Curriculum Proposal Content

Select the appropriate Course Type checkboxes in this section to customize the form as needed.

• General Education – Check this box if the course is to be considered for GE, or is already a GE Course. (This will reveal the GE section of the form below.) You will need to demonstrate that the course meets GE requirements.
• Lecture/Lab Combo – Check this box if the proposal is creating or modifying two courses that are typically corequisites as a lecture and a lab. (This will reveal a second set of course information fields for the associated lab.) If you are only modifying an existing lecture or lab, but not both, this box does not need to be checked.
• Community Service Learning – Check this box if the course is to receive a CS designation and will meet the standards set forward to do this. (Documentation to justify the designation will be required if this box is checked.) Refer to the Community-Based Learning Policy and consult the Office of Community Engagement with questions regarding Service Learning.
• New Experimental Topic – Check this box if the course is to be a new experimental topics course. Departments may choose to propose a course as an experimental topic instead of a traditional new course. The intent of experimental topics is to provide departments with the flexibility to try out, change and improve the course before deciding to propose it as a permanent course. Experimental Topics are numbered x96 for undergraduate-level courses. An experimental course can be implemented the semester following EPC approval. Once initially approved, an experimental topics course can be offered up to 4 times in a 6-year period. EPC must be notified one semester prior to re-offering a previously approved experimental course. Note: Experimental Topics courses are not available for General Education credit.

General Education (only visible if GE button above is checked)

• Select the appropriate GE section(s) for this course.
• Attach the Course Alignment Matrices and Course Objectives Charts (.doc) for each of the relevant GE section(s) and designation(s). Note:
• If the Information Competence box is checked, a matrix for IC must also be provided and demonstrate that all Information Competence SLOs are satisfied. In addition, the syllabus should clearly detail how students learn and practice the IC SLOs.
• If the course is upper division, a matrix for Writing Intensive must also be provided and demonstrate that all Writing Intensive SLOs are satisfied. In addition, the syllabus should clearly detail how the WI requirement is met, including writing assignments totaling a minimum of 2,500 words and revision of work.

The vision of General Education (GE) is to ensure that all CSUN students have a broad background in disciplines at the University level in order to appreciate the breadth of human knowledge and the responsibilities of concerned and engaged citizens of the world. Students must become lifelong learners and leave the University with a set of skills that includes the ability to read critically, to write and communicate orally with clarity and persuasiveness, to evaluate and draw appropriate inferences from limited information, and to access the wealth of technical, scientific and cultural information that is increasingly available in the global community. Students must gain an understanding of the major contributions made by individuals from diverse backgrounds in the sciences, business and economics, the arts, literatures, politics and technologies. It is through the GE Program that CSUN ensures that all students gain a sincere appreciation of how the diverse cultures housed in the United States, and specifically Southern California, lead to creative thinking and expression during a time in human history when cultural diversity provides different perspectives and insights from which to view human endeavors. (See the University General Education Policy.)

GE Pattern Modifications

A pattern modification is a change to the General Education pattern of courses for a specific major. Pattern modifications needs to be requested using a program modification form. See Program Proposals and Process for Requesting a Pattern Modification (.pdf) for more information.

• Subject Abbreviation – Enter the appropriate subject abbreviation for the department or program offering the course.
• Course Number – There are several course numbering conventions across the university, and most departments or programs may also have numbering guidelines. If you are not aware of your department's numbering guidelines, please consult your department chair.
  The course number should correspond to the appropriate level (see Course Numbering System.) Course numbers may have letter suffixes for uniqueness and specificity. Note:
  • Courses that end in -94 are typically internships
  • Courses that end in -96 are typically experimental
  • Courses that end in -99 are typically independent study

Course numbers cannot be reused.

Why: Once a course number has been assigned, it is part of the curriculum. For example, if a student who graduated in 1972 took a course, and needed a transcript, and we repurposed a number that has been unused for 30 years, it would come out on their transcript incorrectly and relate to curriculum that no longer exists. Programs attach to time, but courses do not.

• 100-199: Freshman or first-year lower division undergraduate courses.
• 200-299: Sophomore or second-year lower division undergraduate courses.
• 300-399: Junior or third-year upper division undergraduate courses.
• 400-499: Senior or fourth-year upper division undergraduate courses. Graduate students may enroll in 400-level courses that have been approved by GSC for graduate credit.

