Your Guide to Course Proposals
New Course Proposals
Deadline
Friday of week 3 – for the term preceding the one in which a course is intended to run (e.g. week three spring for a fall course).
What should I consider prior to submitting?
It is best practice to contact chairs of departments, programs, and/or concentrations to alert them that they will be receiving the form for their review and approval. Please also consider reviewing the list of frequently asked questions below and our syllabi guidelines for EPC requirements and recommendations.
What’s next?
After submission the new course proposal will be emailed to the department/program chair as well as to other relevant departments or programs that are checked off on the proposal. This would pertain to cross-listed courses, Shared Passages seminars, and/or offerings that may serve multiple majors or concentrations. Next the Educational Policies Committee will review the proposal and contact the proposer with questions, suggestions, and the committee’s final decision. Proposals approved by EPC will be presented at the following faculty meeting and voted upon if necessary.
Course Change Proposals
What changes need to be reviewed by EPC?
Significant changes to an existing course requires EPC reviewal. Examples of a significant change include: changes in the course title, content changes, numbering or sequencing changes, and whether or not it counts towards a major, minor, or concentration. For a detailed overview of what curricular changes need to go through EPC, please consult the procedural flowchart page. If you have any questions, please send an email to epc@kzoo.edu
What’s Next?
Similar to the workflow of new course proposals, proposals for course changes will be emailed to corresponding department/program chairs identified in the proposal form. EPC will review the proposal and contact the proposer after deliberations. Course changes are included in the EPC update provided at the following faculty meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How many times can a limited-time course be taught?
Limited-time courses can be taught up to 3 times. After that, it needs to be reviewed as a permanent offering, and will require a resubmission to EPC and, eventually, full faculty approval. To do so, please fill out a New Course Form.
When proposing a new course, who should I talk with outside my department?
Are there other departments, programs, or concentrations that would want to cross-list the course? Does your course have a pre-requisite or co-requisite that would impact other departments? Upon review of your proposal, EPC may also suggest other departments for you to talk to regarding possible impact, cross-listing, etc.
I’m a new chair; what questions should I expect to have to answer for a New Course Proposal that is routed to me?
Please visit the new course proposal form to see the questions you will be asked.
How do I change an existing course into or propose a new Shared Passages Seminar?
Shared Passage Seminars should follow the guidelines for the respective seminar (First Year, Sophomore, Senior) as described on the Shared Passages websites for each. Proposals should be brought to the Associate Provost and the Shared Passages Program Committee (SPP) for initial review and comment. Once approved by SPP, the proposal should be submitted to EPC as a new course proposal. If it is a First Year Seminar, only the SPP needs to approve the request. For Sophomore and Senior Shared Passage courses, both SPP and EPC must approve.
Can my department propose a “special topics” course in which the content potentially changes whenever it is offered?
Though EPC encourages submitting new course proposals one by one, we recognize that there is precedent for such “special topics” courses. If your department has compelling reasons for needing one (please explain why in the new course proposal chair questions), we would still ask that you submit your syllabus for the first iteration of that course, and ensure that the syllabus has a particularly robust and thoughtful articulation of that course’s learning outcomes and assessment strategies. Much like in the First Year Seminars, these learning outcomes and assessments should be transferred to any future iteration of the course.
Looking for an answer to a different question?
Email us at epc@kzoo.edu and we will get back to you!