Curriculum Resources

Proposing a New Course, Modifying or Deactivating an Existing Course

If you are planning on adding a new course, please make sure you consult with the department under which the course will be housed. Courses which are not part of degree programs (AA, AS, AAS, Certificates of Achievement) may not be not eligible for financial aid. Keep in mind that changes you make to existing courses may impact programs outside of your department that require that course. Please consult with faculty in any programs affected.

Be aware that when you submit changes or new courses, your proposal will move through preapproval steps before coming to you again and requiring your approval. This approval is the official submission to the Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) for review. You will receive an email notification from CourseLeaf when your proposal is at your step in the workflow.

Submissions must make it to the CRC workflow step by the submission deadline for consideration at the next scheduled CRC meeting. View the CRC deadlines.

1. Log in to the CourseLeaf Dashboard software using your TMCC credentials and select the Courses button.
   • If you do not have access or if you have never logged in, contact Jeffrey Metcalf who will enter your access credentials in user provisioning. This is not done by the IT Department.
   • Once you are logged into the system, you stay logged in until you shut down your computer or delete your browsing history, there is no logout option.
2. From the main curriculum screen, you can search for and view existing courses.
   • By entering a course prefix into the search box, you will get a list of all courses and titles associated with that prefix. If an active proposal has not reached full approval, it will display the current step in the workflow and status of that course.
   • If you select a course, you can view the course outline. If that course is already in the workflow, you cannot make changes at this time. Please contact Jeffrey Metcalf if you need to make changes to a course that is already in the workflow.
3. To modify or deactivate an existing course:
   • Select the course from the list of existing courses from the main curriculum screen.
   • If you plan to deactivate an existing course, on the left-hand side of the course page you will see a red box labeled “Deactivate”. Select this box to begin the deactivation process.
   • When deactivating a course, you need to list the reason for deactivation, you do not need to make any other changes to the course itself.
   • You can save your work for a later date using the white “Save” button at the bottom of the form.
   • When you have made your changes, select the green “Start Workflow” button at the bottom of the form. Be aware that starting workflow moves the document into workflow and is no longer available for you to edit.
   • At any time, you can come back to the main course curriculum screen and search for the course to monitor the current workflow status.
   • If you plan to modify a course, on the right-hand side of the menu, you will see a green box labeled “Edit Course”. Select this box to open the course outline where you can make changes.
   • Once the form has loaded, you can make changes to any of the fields. Any additions you make will be displayed in green once the form is saved and any deletions will appear in red with a strikethrough.
   • You can save your work at any time by selecting the white “Save” button at the bottom of the form.
   • The reviewers for your course will look at all aspects of your course, not just the changes you are making. If the Course Objectives, Learning Outcomes, or Measures have not been updated recently, you may wish to evaluate them before submitting your course.
   • Any changes to course prefix (subject), catalog number, title, or credits require the Common Course Numbering (CCN) change form that will be uploaded by Jeffrey Metcalf.
   • When you have made your changes, select the green “Start Workflow” button at the bottom of the form. Be aware that starting workflow moves the document into workflow and is no longer available for you to edit.
   • At any time, you can come back to the CLdashboard to monitor the current workflow status.
4. To propose a new course, select the green “Propose New Course” button.
   • A form will appear with the required boxes outlined in red.
   • Please enter a rationale for the creation of this new course to help the CRC reviewers and Advising see how this course will fit into current programs.
   • If the prefix for your course does not currently exist in TMCC’s course listing, please contact Jeffrey Metcalf. He will assist you in creating your new prefix and make sure it aligns with the prefixes that are in Common Course Numbering. If the subject code is new for the system, it must be approved through Common Course Numbering before the code can be added to our system.
   • Please review How to Write Course Objectives, Learning Outcomes and Measures. Remember that the Course Objectives need to describe what the course will do, while the Student Learning Outcomes are what the students are expected to do. Make sure that you use the approved list of verbs when writing your objectives and learning outcomes.
   • If your course will have embedded curriculum, please review the Resources for Embedded Curriculum section.
   • When you have made your changes, select the green “Start Workflow” button at the bottom of the form. Be aware that starting workflow moves the document into workflow and is no longer available for you to edit.
   • At any time, you can come back to the main course curriculum screen and search for the course to monitor the current workflow status.

