From Paper Stacks to a Streamlined System: MCC’s Curriculum Database Project
By Stuart Blacklaw, dean, curriculum and program review
At Monroe Community College, curriculum is the foundation of the college’s ability to
remain responsive to the community’s evolving needs. The traditional curricular change
process at MCC, like at most higher education institutions, was paper-laden, committee
driven and dependent on multiple offices and individuals for information. The
distribution of 27 paper copies to committee members and key staff was required for each
proposal.
Since the College averages 140 proposals per year, this was resulting in a whopping
18,900 copies. Scheduling meetings, hauling around and keeping track of documents,
garnering appropriate feedback and approving proposals seemed destined to remain a
tedious and labor-intensive process with built-in frustrations and delays.
But when Monroe’s Curriculum Office sought the assistance of Computing Services to
digitize the process, we emerged with much more – a transformation not only of the
function, but of the quality of the curriculum itself. Curriculum development is no longer
a dreaded and solitary ordeal for faculty at MCC. It is an open and expeditious process
that has transformed and stimulated a fundamental component of the College’s function.
However, this didn’t happen overnight. There would be no quick fixes. Because of the
complexity of the end-product, the application was developed in incremental steps,
allowing the development team to deploy the database quickly and add new features and
enhancements after gaining feedback from system users.
COLLABORATION IS KEY
The core application team, which represented the Curriculum Office, the Curriculum
Committee and the Computing Department of the Educational Technology Services
Division (ETS), collaborated on all database improvements, modifications and
enhancements. By centralizing operations through the Curriculum Office, the team
gathered information and listened carefully to users. In addition to deepening their
understanding of user needs, team members also served as trainers who oriented faculty,
staff and administrators to the features of this new process.
The primary objective of the curriculum database project was to create a more effective
and accessible process to deliver new curriculum sooner; to revise existing curriculum in
response to discipline changes; to meet employers’ ever-changing needs; and to ensure
MCC’s curriculum satisfied four-year college requirements for transfer to junior status.
By shifting to an all-electronic format, a platform was constructed to expedite and
enhance the proposal and approval process. The transformation ensured a prompt,
comprehensive and open process that also maintained the integrity of the college’s
governance review and approval process. However, the technology enabled more than a
faster replication of the former system. The change revealed several hidden weaknesses
in the traditional process that included a lack of timely access to proposals for review and
comment by the campus community; quality of information submitted impeded by the
number of lines on the forms; and standard proposal forms that did not solicit all
necessary information. In addition, the shift also revealed that the old process was a
mystery to most members of the college community outside the Curriculum Committee
and Curriculum Office.
ELIMINATING BARRIERS
By eliminating or reducing structural barriers such as access, dialogue, input and time
lag, the development team discovered the capability of the new database system to
connect with colleagues, educate faculty and staff, keep the college community abreast of
proposal status, document progress and generate reports. The whole process became
bigger and better than its parts.
PROPOSALS ON THE RISE
The process has been very well received. Minor system glitches have been corrected.
Faculty members like the system. They use it and comment favorably on its overall
effectiveness. The new curriculum database project has invigorated faculty and staff
participation in the process. Proposal numbers have grown from 140 per year to 200 per
year since the electronic database has become the mandatory method for all submissions.
The advantages have gone far beyond saving 38 reams of paper. The time curriculum
proposals spend in-process – from creation to approval – has been cut by up to 50
percent. Curriculum postings are electronic, all proposals are archived and the Web
provides 24-hour database access to authorized users who are also able to track proposals
online throughout the entire process. The system provides the ability to cut and paste
from existing e-documents and eliminates the necessity of hauling paper copies around.
Comments on proposals can be easily entered and addressed via the online response
feature. Threaded discussions can also be conducted easily.
The development team had anticipated several positive outcomes. However, the
curriculum database process has provided many unexpected rewards. A clarification of
roles and responsibilities has occurred and the Curriculum Office has gone from being a
“black hole” to a resource office. College-wide satisfaction with the process has
dramatically improved and the ease of this new system has raised the benchmark for
program development. Features of the database include:
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authenticated password verification
Easy-to-use Web interface
e-mail functionality
search and retrieve capability by subject, number, status and proposer
editing capability
electronic notification to proposer of posted comments
This new electronic database, a major initiative at MCC, succeeded in transforming a
bulky, paper-laden obstacle into a streamlined, user-friendly process. The secure,
revamped system now enables college-wide access during the decision making process,
thereby demystifying curriculum development. The result has been an increase in the
number of proposals generated and approved as well as a rise in the quality of submitted
proposals. In addition, we have an infinitely more reliable and accessible archive of our
curriculum records. At MCC, the burdensome, time-consuming paperwork shuffle has
passed.