Mar 28, 2024  
Faculty Handbook 
    
Faculty Handbook

Chapter 5 Faculty Participation in Academic Policy and Curriculum Development



Academic Policy and Curriculum Matters

Faculty Involvement in Academic Policy Decisions

Section 502 D (2) of The Code of the University of North Carolina mandates that the Chancellor of each of the constituent institutions in the UNC system “shall insure the establishment of appropriate procedures within the institution to provide members of the faculty the means to give advice with respect to questions of academic policy and institutional governance, with particular emphasis upon matters of curriculum, degree requirements, instructional standards, and grading criteria.” At UNCP, the faculty advises the Chancellor in such matters via the procedures of the Faculty Senate and its committee structure.

Curriculum Development and Revision Process

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke has a clearly defined process for the development of curriculum, including degree programs, tracks, concentrations, minors, and individual courses:

  1. The UNC Board of Governors must approve proposals for new degree programs. These proposals must be prepared according to specified guidelines of the UNC Academic Program Development Procedures.
  2. All graduate programs must be submitted to the UNC Graduate Council for review and approval and to the UNC Board of Governors for approval.
  3. Curriculum development and revisions proposals are initiated by the faculty of the academic departments by completing one of three standardized curriculum forms: Course Proposal Forms, General Education Course Proposal Forms, and Program Proposal Forms.
  4. Curriculum proposals are reviewed by the department and signed by the Department Chair.
  5. In the case of proposals affecting other departments, including the cross-listing of courses, the proposal form should be submitted by the originating department. The votes of affected departments are recorded, and the Chairs of affected departments also review and sign the proposal. If the cross-listed course affects a program in the affected department, the affected department must submit a program proposal documenting the change to the program. Crosslisted course numbers must be approved by the Registrar’s office.
  6. If the development or change affects Teacher Education, the Teacher Education Committee reviews the proposal and the Chair of that Committee signs it. Graduate curriculum proposals and new graduate programs must first be approved by the Graduate Council before being submitted to the Curriculum Subcommittee. Graduate Teacher Education proposals should be submitted to the Teacher Education Committee before being submitted to the Graduate Council.
  7. The Registrar, the appropriate Dean, and the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs must also sign the proposal.
  8. Proposals involving any aspect of the General Education Program are submitted to the Curriculum Subcommittee before being submitted to the General Education Subcommittee. The only exceptions are proposals involving existing courses with no modifications seeking inclusion in the General Education Program.
  9. All other proposals are submitted only to the Curriculum Subcommittee.
  10. Proposals involving the creation of new courses, revisions to existing courses or course deletions are submitted on Course Proposal Forms.
  11. Proposals involving new courses must attach sample syllabi to the electronic submittion only. (A hard copy of the syllabus is not required with the signed form.) New course numbers must be approved by the Registrar’s office.
  12. In instances where an identical change is made to multiple courses, (i.e., deleting or adding prerequisites or changing credit hours for courses), one form may be used for multiple proposals. Otherwise, each course proposal requires a separate form.
  13. Proposals involving one or more changes to degree programs, tracks, concentrations or minors, etc., are submitted on the Program Proposal Form. Program proposals involving changes to the catalog must attach a revised catalog description to the electronic submission. A hard copy of the revised catalog description must be attached to the signed form.
  14. Electronic forms are due to the Chair of Curriculum 10 days (two Mondays) prior to the Curriculum meeting, which usually meets on the first Thursday of every month. (The Curriculum Committee does not meet in January and at times adjusts the March meeting date, depending on the spring break schedule.)
  15. Signed hard copies are due to the Chair of Curriculum on the Monday before the Curriculum meeting. It is the responsibility of the proposing department to ensure that all signatures are acquired prior to delivering hard copies to the Chair of Curriculum.

A representative from the department submitting the proposals must be present at Curriculum Subcommittee meetings to address any questions or provisions that may arise. The proposal is reviewed and a vote is taken. If the proposal passes, the Chair of the Subcommittee on Curriculum forwards the curriculum matters to the appropriate office or committee.