Please contact Jeffrey Metcalf for questions about CIM or if you need access to the old MCO data.

Proposing a New Program, Modifying or Deactivating an Existing Program

If you are planning on adding a new program, please make sure you consult with the department under which the program will be housed. You will also want to consult with the Associate Dean of Assessment and Planning as all new programs will need to ultimately be approved by the NSHE Academic Affairs Council (AAC) and our accrediting body, NWCCU, and require an NSHE Program Proposal for AAC approval:

• Program Proposal Form (for new degrees and certificates of achievement)
• New Program Cost Estimate Form (required along with new degree and certificate of achievement proposals)
• Skill Certificate Program Proposal Form (for new skills certificates)

Program proposals are not difficult but do come with a bit of a learning curve compared to course proposals. To avoid frustration, contact Jeffrey Metcalf for assistance before getting started. There are also generic tutorials available on the CourseLeaf site.

Be aware that when you submit changes or new programs, your proposal will move through preapproval steps before coming to you again and requiring your approval. This approval is the official submission to the Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) for review. You will receive an email notification from CourseLeaf when your proposal is at your step in the workflow.

Submissions must make it to the CRC workflow step by the submission deadline for consideration at the next scheduled CRC meeting. View the CRC deadlines.

1. Log in to the CourseLeaf Dashboard using your TMCC credentials and select the Programs button.
   • If you do not have access or if you have never logged in, contact Jeffrey Metcalf who will enter your access credentials in user provisioning. This is not done by the IT Department.
   • Once you are logged into the system, you stay logged in until you shut down your computer or delete your browsing history, there is no logout option.
2. From the main curriculum screen, you can search for and view existing programs.
   • The easiest way to search for your program is to enter a word from the title between two asterisks, i.e., *health* will return all titles containing the word health or by program number. The screen will display the program number and the program name. If an active proposal has not reached full approval, it will display the current step in the workflow and status of that program.
   • If you select a program, you can view the program outline. If that program is already in the workflow, you cannot make changes at this time. Please contact Jeffrey Metcalf if you need to make changes to a program that is already in the workflow.
3. To modify or deactivate an existing program:
   • Select the program from the list of existing programs from the main curriculum screen.
   • If you plan to deactivate an existing program, on the left-hand side of the program page you will see a red box labeled “Deactivate”. Select this box to begin the deactivation process.
   • When deactivating a program, you need to list the reason for deactivation, but you do not need to make any other changes to the program itself.
   • You will need to upload the appropriate Program deactivation form.
   • You can save your work for a later date using the white “Save” button at the bottom of the form.
   • When you have made your changes, select the green “Start Workflow” button at the bottom of the form. Be aware that starting workflow moves the document into workflow and is no longer available for you to edit.
   • At any time, you can come back to the CLdashboard to monitor the current workflow status.
   • Deactivation of a program requires an NSHE Program Elimination/Deactivation Form, which should be attached to the submission.
   • If you plan to modify a program, on the right-hand side of the menu, you will see a green box labeled “Edit Program”. Select this box to open the program outline where you can make changes.
   • Once the form has loaded, you can make changes to any of the fields. Any additions you make will be displaying in green once the form is saved and any deletions will appear in red with a strikethrough.
   • You can save your work at any time by selecting the white “Save” button at the bottom of the form.
   • You may wish to consult Academic Advising as you work through your changes to make sure that the proposed sequence of courses in the program is feasible.
   • The reviewers for your program will look at all aspects of your program, not just the changes you are making. If the Program Objectives, or Measures have not been updated recently, you may wish to evaluate them before submitting your program.
   • If you are adding courses that have not yet been built in CourseLeaf, please add information about those courses as part of the rationale at the top of the screen. Contact Jeffrey Metcalf to make sure that course numbers and prefixes are not taken by other courses in CCN.
   • When you have made your changes, select the green “Start Workflow” button at the bottom of the form. Be aware that starting workflow moves the document into workflow and is no longer available for you to edit.
   • At any time, you can come back to the CLdashboard to monitor the current workflow status.
4. To propose a new program, select the green “Propose New Program” button.
   • Prior to submitting a new program, please consult with the Associate Dean of Assessment and Planning to go over all the steps and timelines for new programs.
   • Once you are ready to begin building your program, contact Jeffrey Metcalf so that he can assist you in setting up your program shell and guide you through the formatting process.
   • Please enter a rationale for the creation of this new program to help the CRC reviewers and Academic Advising to see how the program will fit in with TMCC’s current curriculum.
   • If courses in your program do not currently exist in TMCC’s course listing, add those courses to the requirements and course sequence. Include a description of those courses in the rationale at the beginning of the proposal so that reviewers know what those courses will entail. Best practices are to create and submit your new courses at the same time as you submit your program.
   • If your program will have embedded curriculum, please review the Resources for Embedded Curriculum section.
   • When you have made your changes, select the green “Start Workflow” button at the bottom of the form. Be aware that starting workflow moves the document into workflow and is no longer available for you to edit.
   • At any time, you can come back to the CLdashboard to monitor the current workflow status.

