03:22:00 Adding and Modifying Courses and Programs

Purpose

To establish procedures for curriculum revisions.

Policy

I.Procedures

When new courses, programs or major modifications in existing courses or programs are proposed by faculty members and/or the administration, the following steps should be taken:

1. New course(s)/program(s)/modification(s) should be presented to the appropriate Division Curriculum Committee*. The committee will review the merits of the proposal, develop a plan of action and agree on the proposals needed to correctly modify the curriculum. Such presentations should include statements regarding the need for the course(s)/program(s)/modification(s), the purpose to be fulfilled, consideration of availability of equipment and facilities, and the availability of adequately prepared instructional staff. For proposals that must be forwarded outside the institution for review by external parties, prior research should be performed to identify all documentation required by said parties, and rough drafts of all completed documentation should be presented.
    
2. Upon approval of the Division Curriculum Committee, the assigned Originator will load all curriculum proposals into Curriculog. Proposals will be reviewed by Division Curriculum Committee and approved by the dean. Following Division Curriculum Committee approval, proposals will proceed to the Technical Review Committee. Following technical review approval, proposals will be scheduled for the next available Curriculum Subcommittee meeting. The academic dean or their designee will lead the discussions regarding the purpose of the proposals and field questions from committee members.
    
3. Upon approval by the Curriculum Subcommittee, the proposals should be presented by the chair of the Curriculum Subcommittee to the Academic Affairs Committee for review approved by the Academic Affairs Committee, proposals not requiring external party review and approval are considered approved for the next available printed catalog. Proposals requiring external party review and approval are to be approved by the President of the institution. The proposals are then presented to Tennessee Board of Regents and/or the Tennessee Higher Education Commission by the vice president of Academic Affairs by loading the Curriculog proposals and all required documents into TBR’s Curriculog system. If the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is required to review and/or review curriculum modification proposals, said proposals and supporting documents must be provided to SACSCOC in accordance with its Substantive Change Policy and Procedures. If approved by all applicable governing bodies, the new course(s)/program(s)/modification(s) will be included in the next available college catalog. New course(s)/program(s)/modifications will be offered based on individual institutional timelines. Unless an exception is requested by the academic dean, the new course(s)/program(s)/modifications will not be offered before the fall semester following the academic year during which the proposed course(s)/ program(s)/modification(s) was approved.
   
   01/15; 05/16; 04/17; 03/23; 09/23
   
   *Division Curriculum Committee is defined as the Curriculum Subcommittee Representative, the Division Dean or Assistant Dean, Curriculum Subject Matter Expert, and the Originator. The purpose is to evaluate the validity of all curriculum proposals prior to launching proposals in Curriculog.