articulated by February 1st
• Please review courses BEFORE meeting
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Be prepared to make comments
Be prepared to ask questions
Be prepared to make a motion
Be prepared to second a motion
Be an active part in CAC’s curriculum
development process!
Resources
• Curriculum Development Handbook
• Radio James Objectives Builder
▫ Both on CAC web
▫ RJ in ACRES also
• Our office
▫ Jennie Lee – 5591
▫ Linda Day – 5206
▫ Mary Menzel - 5215
Thank You!!!
• Your participation in the Curriculum Review and
Approval Process helps CAC fulfill our mission..
▫ Provide a vibrant environment centered on
learning and learner success