Procedure:     Curriculum Approval Guidelines
Department:    Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning
Contact:          Craig Taylor, (541) 463-5364           taylorc@lanecc.edu

Curriculum approval shall be in accordance with The Community College Handbook of the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), and B.030 Board Duties and Responsibilities: College Program.

Instructional managers or staff developing new curriculum can locate appropriate forms from Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning or by contacting Curriculum and Scheduling.

New and Revised Courses

1. Either an Application for New or Revised Course Approval Form or a Credit Change Approval Form shall be submitted to Curriculum and Scheduling at least ten working days prior to the next scheduled Curriculum Committee meeting, and shall include the following:

a. A course outline (in Section 2 of the Course Approval Form);

b. Appropriate signatures of library liaison, division administrative assistant, division chair, and any division chairs of programs affected by the new program or course;

c. Special Fees Request Form to be forwarded to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs (OASA);

d. Minimum course certification requirements and faculty certification forms to be forwarded to OASA; and

e. If appropriate, applications to Degree Requirements Review Committee for status fulfilling degree requirements in Arts & Letters, Social Science, Science/Math/Computer Science, Ethnic/Gender/Cultural Diversity, or Human Relations.

Revisions of a minor nature such as title change, number change, or making a course variable credit shall be made by filling out Section 2 of the application (Course Outline). Minor changes will be considered on the consent agenda of the Curriculum Committee.

3. The Curriculum Approval Committee will review each course proposal for:

a. Educational merit;

b. Instructional priority;

c. Budget implication; and

d. Need as documented in the proposal.

4. Curriculum and Scheduling is responsible for obtaining authorization signatures from the Curriculum Committee chair and the Office of Academic and Student Affairs, and for completing the appropriate forms to send to the Oregon Department of Education for state approval.

5. Courses approved prior to the catalog publishing deadline in January will be included in the catalog effective the following summer term. New courses approved after the January deadline will be published the following catalog year, and must be publicized by the division if offered prior to the publication in the catalog. Course revisions approved after the catalog deadline will take effect upon catalog publication the following academic year or pending completion of all requirements imposed by the Curriculum Committee.

New Professional Technical Program and/or Option Development

The time lines for the formal curriculum approval process are established annually and published each term. The formal curriculum approval process involves three approval bodies: the Lane Curriculum Committee; the Lane Board of Education; and the State Board of Education (upon staff review and recommendation of ODE Office of Educational Innovation and Improvement).

Program developers must consult the CCWD resources for program development.  At least a year must be allowed to shepherd a new program through the process.

1. An advisory committee for the new Associate of Applied Science, new AAS option or Certificate of Completion must be formed. This committee will originally serve as an ad hoc committee and will then become a permanent committee when the program is approved.  Copies of all advisory committee meeting minutes will be sent to ODE with the proposal to demonstrate active advisory committee involvement.  Advisory minutes must show that the committee met and approved the program proposal.

2. A Notice of Intent (NOI) and Labor Market Information Worksheet (LMI) will be prepared by the developer following state guidelines in cooperation with Curriculum and Scheduling. The Notice of Intent must be presented to the Curriculum Committee a year in advance of proposed implementation. After approval by the Curriculum Committee, Curriculum and Scheduling will send the Notice of Intent to ODE for transmittal to other institutions.

3. The Notice of Intent is processed by ODE. The college will be advised of time lines for processing the program application. The Oregon Department of Education will send adverse impact notice to other institutions, a process which takes about a month.

4. With assistance from Curriculum and Scheduling and the Planning Guide, the developer prepares the Program Highlights Worksheet and Program Application. Curriculum and Scheduling will distribute the finalized program proposal for the Curriculum Committee meeting. The program proposal needs to be submitted to the Curriculum Committee by the January meeting, or the college will not be assured of state approval for implementation the following fall term.

5. If there is no adverse impact claim by the specified deadline, the developer of the proposal attends the Lane Curriculum Committee meeting to present program information and answer any committee questions. The Committee will recommend to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs whether to approve or deny approval. If there is an adverse impact claim, the developer must work with the Office of Educational Innovation and Improvement to resolve the issues before proceeding.

6. The finalized packet is submitted to the vice president Academic and Student Affairs for signature.

7. The proposal is presented to the Lane Board of Education for approval.

8. When approved by the Lane Board of Education, the proposed program is forwarded to the Oregon Department of Education for the recommendation of the Office of Educational Innovation and Improvement to the State Board of Education. A representative of Academic and Student Affairs and the department may attend the meeting of the State Board of Education to answer questions about the proposal.

9. The State Board of Education sends the college notification of program approval, and the program will be published in the college catalog. Any new program to be implemented prior to the beginning of the next catalog year must be publicized by the offering division.