Instructions for Completing a UCC Catalog Change Proposal
This updated Sample Curriculum Proposal for the 2024-25 catalog may offer some helpful guidance as you work on your proposal.
Degree MAPs
Proposed changes to the catalog or courses may require corresponding changes to the relevant Degree MAP(s). Refer to the Degree MAP Instructions webpage for more information.
The Proposal Approvals and Overview and (Part A) sections serve to summarize and briefly explain the purpose of the curriculum changes and the required approvals prior to proposal submission. Please refer to the Sample Curriculum Proposal as a guide to filling out this section.
Please do NOT fill in the colored table at the very top of the proposal; that section is reserved for UCC's administrative assistant to fill out during processing after submission.
PROPOSAL: Enter a descriptive Proposal Title, College, Department, Proposal Originator name, email, and phone. The Registrar's Office will fill this out when creating the proposal, based on the information originally entered on the Proposal Request form and which also appears on the UCC Proposal Tracking Sheet.
OVERVIEW OF PROPOSED CHANGES: A brief description of the type of changes being made, i.e.: Pre/Coreq changes, semester changes, course descriptions, course title change, modifications to degree requirements, proposing new courses are just a few examples.
DEPARTMENT VOTE: Proposals must be discussed and approved by the department faculty. A faculty vote must be recorded in Part A including the date of the vote, numbers of yes/no/abstain votes, and total number of eligible faculty.
APPROVALS: Prior to proposal submission, the PO emails the link to the Google Doc of the completed proposal (including all impact statements -- see Part D) to the department chair, Dean, and UCC Rep for review and approval. All signatures are required and signify that the proposal is complete, impacts have been resolved, and program considerations (budgets, strategic plan, program prioritization) have been made.
- The PO will collect the signatures of the department chair, Dean, and UCC Rep either directly in the Google Doc proposal or on an electronic .pdf scan of the signature page only, with all signatures included. Do NOT use DocuSign for UCC proposals!
- The PO will email the link to the approved proposal (final version) and, if needed, submit the electronic .pdf file of the completed signature page to the UCC Rep for submission to the UCC.
GEN ED PROPOSALS: All changes that affect any General Education courses require separate review and approval by the General Education Requirements Committee (GERC). A separate Gen Ed course proposal must be submitted and approved by GERC for all new or existing courses to be added to the General Education Program. To drop a course from the Gen Ed Program, request and complete a separate UCC catalog proposal for each course to be dropped, not combined with any other proposed changes. UCC will send the proposal to GERC for its consideration. GERC's approval is required for all courses being dropped from the Gen Ed Program.
STATE PROPOSALS: Certain Program changes may require approval by the State Board of Education (SBOE) and/or the North West accrediting body (NWCCU). Contact Academic Affairs to find out whether a State Proposal is required. Allow several months for review and approval by SBOE and NWCCU before these program changes can be included in a catalog.
GRADUATE CATALOG: If the proposed changes affect the Graduate catalog, a separate proposal must be submitted to the Graduate Council using their catalog change form and process.
Please refer to Part B: Course Changes, Additions, Deletions for instructions in filling out the next section.
Enter all course changes into Part B of the proposal, using the appropriate tables for new and existing courses, or to delete a course(s) from the catalog. Be sure to use one table per course. Copy and paste the blank table(s) into the proposal as many times as needed. Refer to the Sample Curriculum Proposal for guidance in filling out this section.
Course changes are entered into the Banner system by the catalog editors. Curriculum changes in Part C are entered separately into the eCatalog computer system, which picks up all course information from Banner.
Changes to General Ed Courses will require approval by the General Education Requirements Committee (GERC). A separate GERC Gen Ed Course Proposal/Assessment Plan must be completed and submitted to GERC for all new Gen Ed courses proposed.
The table below is used to propose a change to an existing course. List ONE course change per table, copying and repeating the table for additional courses. If no changes are being proposed, please delete the table to conserve space.
Fill in the “Current” column with the current course information from the catalog.
The PDF Catalog may be downloaded by:
- going to the University Catalog
- click on "Print Options" in the left margin menu
- click on "Download a PDF" of the most current Undergraduate Catalog.