The Curriculum Subcommittee is responsible for sending to the Academic Affairs Committee all information pertaining to each individual course that is necessary for the Banner System. The Curriculum Subcommittee shall make recommendations to the Academic Affairs Committee on their adoption, and proposals shall move forward based upon the following policies:

  1. The Subcommittee on Curriculum will treat as minor, and send to the Registrar without Academic Affairs Committee and Senate approval, the following types of proposals: course and program modifications involving changes to prerequisites, course descriptions, course titles, and course deletions; the addition or substitution of one or two electives to a program; and program modifications mandated by changes previously approved by Senate. These will be considered minor changes and forwarded to the Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee for his/her signature, unless the Subcommittee on Curriculum has a compelling reason to forward said revisions to the Academic Affairs Committee.
  2. Approved program modifications involving the addition or deletion of tracks, required courses, or more than two elective options at a time will proceed to the Academic Affairs Committee.
  3. All program modifications described in B, once approved by the Academic Affairs Committee, proceed to the Senate.
  4. All new program proposals (including new degrees, academic majors, concentrations, minors, and certificates), deletions of above programs, new General Education course proposals, and General Education course deletions require Faculty Senate approval.
  5. Individual new courses not part of General Education program require approval by the Academic Affairs Committee but not the Faculty Senate.
  6. All curriculum items not requiring Academic Affairs Committee approval will be reported to the Academic Affairs Committee by the chair of the Subcommittee on Curriculum. All curriculum items not requiring Faculty Senate approval will be reported to the Senate by the chair of the Academic Affairs Committee.

A representative of the department whose proposal is being considered must be present at all committee meetings beyond the Curriculum Subcommittee level as necessary to address questions and concerns regarding their proposal.

This multilevel approval process is used to assess the curriculum and the process for curriculum development and revision. In addition, the curriculum and the process are evaluated as part of the institutional assessment made by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Curricula of the various departments and the process used to develop curriculum are assessed by those agencies who accredit particular programs, e.g., at UNC Pembroke, the National Council for Assessment of Teacher Education, the State Department of Public Instruction, the National Association of Schools of Music, and the Council on Social Work Education.

General Education Program Changes

Revisions to the General Education Program may include policy changes or content alterations. Recommendations for General Education Program policy changes are forwarded from the General Education Subcommittee to the Academic Affairs Committee.

Curricular content (course) changes typically emerge from an individual academic department.

  1. In the case of proposals for new courses seeking inclusion in the General Education Program, the proposal should be sent to the Subcommittee on Curriculum first. If the course is approved as a new course by the said Subcommittee, it will then continue through the curriculum approval process until final approval is granted. Upon approval of the new course, the proposing department may submit the course to the General Education Subcommittee for review. If the course is approved as General Education course, it will then be forwarded to the Academic Affairs Committee for the continuation of this portion of the curriculum process.
  2. In the case of proposals for existing courses seeking inclusion in the General Education Program, the proposing department may submit the course directly to the General Education Subcommittee for review. If approved, the General Education Subcommittee will present its recommendation directly to the Academic Affairs Committee. Such proposals need not be considered by the Subcommittee on Curriculum, unless a change is proposed in the course, in addition to the request for its inclusion in the General Education Program.
  3. In the case of proposals for changes/modifications to existing courses which are already in the General Education Program, the course changes/modifications proposals should first be approved by the Subcommittee on Curriculum and continue through the approval process. After the proposed changes/modifications to the course are approved, the proposing department must send the newly revised course to the General Education Subcommittee, which in turn must ensure the changes made to the course warrant continuation as a part of the General Education Program.
  4. In the case of course deletions, the proposal must first be submitted to the Subcommittee on Curriculum and continue through the approval process until final approval is given. Following approval, a course removal proposal may be presented to the General Education Subcommittee for review. If the proposal is approved, it will then be forwarded to the Academic Affairs Committee for the continuation of this portion of the curriculum process.
  5. If a course is to be removed from the General Education Program only, then the proposal is to be brought directly to the General Education Subcommittee, after which the proposal will be forwarded to the Academic Affairs Committee for the continuation of this portion of the curriculum process.
  6. Changes to a General Education course title, number or description are considered minor changes, and may go directly from the Academic Affairs Committee to the registrar. Faculty Senate approval is not required.
  7. Changes to a General Education course prerequisite, or the addition or deletion of a General Education course are considered major changes and require Academic Affairs and Faculty Senate approval.