Please contact Jeffrey Metcalf for questions about CIM or for help in putting together your program.

Policies and Procedures for Curriculum Review

Course Program Review Policies

Per Article IX, Section 9.4 of the Faculty Senate Bylaws, the Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) is charged with supporting and advising faculty on all course, program, degree and certificate submissions.

The committee recognizes that there are instances in which minor revisions to an existing course, degree, emphasis or certificate may bypass full committee review. In cooperation with the Assessment and Planning Office, the CRC identifies the following exceptions wherein proposed changes to an existing course, degree, emphasis or certificate can be made directly through the Assessment and Planning Office:

• Requests for title changes from NSHE System Office
• Minor verbiage updates required for accreditation purposes

When courses or programs contain outdated information identified as part of a catalog review such changes can be approved by the Associate Dean of Assessment and Planning and the CRC chair without requiring full CRC approval.

The following course changes can be made directly through the Assessment and Planning Office, so long as the course has been reviewed by CRC within the past 4 academic years:

• Class size
• Grading system
• Transfer status
• Contact type (e.g., lab, lecture, clinical, practicum)

The following program changes can be made directly through the Assessment and Planning Office (in coordination with Academic Advising and Admissions and Records), so long as the program has been reviewed by CRC within the past 4 academic years:

• Updates to course sequencing; excluding the addition of courses and the deletion of courses from a program
• Statement of recommended general education or elective courses

Any of the aforementioned changes made through the Assessment and Planning Office will be communicated to the CRC Chair, so that changes can be included in the committee agenda as informational items.

Curriculum Submission Workflow

Once an initiator has selected “start workflow” for a course or program proposal, their submission will automatically move through the following review steps. Please note, once the workflow has begun the initiator cannot make edits unless the submission is “rolled back” or until the submissions reaches the initiator step in the workflow (Step 5).

• Step 1: Technical Review & CCN Officer
  
  • Courses: Representatives from Admissions and Records review and verify course credits, contact hours, course components, repeatability, etc. NSHE officer reviews for transferability and common course numbering.
  • Programs: Representatives from Admissions and Records review and verify total number of credits, embedded content hours, required program components, etc. NSHE officer reviews for appropriate NSHE proposal, budget, and/or deletion forms. The Academic Advising Office reviews for transfer, hidden prerequisites, course sequencing and GE verification.
  • The course is reviewed by the campus CCN Officer and notifications are sent out to our sister institutions to solicit feedback on the course or program proposal.
• Step 2: Department Chair/Director/Coordinator Review
• Step 3: Dean Review
• Step 4: Initiator
  • Following steps 1-4, you will receive a notification. The initiator must "approve" the submission and move it forward to Step 5 prior to the CRC submission deadline for consideration at the next scheduled CRC meeting date. As a note, the initiator can make edits to their submission at this step in the workflow.
• Step 5: CRC Review (Note: this is the "official submission" step for the submission deadline.)
  • At this point, your program/course is sent to the appropriate CRC review subcommittee for voting.
• Step 6: CRC Chair Review
• Step 7: Faculty Senate Review
• Step 8: VPAA Review
• Step 9: NSHE Representative Review (Associate Dean of Assessment and Planning)
  • Academic Affairs Council (AAC) and Board of Regents (BOR) Representative Review (held at this step if there are NSHE approvals pending).
  • AAC review is required for all new/substantive changes/deletions of programs (degrees or certificates). BOR review is required for all new/substantive changes/deletions of degrees, except transfer AA/AS degrees.