Use the appropriate box in the “Changes” column to list ONLY the changes being made to the course. Otherwise, leave the box in the “Changes” column blank.
Please use a red font with strike-out for deletions, and a red font with underline for new text being proposed in the "Changes" column to clearly show the exact changes you want made to the catalog.
Please refer to the Field Definitions page for questions regarding the meaning of any item listed in the Field column of the table.
Note: Course number changes should be reflected as dropping the existing course (Part B.2) and adding a new course with a new number (Part B.3).
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FIELD |
CURRENT |
CHANGES |
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Subject Code (mandatory): |
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Course Number (mandatory): |
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Short Course Title: (30 character max, including spaces; no punctuation) |
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Long Course Title: |
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Credit Hours: |
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Default Grading Mode: |
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Available Grading Modes: |
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Repeatability: (yes or no; if yes, max credits or number of repeats.) |
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Course Description |
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Requisite Statement: |
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Minimum Required Grade for Pre- and/or Co-reqs: |
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Registration Restrictions: |
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Equivalencies: |
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Fulfills General Education Objective: |
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Terms Offered: |
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Rationale for Change: |
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The table below is used to propose a new course. List ONE course per table, copying and repeating the table for additional courses. All sections must be completed. If no new courses are being proposed, please delete the table to conserve space.
Please refer to the Field Definitions page for questions regarding the meaning of any item listed in the Field column of the table.
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FIELD |
PROPOSED NEW COURSE INFO |
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Subject Code: |
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Course Number: |
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Short Course Title: (30 character max, including spaces; no punctuation) |
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Long Course Title: |
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Credit Hours: |
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Default Grading Mode: |
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Available Grading Modes: |
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Repeatability: (yes or no; if yes, max credits or number of repeats.) |
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Course Description (include Pre/Co-reqs both here and in the Requisite Statement box below to help the catalog editor): |
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Requisite Statement: |
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Minimum Required Grade for Pre- and/or Co-reqs: |
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Registration Restrictions: |
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Equivalencies: |
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Fulfills General Education Objective: |
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Terms Offered: |
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Rationale: |
The table below is used to delete an existing course permanently from the catalog. List ONE course deletion per table, copying and repeating the table for additional courses. All sections must be complete. If no courses are being deleted, please delete the table to conserve space.
Note: Please remember that deleting a course means that it will be deleted from the catalog and cannot be offered again without an additional curriculum proposal. As such, the department should ensure that any existing students either do not need this course or that other options will be given. Do not use this option if you are taking a course out of your curriculum or program of study. Include a teach-out plan for courses being eliminated that are used in programs in previous catalog years.
Please refer to the Field Definitions page for questions regarding the meaning of any item listed in the Field column of the table.
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DELETED COURSE INFO |
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Subject Code: |
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Course Number: |
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Short Course Title: |
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Is this course a Pre-Req, Co-Req or Equivalent to any other course(s)? List all the impacted courses to ensure they get updated as well. |
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Rationale: |
Please refer to Part C: Program (Plan/Course of Study) Changes for instructions in filling out the next section.
