ELPS Curriculum Committee

It is assumed that curriculum development and issues related to existing or future curricula are the purview of the faculty. The faculty are responsible for curriculum and its maintenance.

What is the structure for decisions regarding curriculum?

There are existing standing committees for decisions related to curriculum comprising degree programs offered through the university. These are the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee, The Graduate College Curriculum Committee, the College of Education Curriculum Committee, and the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Curriculum Committee.

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Curriculum Committee

Purpose

The purpose of this committee is to ensure a structure for dealing with issues related to curriculum by faculty and students in the department and the university at large.

The functions

A. To make certain all communication related to the existing curriculum in the department is correct and valid.

B. To provide a structure and procedures for making changes in the curriculum, and communicating these changes within and outside the department.

C. To provide a structure and procedures for bringing issues related to the curriculum before the faculty for their discussion and decision(s).

A. Communication

One responsibility of this committee is to ensure that all courses listed in the general and graduate college catalogs are valid and accurate. This means that course numbers, titles, number of credits, when offered, prerequisites, descriptions, and if appropriate, instructor are correct.

Procedures. Work related to catalog changes involves coordination with college and university curriculum committees. These committees each have annually scheduled deadlines that must be met. The chair of the departmental committee must find out what these deadlines are and to make certain that the work of the departmental committee can be completed within the confines of these deadlines.

Upon receiving the proposed catalog copies from the college curriculum committee, the departmental committee circulates the copies among appropriate faculty members for their review and input. Appropriate faculty include those who are a part of the specialty area to which a given course or set of courses belongs. Within a week following the distribution of proposed catalog copy to appropriate faculty members, the departmental curriculum committee meets to compile all the additions, deletions, corrections, or changes suggested into a comprehensive copy to be proposed to the departmental faculty for submission to the university committee for inclusion in the catalog.

At least one week prior to the departmental meeting following the committee meeting to develop catalog copy of courses, the chair of the committee distributes to all faculty members a copy of the proposed course listings to be included in the catalog, noting changes, deletions, etc.

During the departmental meeting related to catalog copy, the chair of the committee proposes that the corrections and finalized catalog copy be forwarded to the college curriculum committee as presented. All points of discussion, question, or debate should be brought out during this faculty meeting. Persons who proposed changes, etc. are required to be available for presenting their rationale as needed. When discussion has been exhausted, the committee chair asks for a majority vote by the faculty to forward the proposed catalog copy to the university curriculum committee.

Following this majority vote, the chair sends the finalized document to the appropriate person representing the college curriculum committee.

Other communication areas. An additional area of coordinating what is communicated within and outside the department related to curriculum includes brochures concerning the department. Such brochures include any departmental recruiting documents, summer, special, on campus, off campus, evening or daytime semester course listings, etc.

Procedures. Whenever documents are developed that include reference to specific curricula offered through the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, the document must be submitted to the chair of the departmental curriculum committee.

The chair will convene the committee to make certain that references to curriculum are consistent with heretofore agreed upon statements.

Following this meeting, the chair will distribute copies of the document(s) among all faculty for review one week prior to the next faculty meeting.

During this departmental meeting, the chair proposes that the document be distributed publicly. Discussions about changes, deletions, and indeed whether the document should be distributed are brought out. When the discussions are complete, the faculty are asked for a unanimous vote on whether to distribute the document as intended.

In the face of the lack of a majority vote, an ad hoc committee is assembled. This ad hoc committee is comprised of the person(s) responsible for developing the document and one curriculum committee member. Other faculty members may join if they wish and if it seems worthwhile and appropriate. The document is revised according to recommendations from the faculty, and resubmitted through the entire process for faculty decision.

B. Changes in the curriculum

Changes in the curriculum to which reference is made here includes but are not necessarily limited to: proposing new courses, significant revisions to existing courses, new course requirements, general curriculum requirements, and new programs or revisions to existing programs within given specialty areas. All changes must be brought to the departmental faculty for discussion and approval. Some changes such as new courses, new programs within specialty areas and new specialty areas also require the approval of the graduate faculty. The chair of the committee is responsible for knowing which actions are to be proposed to which faculty factions, and for coordinating committee work with the schedules and meetings of these faculty entities. This information is provided in the faculty handbook under sections titled curriculum committees and procedures.

Procedures. Any faculty member in the department or a faction thereof may propose a change of some sort in the curriculum. This change may pertain to any of the above noted possibilities or of a similar nature. This proposed change and the rationale for it must be submitted to the chair of the curriculum committee in writing.

The chair distributes the document among the committee members and includes discussion of it during the next regularly scheduled meeting of the committee, or schedules a special meeting. The point of discussion is to make certain the proposal is clear as to what is being proposed, what the rationale is and what faculty groups will be involved in the final decisions.

Next, one week prior to the next scheduled Educational Leadership and Policy Studies faculty meeting the document is distributed among all faculty in the department. The topic is made a part of the agenda for discussion and action during the departmental meeting.

During the departmental meeting, the chair of the committee moves that the proposed change(s) in curricular matters be approved by majority vote of the faculty. Discussion concerning clarity, rationale, implications, etc. should proceed during this faculty meeting. The person(s) involved in proposing the change(s) must be available during the discussion to address questions and concerns of the faculty. When discussion has subsided, the chair of the committee asks for a majority vote in support of accepting the proposal as is within the department, and if appropriate, forwarding it to the next faculty decision making entity. In the latter case, faculty are asked to attend the meeting of the additional faculty group to lend support and clarification if appropriate.