Select one of the following based on the course numbering system:

• Undergraduate Only
• Undergraduate/Graduate
• Graduate Only

• Course Title – The title appears in the catalog and on official documents and allows students to know what the course is. EPC appreciates descriptive course titles.
• Course Short Title– Provide a legible Short Title that expresses the Long Course Title as clearly as possible within 20 characters, including spaces. Short Titles appear on transcripts, DPRs, Class Search and more. In addition, a poor short title may negatively impact students applying to graduate school or transferring to another institution. Tips:
  • Focus on keywords.
  • Choose established or well-known abbreviations, when available.
  • Avoid punctuation such as periods and commas. The ampersand is an acceptable abbreviation for the word and.
  • Avoid obscure abbreviations, lack of spaces between words, and acronyms that may represent real words or abbreviations with a different meaning.

• Units – When setting the unit value of a course, a critical element is the understanding of the definition of a credit hour. (A unit is the same as a credit hour.)

University Definition of a Credit Hour

For all CSU degree programs and courses bearing academic credit, the “credit hour” is defined as “the amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than:

1. One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately 15 weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or 10 to 12 weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
2. At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.”

A credit hour is assumed to be a 50-minute period. In courses in which “seat time” does not apply, a credit hour may be measured by an equivalent amount of work, as demonstrated by student achievement.

Beyond the credit hour policy, the units in conjunction with the method of teaching determine the classification of a course. Choosing the most appropriate teaching method on the C-S Factor Table (.pdf) determines faculty contact hours, recommended class size and WTU (determined by K-factor). See the section on Classification.

• Number of times a course may be taken for credit – Typically one time, but in certain types of courses, such as production or performance courses in art or music, the student will have a different experience in each repetition of the course.
• Number of course units allowed – The number of units multiplied by the number of times a course may be taken for credit. This represents the maximum number of units on the transcript a student can earn by taking this course.

• Course C-Classification – The C-factor is a classification that creates a standard widely used across academia, and within the CSU. When choosing a C-factor it is critical to examine the method of teaching. Within each method of teaching there are separations based on the type of learning. (See Course Classification Table.)
• Methods of Teaching
• Lecture/Discussion/Seminar: C-1 through C-6
• Activity Classes: C-7 through C-14
• Laboratories: C-15 through C-17
• Intercollegiate Sports: C-18 through C-19
• Performance Activities: C-20 through C-21
• Supervisory/Nontraditional Class Work: S-23 through C-78

What EPC is looking for: EPC wants to know that the proposed classification is consistent with the course being offered, that students are getting the correct amount of credit for the coursework they are being asked to do, and that faculty are being fairly and appropriately compensated for the work they are expected to do. Reviewing bodies will look carefully at the description and execution of the course in the sample syllabus to make sure it is consistent with the proposed C-factor.

• Course Basis of Grading
  
  • Letter Grade
  • Credit/No Credit Only
  • Both (Student Option)

The grading basis is coded into SOLAR when the course is created.

When modifying a course, it is critical to know the existing basis of grading. Contact your Department/College SOC coordinator or Associate Dean to find out the existing basis of grading.

Note: Courses taken on a CR/NC basis cannot be applied toward the satisfaction of any of the following degree requirements:

• General Education.
• Title 5.
• The major, except those courses offered on a CR/NC basis only, subject to departmental approval. (Note: Additional courses in the discipline of the major beyond those used to satisfy major requirements may not be taken for CR/NC)
• The minor, except those courses offered on a CR/NC basis only, subject to departmental approval.

See Credit/No Credit Grading for more information.

What is a cross-listed course?

Two or more courses with the same content taught under different subject abbreviations. The courses are coded as equivalent in SOLAR. Cross-listed courses should have the same course number, requisites and description. In addition, the description must list the other cross-listed courses (see Sample Course Descriptions).

When and why would I want to cross-list a course?

[We need to fill this out still]

How do I cross-list a course?

Complete the Cross Listed Courses section of the proposal form. Select the Add button to insert the form fields. Separate proposals must be submitted for each side of the cross-listed course. If the course(s) are new, the section needs to be filled out on each new course proposal. If one course is existing and the other one is new, then both a course modification (for the extant course) and a new course proposal (for the new course) need to be submitted.

What EPC is looking for: [We still need to fill this out]

Requisites may include recommended preparatory or required coursework that must be completed either prior to (prerequisite) or concurrently with (corequisite) enrollment in a course.