• Step 10: Programs added to Catalog by catalog representative.
• Step 11: Programs and courses added to PeopleSoft by PeopleSoft representative.

Guidelines for Reviewers

CRC Member Roles

Please be diligent and do a thorough review of the submitted courses and programs. Please complete your reviews prior to the deadline. You will be notified that you have reviews pending via email.

• Provide feedback to initiators on course and program submissions.
• Review general education, diversity and embedded content submissions.
• Review programs and certificates submissions.
• Provide input on curriculum and program developments and concerns.

Typical Workflow

Submission deadline (1 week) > member reviews due on Friday before scheduled meeting (1 week) > CRC meeting

Key Components of a Course Outline

• Course objectives provide a broad overview of the course goals
  • Example: The objectives of the course are...
    • To introduce the basic principles of pharmacology used in veterinary practices.
• Learning Outcomes identify what students will be able to do, in demonstration of a course objective being met
  • Example: Students will identify and classify the drugs used in modern veterinary medicine.
• Measures specify how a stated learning outcome will be assessed
  • Example: Skills will be assessed by examinations and quizzes. Exams are evaluated with a key.

Example Questions to Consider

• Is there alignment between course objectives, learning outcomes and measures?
• Are the learning outcomes measurable?
• Do the proposed learning measures clearly articulate how student work will be evaluated?
• Do the course learning outcomes align with the learning outcomes of the program to which the course belongs?
• If the course is a GE course please review the GE component and evaluate if the selected GE criteria apparent within the stated course learning outcomes?
• Is the submission clean, free of typos and easy to understand?

Approve vs. Decline

• If you have no corrections or suggested changes, please vote "Yes" to approve the course. If you vote "Yes" but have recommendations, those will not be seen by the submitter.
• If you have corrections or suggested changes (even typos), please vote "No" and include your recommendations in the comments area, so the CRC chair can forward these to the submitter. It is okay to vote "No" a submission, this doesn’t mean the course or program won’t make it to the consent agenda, it just means there are some issues that warrant attention. We want to try to correct all typos and solve larger problems before the course comes before the full CRC committee.

Presenting Feedback to Submitters

• Please be courteous and constructive when making a recommendation.
• If you have a recommendation to make, start with something positive.
• Provide an example to illustrate your point.

Example: Your course objectives and student learning outcomes show clear connectivity. Good work. One recommendation: measure 1 indicates that "students will discuss." As is, this doesn’t specify how student discussion will be measured. An example of a measure would be "student discussion will be evaluated with a rubric that defines categories of accuracy and clarity."

How to Write Course Objectives, Learning Outcomes and Measures

Course Objectives

• Please use broad statements that describe the intended goals of the course, which can serve the course for many years.
• Identify key elements that must be taught every time the course is taught.
• The course objectives should be written so that they clearly align with the student learning outcomes.
  
  • Tip: Start the course objective section with "The objectives of the course are..." to ensure that the focus is on what the course will provide, rather than what the student will do.
  • Sample: The objectives of the course are:
    
    • To reinforce knowledge of physiology used in veterinary practices.
    • To introduce the basic principles of pharmacology used in veterinary practices.
    • To synthesize the principles of physiology and pharmacology in the application of pharmaceuticals commonly used in veterinary practices.
    • To define meanings and terms used in business practices.
    • To introduce analytical methods associated with cost analysis.
    • To demonstrate how to set up a computer lab.
    • To reinforce basic critical thinking techniques.

Student Learning Outcomes

• The Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) are the measurable knowledge, skills, and abilities students can demonstrate and will carry forward as a result of their experiences in the course.
• All students will be expected to meet the SLOs, no matter the section and faculty member.
• Specified student learning outcomes should align with the (broader) Course Objectives.
• State the outcome simply and concisely. Why say "Students will demonstrate the ability to construct boxes" when you can say "Students will construct boxes?"
• There is no predetermined or required number of SLOs. The number of SLOs should reflect the complexity of the course. Faculty must measure all outcomes, but may choose which outcomes to assess through the course assessment cycle.
  
