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Creating, revising, or dropping a course
Creating a course: overview of workflow process
Before a course may be scheduled using the Offerings Planner, the course first must exist in the MAUI Course Library. Please consult the MAUI Help Guide on creating a course for detailed instructions explaining where to find and how to complete the appropriate form.
Once the departmental or program initiator has completed the form to create a new course, it will move via workflow to the DEO, who must approve the request. The system then sends the form to the College for approval. Courses numbered 4999 and below are reviewed by the CLAS Undergraduate Programs curriculum team, including the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. Courses numbered above 4999 are reviewed by the CLAS Dean's Office.
Once this workflow process is completed, an automated email is sent to the initiator noting the completion of the request. A notice is also generated if anyone on the workflow route makes a change to the form's content.
Once a course exists in the Course Library, it can be scheduled to be offered in a specific semester. This process is handled by the administrative home of the course using the Offerings Planner. (Please see this MAUI Help Guide for an overview of how to use the Offerings Planner.) Please note: approval of the creation of a course by the College and its inclusion in the Course Library does not mean resources have been allocated for its instruction in any particular semester. Requesting funding is a separate process; any questions should be referred to the administrative home of the course. Departments with funding questions should ask the appropriate associate dean.
Deadline for creating a course
Requests to create new courses should be submitted via the MAUI course creation form as far in advance as possible. Requests may be submitted at any time, but they may take two weeks or more to process (and course creation requests that do not follow the policies on this page typically take longer to process than those that do). Keep in mind that after a course is created in the Course Library, it will also need to be added to the Offerings Planner and assigned a classroom for the semester in which it is to be taught, and these steps take time as well. This whole process should be completed in time for students to see the course in MyUI during early registration, when they enroll in courses for the following term.
Revising a course: overview of workflow process
Please consult the MAUI Help Guide on revising a course for detailed instructions explaining where to find and how to complete the appropriate form.
Once the departmental or program initator has completed the form to revise a course, it will move via workflow to the DEO, who must approve the request. The system then sends the form to the College for approval. Courses numbered 4999 and below are reviewed by the CLAS Undergraduate Programs curriculum team, including the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. Courses numbered above 4999 are reviewed by the CLAS Dean's Office.
Once this workflow process is completed, an automated email is sent to the initiator noting the completion of the request. A notice is also generated if anyone on the workflow route makes a change to the form's content.
Deadline for revising a course
Any revisions to a course must be completed (through the whole workflow path) before the MyUI schedule is published for the semester or session when the course change is effective. Revisions implemented after the publication date of the MyUI schedule would interfere with the student Schedule Builder and with final exam scheduling and exam room assignments, so they cannot be approved by the College.
Keep in mind that it may take several days or more to process a course revision (and requests that do not follow the policies on this page typically take longer to process than those that do). Please see the Registrar's Academic Calendar for specific dates for each semester or session; also see the Offerings Planner for publication of the MyUI Schedule.
Dropping a course: overview of workflow process
Please consult the MAUI Help Guide on dropping a course for detailed instructions explaining where to find and how to complete the appropriate form.
Once the departmental or program initiator has completed the form to drop a course, it will move via workflow to the DEO, who must approve the request. The system then sends the form to the College for approval. Courses numbered 4999 and below are reviewed by the CLAS Undergraduate Programs curriculum team, including the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. Courses numbered above 4999 are reviewed by the CLAS Dean's Office.
Once this workflow process is completed, an automated email is sent to the initiator noting the completion of the request. A notice is also generated if anyone on the workflow route makes a change to the form's content.
When a course is dropped from the Course Library, its course number can never be reused.
Deadline for dropping a course
Courses may be dropped at any time as long as they are not offered during or after the semester or session when they will be dropped. If a course has any future sections in the Offerings Planner, those sections must be removed before the course can be dropped from the Course Library.
If the course being dropped is required by any programs of study or serves as the prerequisite for any other course, the College and/or Registrar's Office will contact the department upon receipt of the course drop request to discuss an appropriate transition plan.
Guidelines for new course rationales
A rationale for any newly proposed course is required on the course approval form. Unlimited space is allotted to the rationale field. The following points should be covered:
- Why is the course material important?
- Who is the audience for the course?
- How does the course fit into the existing curriculum within the major, the minor, a certificate, the GE Program, as an elective, or in any other manner?
- Does this course overlap or appear to duplicate any courses in other CLAS departments?
- How frequently will it be offered and what is the plan for staffing this course over the next few times it is taught?
- Will at least 16 students enroll in the course when it is offered? If not, are there special considerations (i.e., space or equipment limitations)?
All course approval forms are reviewed by the College; forms without a convincing rationale are returned to the department for revision.
Sample rationales for new courses
"This course will complement the existing practical laboratory and methods courses currently being taught in the department, and it will strengthen and broaden skill sets available to undergraduate and graduate anthropology/archaeology students. The course will also fulfill a 100-level requirement for courses in archaeology and bioarchaeology for undergraduate majors. This course has been requested by students, but it has not been taught since the spring 2007 semester by a visiting professor (enrollment=19)."
"This course is being added to the catalog as a new regular offering for a faculty member hired last spring. This course, aimed at history majors and other senior undergraduates (Art History, Medieval Studies, English), fills a significant hole in our curriculum. It broadens the geographical reach of our medievalist offerings and the chronological reach of our history of the British Isles previously taught by the department."
"This course is being added to the catalog as a capstone course primarily aimed at Communication Studies majors who are seniors or juniors. It also counts toward the certificates, majors, and minors in International Studies and Latin American Studies. The course examines the history and theory of community media, with a focus on the Latin American region from the 1970s through the present. [. . .] This course is significant because it investigates how people use broadcasting and internet media at the community level to work for social and political change, cultural expression, and self-determination."
Inactive course review
Each fall, the Registrar prepares a list of "inactive" courses for review. Courses are defined as inactive if they will not have been taught for four years prior to the upcoming fall semester. These courses are reviewed by departments and the College for potential drops in the following fall semester. Departments are sent their inactive courses through workflow and asked to designate each course for continuance or discontinuance and provide a rationale for each decision. CLAS reviews all forms as part of this process.
Inactive course review is an important process for keeping the Course Library, General Catalog, degree audits, and sample plans accurate and helping students plan ahead. Please see this MAUI Help Guide for more information about the inactive course review process.