Section Four - Curriculum Forms

Fountain near CSULB Theatre

The electronic course and program curriculum forms are available online at www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/catalog/curr_handbook/curr_word_forms/ or may be obtained by departments from their college. The electronic forms are also available from the Curriculum Office. The forms are modified from time to time to reflect improvements suggested by users and changes in academic policy. If questions should arise concerning use of any form, call the Curriculum Office for information.

NOTE: There is not a specific curriculum form for courses being submitted to the General Education Governing Committee. The GEGC is not a curriculum committee of the University. It cannot and will not consider new course proposals or changes to existing courses. All requests for General Education credit must be requests relating to active courses currently on the Active Course Report.

Course Forms - for new courses, changing existing, reactivating or deactivating courses
Topic Forms - for converting, initiating, changing or dropping topics
Program Form - for proposing requirement changes to existing programs. Program changes need to also enclose modified roadmap(s) for the affected program(s)

NOTE: New programs do not follow the curriculum certification process. For new programs, see Section 2, Program Development and Approval.

Review Process

Curriculum development processes for courses and minor changes to program requirements take place throughout the academic year. College offices set due-dates for their departments and programs. All course and minor program change proposals are submitted to the Curriculum Office as indicated on the Curriculum Calendar (see Attachment 4.1).

The University Single Subject Teacher Education Committee and then the College of Education Curriculum Committee reviews all courses with the prefix EDSS.
The Curriculum and Educational Policies Council reviews curriculum submissions for Interdisciplinary Studies, International Education and University 100.
The College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics reviews curriculum submissions for Ocean Studies.

Following the conclusion of the curriculum review processes in the departments and colleges, the Associate Deans for Curriculum will prepare and forward all hard copy proposals and electronic (MSWord) files to the Curriculum Office. Course outlines are filed in college offices and sent to the Curriculum Office and other departments only when specifically requested in a challenge proceeding or as needed for articulation agreements. Roadmaps are forwarded to the Curriculum Office for those program changes that necessitate a revision.

Proposed Curriculum

All individual colleges' proposals are assembled into a document called a "Notice of Proposed Curriculum," which is distributed via email to all colleges, departments and programs for faculty review. The Notice serves to notify all offices of the intent to offer courses and to modify curriculum.

Some departments that do not offer a graduate degree program have been authorized to offer a small number of graduate-level courses, primarily as service to other graduate degree programs. Prior to offering, each of these courses must be approved by the appropriate person in the Office of the Provost following the normal remonstrance period for new courses.

Challenge Period

Fifteen working days are provided for any office to challenge a proposal on the grounds of "unnecessary duplication" (see Policy Statement 80-11, Attachment 4.4). Questions about proposals on any other grounds must clearly specify the standard or condition upon which the challenge is based. The challenge period is the second, third, and fourth weeks of September for the Spring Curriculum Cycle and the third week of December and first two weeks of January for the Winter Curriculum Cycle.

A department cannot challenge another department within the same college.

Steps to follow in a challenge:

1. Recommended: Call the department chair of the proposed challenged course first and discuss the issue.
2. The challenge must be made within the 15-day challenge period. It is sent to the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies.
3. Academic Affairs responds to the challenge within 10 days.
4. The challenging department responds to Academic Affairs that the challenge is withdrawn or stands within 10 days.
5. Academic Affairs assists the deans, together with the departments, to arrive at a resolution within 30 days.
6. If a resolution is not reached within 30 days, it is referred to the Curriculum and Educational Policies Council for recommendation.
7. Within 15 days of notification of referral by Academic Affairs, both departments present written arguments and substantiating data to the CEP Council who may refer it to a sub-committee for consideration. The burden of proof rests with the challenger.
8. If referred to a sub-committee, they have 15 days to make a recommendation that goes to the CEP Council.
9. The challenge will be a First Reading item on the next CEP Council agenda. The recommendation is forwarded to the Academic Senate for approval. The decision of the Academic Senate is recorded in the minutes and is forwarded to Academic Affairs.

Formal Certification

Following the challenge period, the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies will attest to the fact that the unchallenged courses have survived the challenge period by issuing a formal certification. Certifications authorize changes to the University Catalog, the online Schedule of Classes, Active Course Report, and all other academic publications of the University, including departmental and program brochures. It is recommended that departments post and maintain a continuous file of those certifications that affect their own programs.

Approval of New Honors Courses

New Honors-specific courses and the management and staffing of the senior Thesis/Project, must be approved by:

1. Department Curriculum Committee;
2. Department Chair;
3. College Curriculum Committee;
4. University Honors Director, following consultation with the Honors Advisory Council.

The curriculum form to be used for proposed honors courses may be viewed here.

New Honors courses do not go through the 15-day challenge period but will appear in the next formal certification to facilitate data entry.

NOTE: Once an Honors course has been approved, if any revisions are necessary, it goes through the normal campus curriculum process.