  • Tip: Start the Student Learning Outcomes section with "Students will..." and use verbs which reflect depth of knowledge. Review this list of correct verbs.
  • The Assessment and Planning website also has some research-based best practices for developing student learning outcomes.

Course Level SLO Considerations

Course level considerations included below are intended only as recommendations. Overlap among these levels may and probably will occur.

• 100-Level Courses: Students will be able to identify, describe, recognize, use basic competencies, knowledge, skills needed to prepare for your program.
• Intermediate Level Courses (200-300): Students will discuss, articulate, examine, compare, contrast major/disciplinary knowledge and skills needed to advance through your program.
• 400-Level Courses: Students will relate, argue, assess/evaluate, analyze, apply, advanced knowledge and skills and/or synthesis of knowledge and skills expected of seniors.

Measures

• The measures are statements that describe how learning outcomes are measured.
• Reflect the ways in which all faculty teaching the course will measure proficiency (so all faculty must agree on common measures).
• Establish a means for consistent learning outcomes assessment across all sections of a course.
• Include the mechanism for measurement—answer keys, holistic or dimensional rubrics, task sheets, agency requirements, etc.

Sample Learning Outcomes and Measures

100–200 Level Courses

• Student Learning Outcome 1: Students will identify and classify the drugs used in veterinary medicine.
• Measure 1: Skills will be assessed by examinations and quizzes. Exams are evaluated with a key.
• Student Learning Outcome 2: Students will calculate drug doses based on the physiology of animals in veterinary practice.
• Measure 2: Competence will be measured with examinations and quizzes graded with a standardized key.
• Student Learning Outcome 3: Students will synthesize general pharmacological concepts to the practice of veterinary medicine.
• Measure 3: Competence will be evaluated through essay questions and a written final paper and graded with a pre-determined rubric.

300–400 Level Courses

• Student Learning Outcome 1: Students will differentiate between the drugs used in veterinary medicine.
• Measure 1: Skills will be assessed by examinations and quizzes. Exams are evaluated with a key.
• Student Learning Outcome 2: Students will apply drug calculations and doses based on the physiology of animals in veterinary practice.
• Measure 2: Competence will be measured with examinations and quizzes graded with a standardized key.
• Student Learning Outcome 3: Students will synthesize general pharmacological concepts to the practice of veterinary medicine.
• Measure 3: Competence will be evaluated through essay questions and a written final paper and graded with a pre-determined rubric.

Resources for Embedded General Education Curriculum

Embedding General Education Requirements into AAS Degree Programs

In 2012, the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents approved changes to the AAS degree that will allow programs to have more flexibility in the curriculum of these programs. Specifically, embedding per NSHE policy (Title 4, Chapter 16, Page 17) states that "Mathematics and Science may be included as courses or clearly identified as content in other required courses. Human Relations must be included as a course or be clearly identified as content included in other required courses for an Associate of Applied Science."

The following are recommendations on addressing embedded curriculum in order to ensure we meet accreditation standards.

With regard to embedded instruction, there are several pieces that must be assured:

1. There must be identifiable and assessable learning outcomes with regard to this content, and the assessment of that component of the course should be done separately to assure its delivery, and
2. There must be clearly identified content, including the number of hours of content delivery, and
3. Content must be taught/monitored by teaching faculty appropriately qualified in those areas.

Other Resources

• TMCC & NSHE Resources
  • Pre-Purchase Curriculum Accessibility Checker
  • NSHE Common Course Numbering
  • General Education Learning Outcomes
  • Academic Standards and Assessment Committee
  • How to Develop Student Learning Outcomes
  • How to Develop Curriculum Maps
• Non-TMCC Resources
  • Considerations for Developing a 300-400 Level Course
  • Principles of Curriculum Accessibility
• Transfer Agreements
  • UNR Major-to-Major Transfer Agreements website

For questions related to the Curriculum Review Committee or procedures for curriculum submission, please contact Stephanie Mead.