Curriculum Roles, Responsibilities, and Processes
The purpose of this document is to address roles, responsibilities, and processes in order to
increase institutional responsiveness in the development, review, and management of curriculum
changes and proposals while maintaining quality. The goal is to place greater responsibility for
curriculum processes with faculty, departments, colleges, and schools; shorten the timeline for
curriculum approvals; and simplify and streamline the types of information required for
curriculum changes.
Roles and Responsibilities
Faculty and Departments
“Faculty, through well-defined structures and processes with clearly defined authority
and responsibilities, exercise a major role in the design, approval, implementation, and
revision of the curriculum” (Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities,
Standard 2.C.5).
Curriculum changes and proposals begin with faculty at the department level. Faculty members
are the content experts in their fields, responsible for engaging students in the content, and are
therefore best situated to assess curricular need. Curriculum changes and proposals are
thoroughly vetted at the department level prior to moving forward for further review.
Colleges/Schools
College/school curriculum committees provide peer review of curriculum proposals and identify
and resolve conflicts to the extent possible within the college/school. They support departments
in preparing needed documents and data entry and coordinate with associate/assistant deans, the
University Curriculum Committee (UCC), and the Office of Academic Scheduling and
Curriculum (ASC) to ensure quality, accuracy, consistency, and standardization. Deans and
associate/assistant deans (as designated) are responsible for reviewing curriculum proposals that
have been vetted by faculty, departments, and college/school curriculum committees to identify
and resolve any additional internal conflicts and possible external conflicts with other colleges
schools, and to ensure that proposals are consistent with university practice. To expedite the
processing and timeliness of changes, some changes (see below) are approved at the
college/school level rather than undergoing full UCC review. Associate/assistant deans serve as a
liaison with faculty and departments, the college/school curriculum committee, the UCC, and
ASC. They review the potential impact of proposed changes (e.g., effects on degree programs
within or outside the department, student completion, the need for additional resources, etc.), are
knowledgeable about processes for submitting changes, and ensure the quality and clarity of
written documents.
University Curriculum Committee
The role of the faculty is extended on a university-wide basis by means of the UCC, which
consists of faculty representatives from each college and school. The chair and its members are
elected by the Faculty Senate. The role of the committee is as follows:

To act as stewards of the curriculum by reviewing broad issues related to new courses
and programs and addressing questions such as the following to ensure quality,
appropriateness, and feasibility:
2
o
o
o
o

Why is the course or program needed? What is the demand or justification?
What are the resource implications?
How prevalent is the needed expertise among the faculty?
How might the course or program affect existing courses or degrees within or
outside the department or college/school?
To assist faculty and departments in their respective colleges/schools with the preparation
and submission of documents and data entry for curricular changes and proposals.
The chair of the UCC coordinates the review and processing of curriculum proposals with ASC
and communicates progress and issues with the Associate Vice President for Academic
Programs.
Academic Affairs Council
Academic Affairs Council (AAC) reviews curriculum proposals and supporting data for new
programs submitted by faculty/departments to determine mission appropriateness,
internal/external demand, resource implications, institutional readiness, impact on existing
programs, and other relevant factors. AAC is responsible for strategic planning related to
curriculum.
Office of Academic Scheduling and Curriculum
Responsibilities of ASC include the following:



Oversee and process curriculum changes and proposals.
Ensure consistency in curriculum prefixes, numbering, titles, credits, descriptions,
prerequisites, cross-listings, etc.
Serve as a resource to faculty, departments, colleges, and schools.
College-Approved Changes
The following changes are approved at the department/college/school level: course prefixes,
numbers, titles, credit ratios, descriptions, objectives, prerequisites, cross-listings, and major
requirements.
Deans are responsible for vetting these changes within departments in their colleges/schools and
with other colleges/schools that may be affected. Deans or their designees will work with ASC to
ensure that these changes are consistent with university practice. Changes will be forwarded to
ASC for processing, be communicated to the UCC, and be implemented in the next semester for
which registration has not yet occurred. The approval process for these changes will occur yearround. Changes submitted prior to April 1 will be reflected in the official version of the catalog
for the upcoming academic year. Those approved after April 1 will be added to the online
catalog immediately. Changes in major requirements and new programs can be processed on a
year-round basis but will go into effect with the catalog year.
Regent-Approved Items
The deadline for regent-approved curriculum items is October 15. These include certificates
(except CP1), degrees, minors, emphases, administrative unit creation or change, and program
3
changes in delivery, restructuring, name, discontinuation, and reinstatement. Approved changes
will be implemented the following fall semester. Adding new programs or significant changes in
courses or programs or delivery methods must also be approved by NWCCU.
All revisions and data entry must occur prior to October 15. For this to occur, proposal drafts
must be presented in AAC in January/February. Once approval to proceed is received,
departments must work with their UCC representative, college/school curriculum committee, and
associate/assistant dean to prepare documentation. Departments should be advised that multiple
revisions may be needed, thus it is advisable to begin early.
Curriculum Management Tool
The curriculum management tool will capture the following information:


Courses - subject codes, number, title, credit ratio, description, prerequisites, crosslistings, objectives, GE coding, G/I coding, terms, approvals, coordination, internship
coding, honors coding.
Programs – type, title, description, requirements
All assessment-related information including but not limited to student learning outcomes,
criteria for success, means of assessment, curriculum maps, and ELO alignment is under the
direction of the Office of Academic Assessment. Graduation plans are under the direction of the
Graduation Office. AAC would like to pilot the Kuali curriculum tool or an equivalent.
Implementation
The current curriculum cycle will proceed under the current system. The changes described in
this document will be effective beginning in Fall, 2015 and be applicable to curriculum changes
and proposals going forward.