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Course Number: |
Please consult with the Registrar's Office for available course numbers. |
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Short Course Title: |
The short course title appears on the student transcript and is used in the processing of repeated courses. The short course title can be no more than 30 characters, including spaces. No punctuation or special characters can be used. Changing the short course title will affect repeat processing. |
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Long Course Title: |
The long course title appears in the eCatalog and on the class schedule in BengalWeb. The long course title can be no more than 100 characters, including spaces and punctuation. Punctuation or special characters can be used. |
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Credit Hours: |
This is the number of credits or semester hours the student will earn by successfully completing the course. |
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Default Grading Mode: |
Available default grade modes are Letter or S/U. The default grade mode must be specified, and this will be the grade mode automatically assigned to students when they register. The non-default grade mode can be used on a section, but must be specified in the course scheduling process before registration is open for the term. |
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Available Grading Modes: |
Unless otherwise directed, all undergraduate courses also have the Audit grade mode assigned. If the course should not be audited, please specify this and the Audit grade mode will be removed. If this is done, students will not be able to audit the course. A student may choose this grade mode with the permission of the instructor with a Schedule Change card submitted before the add/drop date for the term. All undergraduate courses also have the Pass/No Pass grade mode available. A student may choose this grade mode with the permission of the instructor with a Schedule Change card submitted before the add/drop date for the term. (Please see the Undergraduate Catalog policy regarding the Pass/No Pass grade If a course description says “May be graded S/U,” that course is set up with the S/U grade mode as the default. If the department wishes to offer the course with a letter grade, this must be specified in the course scheduling process before registration is open for the term. |
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Repeatability: |
A course is considered repeatable if a student may take the course multiple times and receive credit for the course multiple times. This can be limited by either the total credits the student can earn, or the number of times the student can take the course. It can also be unlimited. Repeatability is not the same as repeating the course to replace a previously earned grade. |
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Course Description: |
Any course description of reasonable length is allowed. |
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Requisite Statement: |
PREREQ: A prerequisite course must be taken before registering for the proposed course. Registration for the prerequisite course in a current term does not fulfill the requirement unless the requirement is listed as a “PRE-or-COREQ.” COREQ: A student must take Corequisite course in the same term. The student must register for all Corequisites in the same registration transaction. PRE-or-COREQ: A required course that can be taken prior to, or concurrently with, this proposed course. |
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Minimum Required Grade for Pre-/Co-reqs: |
If a prerequisite course requires a minimum grade, state it here. Unless otherwise stated, all Pre- and Co-requisites will be considered fulfilled at the university default level of D- or above. |
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Registration Restrictions: |
Registration Restrictions limit the students that can register for the course. Common registration restrictions are major restriction and class level restrictions. All undergraduate students are restricted from registering for graduate level courses. |
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Equivalencies:
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An equivalent course is one that fulfills all of the same graduation requirements. Students cannot earn credit for two equivalent courses that are not repeatable. Equivalent courses can be scheduled separately or they can be scheduled together at the same time in the same classroom. In the latter case, the sections are cross-listed in the class schedule. The following restrictions apply to equivalent courses:
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Fulfills General Education Objective: |
Specify which objective the course fulfills. (Approval by GERC is required.) |
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Terms Offered: |
It is important to give students the most accurate information possible regarding which semesters courses will be offered. Please review the following choices for coding of this information in the catalog:
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Rationale for Change: |
Provide an explanation for this proposed change. |
Crosslisting is when multiple sections are taught in the same room at the same time. Crosslisting is a scheduling function and not a catalog function. Crosslisted sections can be equivalent or not equivalent. Please see the information above regarding equivalencies.
Please remember that deleting a course means that it will be dropped from the catalog and cannot be offered again without an additional curriculum proposal. As such, the department should ensure that any existing students either do not need this course or other options will be given. Do not use this option if you are taking a course out of your curriculum or program of study.
Changes in class fees are not part of the UCC process. Please remember to consider any class fee changes that may be required as a result of your UCC change and consult with Academic Affairs regarding the class fee process.
All changes to the department's Admissions, Programs, and Plans of Study tabs in the online catalog are to be shown in this section of the proposal. This is where you show the catalog editors exactly what changes you want made to the catalog text. Do not simply change the text and expect the editors to figure out what you changed, they won't have time. They need to see at a glance exactly what changes to make and what to leave untouched. The Sample Curriculum Proposal shows what to do for this section.
Refer to this Standardized Catalog Formatting guide to see how to list Gen Ed courses, Certificates, Degree Requirements, fill out the Degree Totals table, and the text to include for accelerated Bachelor's to Master's programs in Part C of your proposal form.
The goal is to make the catalog as accurate and error-free as possible, and to ensure each section is consistent with all other sections.
Instructions for Part C:
The Program (Course of Study) Changes (Part C) section is used to indicate any changes to the material found on the Admissions, Programs and/or Plan of Study tabs in your department/program's section of the online Undergraduate Catalog.
Always include total credits when proposing Program of Study catalog changes.
