Academic Policy 1622.10
Course Change Approval Process
A proposal to change the curriculum by adding, changing, or eliminating a course must be made by means of the electronic form on the Registrar’s website. Instructions for completing the form can also be found at that website. The change takes effect when approved by the Faculty Senate and the provost on behalf of the Chancellor, recorded in the Course Inventory File maintained by the Registrar’s Office, and, normally, inserted into catalog copy.
If new courses are required to support a new degree program that is being proposed through the program change process, proposals for course and program change must be sent forward concurrently.
Course Change Approval and Implementation Process
Course changes are initiated in academic departments and, following department review and approval, must be sent to the office of the college dean for college or school review and approval. Following school or college review, all major course change forms are sent to the Director of Curriculum Review and Program Assessment to begin the campus review process by the required groups. (Note: Minor course change forms follow an abbreviated approval process, and proceed directly to the provost after completing college or school review, unless the change requested involves a core course.)
All course actions are reviewed by the University Course and Programs Committee prior to action by the Graduate Council (if graduate or dual credit) and/or the Faculty Senate. Copies of proposals involving core courses are also reviewed by the University General Education Core Curriculum Committee, and courses proposed for online or off-campus delivery are reviewed by Global Campus. Such reviews are intended to prevent duplication of course offerings and to assess resource implications, if any, and to provide notification to other colleges of changes in course offerings that may affect their students or programs. Review committees also monitor net changes in majors and fields of study for compliance with University of Arkansas and State of Arkansas policy regarding significant changes in programs in any year. Proposals proceed electronically from Committee or Council via the Faculty Senate to the provost for final approval on behalf of the chancellor and submission to Boards as appropriate. To appear in the next year’s catalog, all undergraduate course proposals must be reviewed and approved by the Faculty Senate at or before the March meeting. All graduate course proposals must be reviewed and approved by the Faculty Senate at or before the April meeting.
Each approved course change is sent by the provost to the Office of the Registrar for review of alpha and course prefix code and for the action to be recorded and entered in the Course Inventory File. It is only after these actions that the change is official and reflected in the course inventory file, catalog, and other official records.
Review is mandated each year for courses that have not been taught for four years. Such courses must be deleted or made inactive (removed from the catalog) unless a justification to retain the course is approved through the course change approval process. See Academic Policy 1622.11 or details.