If there is not a majority vote by the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies faculty, the question must be proposed whether the faculty believe the proposal should continue to be debated, and if so, what the next step should be, or whether to drop the proposal for all future consideration.

If the decision is to continue debate, the faculty will have suggested what needs to be taken care of in the proposal. The chair then selects an ad hoc subcommittee to incorporate suggestions of the faculty. This sub committee will be comprised of one or more of the persons making the proposal, plus a member of the curriculum committee. Other faculty members may join if they wish and if it seems worthwhile and appropriate.

Revised proposals are submitted to the chair of the curriculum committee who distributes them among the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies faculty at least one week prior to the next faculty meeting following receipt of the revisions. The topic is again put on the agenda for this faculty meeting.

Discussion is initiated by requesting support for the proposal. The discussion is followed by a vote by the faculty. Majority vote by the faculty is needed for the proposal to be sent forward. If there is not a majority vote this second time, the issue is to be dropped unless an alternative action is suggested by the faculty.

C. Curriculum Issues

Although A. and B. above outline pro

C. Curriculum Issues

Although A. and B. above outline procedures and tasks that may involve various issues and their discussion and resolve by the faculty, it may be necessary to focus more directly on certain issues of immediate need and that may not necessarily need to be coordinated through committees outside the department. Examples may include but certainly not limited to questions concerning curriculum guides in courses offered in the department, syllabi reviews, course procedures, courses offered for people across program specialties, core course deliberations, etc.

Procedures. All proposals, questions, or concerns about curriculum issues that need to be brought to the faculty for discussion and action must be routed through the curriculum committee. Whoever wishes that an issue is addressed by the faculty must submit the request for deliberation to the chair of the curriculum committee in writing. The chair copies the document, distributes copies among committee members, and schedules it for discussion by the committee (and will usually ask the author of the document to attend for clarification and answering questions).

Assuming the committee is satisfied that the proposal or request is clear, copies of the proposal are distributed among all the faculty. This distribution is done at least one week in advance of the faculty meeting where discussion and action on the proposal is scheduled.

During the departmental meeting, the chair of the committee moves that the proposal related to an issue in curricular matters be approved. Discussion concerning clarity, rationale, implications. etc. should proceed during this faculty meeting. The person(s) involved in submitting the proposal must be available during the discussion to address questions and concerns of the faculty. When discussion has subsided, the chair of the committee asks for majority votes for accepting the proposal as is within the department, and if appropriate, forwarding it to the next faculty decision making entity. In the latter case, faculty are asked to attend the meeting of the additional faculty group to lend support and clarification if appropriate.

If there is no majority vote by the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies faculty, the question must be proposed whether the faculty believe the proposal should continue to be debated, and if so, what the next step should be, or whether to drop the proposal for all future consideration.

If the decision is to continue debate, the faculty will have suggested what needs to be taken care of in the proposal. The chair then selects an ad hoc subcommittee to incorporate suggestions of the faculty. This sub committee will be comprised of one or more of the persons making the proposal, plus a member of the curriculum committee. Other faculty members may join if they wish and if it seems worthwhile and appropriate.

Revised proposals are submitted to the chair of the curriculum committee who distributes them among the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies faculty at least one week prior to the next faculty meeting following receipt of the revisions. The topic is again put on the agenda for this faculty meeting.

Discussion at the faculty meeting is initiated by the chair of the committee proposing support of the proposal. The discussion that follows is intended to provide clarity, rationale and other relevant information helpful to the faculty in making a decision to support or not support the proposal. When discussion is completed, the chair asks for majority support of the proposal as is within the department, and if appropriate, forwarding it to the next faculty decision making entity. In the latter case, faculty are asked to attend the meeting of the additional faculty group to lend support and clarification if appropriate.

If there is no majority vote by the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies faculty, the question must be proposed whether the faculty believe the proposal should continue to be debated, and if so, what the next step should be, or whether to drop the proposal for all future consideration.

If the decision is to continue debate, the faculty will have suggested what needs to be taken care of in the proposal. The chair then selects an ad hoc subcommittee to incorporate suggestions of the faculty. This sub committee will be comprised of one or more of the persons making the proposal, plus a member of the curriculum committee.

Revised proposals are submitted to the chair of the curriculum committee who distributes them among the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies faculty at least one week prior to the next faculty meeting following receipt of the revisions. The topic is again put on the agenda for this faculty meeting.

Discussion is initiated by requesting support for the proposal. The discussion is followed by a faculty vote. A majority faculty vote shall carry the motion. If there is not a majority vote favoring the proposal this second time, the issue is to be dropped unless an alternative action is suggested by the faculty.

Committee Membership

This committee is comprised of each Program Coordinator plus at least two other members of the faculty in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. All members of the faculty are eligible to serve on the committee. Additionally, the person representing the college on the graduate curriculum committee who is also a member of the college committee is an ex-officio member of the departmental curriculum committee. This ex-officio membership is critical to maintaining continuity and communication across the various curriculum committees.

The responsibilities of the chair are:

o To schedule meetings of the committee on an interval basis, and, depending upon the needs related to the work of the committee, on an ad hoc or needs-demands basis.

o To maintain a record of the minutes of each meeting of the committee to include what questions and issues were discussed, what was concluded, when the meeting occurred and who was present.

o To bring to the faculty during departmental meetings the proposed action(s) the faculty are being asked to take regarding the substance of discussions during the committee meetings.