1. What is the rationale for these Program Changes? Provide an explanation for the proposed changes.
2. New Proposed Catalog Copy: The Proposal Originator (PO) will display desired changes to the Admissions, Programs, and Plan of Study tabs here. Be sure to clearly show all changes from the original. Please use a red font with strike-out for deletions, and a red font with underline for new text in Google Docs to make your changes in this section. Do NOT use the Track-Changes feature in Word as they do not show up in Google Docs.
Based upon the information provided by the PO in the Proposal Request Form, the Catalog Editor embeds the pertinent section(s) of the catalog into Part C. If there are any errors, discrepancies, or omissions in Part C, immediately contact the Catalog Editor before you proceed further, via phone (xt. 4963) or email (ugcatalog@isu.edu) .
Do NOT include course descriptions here. All changes to courses must be made using Part B.
3. List all the places in the catalog that are affected by these changes: For all course changes, perform a search of the PDF catalog to find all other locations in the catalog that use or reference the affected courses. List each catalog location (page number) and course affected to ensure the change is made throughout the catalog.
The PDF Catalog may be downloaded by:
- going to coursecat.isu.edu
- click on "Print Options"
- click on "Download a PDF" of the most current Undergraduate Catalog
4. Current Catalog Copy: DO NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THIS SECTION -- it is the historical record of the catalog text as it currently exists. It is included here for permanent reference.
PLEASE NOTE: Changes to the information found on the Overview and Faculty tabs, are updated through a separate process that occurs after all UCC-approved changes have been entered in the catalog. For additional information about the editing process for non-curricular items in the Undergraduate Catalog, please contact the Catalog Editor (ext. 4963 or ugcatalog@isu.edu).
PLEASE NOTE: Dropping or renaming of any major, minor, concentration/track/emphasis may require the approval of the State Board of Education. For more information please see the SBOE/NWCCU Proposal Info page.
Please refer to Part D: Infrastructure Impacts for instructions in filling out the next section.
Proposal Originators (POs) must inform all campus units affected by the proposed changes and give them an opportunity to review and respond to the changes. Enter all impact responses, concerns raised, and steps taken to satisfactorily address those concerns in the proposal before submitting the proposal to UCC. Follow the instructions below when completing Part D of the proposal.
The Sample Curriculum Proposal shows what information is required and how and where to record the various impact responses in your proposal.
Infrastructure Support Service Impact Instructions:
The Proposal Originator (PO) must complete all impact section questionnaires and email the link to the Google Doc proposal to all infrastructure support services listed in the proposal.
Response statements from each infrastructure support service and any actions taken must be included in the proposal prior to submission.
All impacts must be resolved and/or addressed before submission to UCC. Please document all impact responses and your replies at the end of the appropriate impact section.
Please complete the questionnaires as part of the proposal and email the link to the completed Google Doc proposal to each of the following email addresses:
- University Library: send to Sandra Shropshire (libmpact@isu.edu) -- PO, please complete the University Library Questionnaire.
- Information Technology Services: send to Renae Scott (renaescott@isu.edu) -- PO, please complete the Information Technology Services Questionnaire.
- Educational Technology Services: send to Blake Beck (blakebeck@isu.edu) -- PO, please complete the Educational Technology Services Questionnaire.
- Advising: send to Buck Benson (buckbenson@isu.edu), Tiffany Mitchell (tiffanymitchell@isu.edu), and Jamie Webster (jamiewebster@isu.edu) -- no questionnaire required.
- Student Information Sytems: send to the Registrar's Office (ugcatalog@isu.edu) -- no questionnaire required.
- General Education: send to both Joanne Tokle (joannetokle@isu.edu) and to the administrative assistant (gercmail@isu.edu). PO, please complete the GERC questionnaire.
Other Department Impact Instructions:
The PO must email the link to the Google Doc proposal to all impacted departments and/or programs. A department is considered "impacted" if any proposed changes in curriculum (Part C) use courses offered by other departments, or if the modified courses (Part B) are used by other departments in their program(s) of study.
Response statements from each impacted department/program and any actions taken as a result of that response must be included in the proposal prior to submission to UCC.
This Sample Curriculum Proposal may offer some helpful guidance as you work on your proposal.
Refer to this UCC Proposal Checklist to make sure your proposal is complete before submission.