• Prerequisites: Enforced at the catalog level. Students will be held to the stated prerequisites when enrolling in the course.
• Corequisites: Enforced at the catalog level. Students will be held to the stated corequisites during registration and must enroll in both components (e.g., a lecture and a corequisite lab). In addition, some courses may have a corequisite that is one directional, such as students can enroll in the lecture without the lab but not the lab without the lecture.
• Recommended Preparatory: Not enforced at the catalog level. Students will not be held to the recommended preparatory when enrolling in a course.

Prerequisite Best Practices

• General Education breadth courses are intended for all students regardless of major and typically have no prerequisites or minimal prerequisites.
• Upper Division General Education (UDGE) courses are writing intensive. Completion of the lower division writing requirement (i.e., freshman composition) is a prerequisite for all UDGE courses.
• Courses at the 100- and 300-level are introductory and typically have no requisites or minimal prerequisites, whereas courses at the 200- and 400-level are advanced courses that often have requisites that build on lower division coursework in the major. See Course Numbering System for more information.
• Check for departmental practices regarding use (or non-use) of prerequisites for certain levels of courses.
• Include if the course is only open / not open to majors. General Education courses must be open to all majors.
• Note: All requisites need to be stated in the course description.

What EPC is looking for: EPC has no preferences in terms of requisites. Requisites are used to assure that students have the appropriate knowledge to succeed in the course. Some programs have found that too many requisites slow down student progress to graduation, while too few may slow the pace of a class as students are not all equally prepared for learning.

Provide the course description to be included in the University Catalog and SOLAR. This course description must also be included in the course syllabus.

• If the course classification is C-7 or above, the contact hours should be listed at the end of the description. The contact hours are calculated by multiplying the number of units by the Faculty Contact Hours Per CCU for the respective classification, found on page 3 of the Course Classification Guide (.pdf).
• List any GE sections that the course satisfies.
• Include requisites in the description.

See also: Sample Course Descriptions

What EPC is looking for: A course description that helps a student understand what the course is about, and any reasonable expectations they should be aware of when registering for the class.

Select all that apply:

• Own Program – The course will be used by students in a program run by the department
• Major
• Minor
• Masters
• Doctoral
• Credential
• Graduate Certificate
• Requirement or elective in another program

The justification should be detailed enough to make the need for the addition or change clear to all readers, who may or may not have specific knowledge of the program.

• If early implementation is requested, provide the request and justification in this field. Please note that early implementation can only be granted in one of the following situations (per the EPC SOPs). Be as specific as possible when requesting early implementation, by providing details such as deadlines or number of students impacted. Please quantify the benefits and challenges associated with early implementation.
  • Programmatic/curricular need (e.g., accreditation requires early implementation or students’ time-to-degree is negatively impacted without early implementation)
  • Significant resource implications (e.g., a course is too expensive to run without a change in the S or C-factor or needing courses for a new faculty member to teach)

Thoroughly answer both questions in the Impact section of the proposal form.

• Estimate the impact of this proposal on resources within the department, for other departments, and the University. See Resource Implications for Curricular Change (.pdf).
  • It is important to highlight both positive and negative impacts to demonstrate that the impacts have been fully considered.
  • Proposals should thoroughly address the relevant resource implications with careful thought specific to the proposal. For example, while a department may have adequate faculty to teach a new course, that faculty member is typically already fully engaged, which would then result in providing additional WTU to adjunct faculty. The impact should explore if the department has adequate WTU to accommodate the new course, and if so, how, and if not, what are the proposed solutions.
  • EPC does not allocate resources nor will this curriculum proposal generate the request for allocation of resources in any way; however, it is expected that as part of the process of proposing this curriculum, the faculty will work with the department chair in conjunction with the Associate Dean of the college to discuss the resource requirements and find a possible path to satisfying the needs expressed.
• Describe the impact on students in the department and/or other departments’ programs.

Explain which of the program’s measurable Student Learning Outcomes are addressed in this course. Either (a) provide a narrative in the field below explaining how the course addresses program SLOs or (b) attach Alignment Matrix and Course Objectives Chart (.doc) as supporting documentation.

• If a narrative is provided, it should contain the same information requested in the table, but in narrative form.
• If the course is GE, demonstrate how the course meets the relevant GE SLOs. If the course requires an additional designation (WI or IC) these should be included as well.

• Provide methods of assessment for measurable student learning outcomes. (A) list the planned assessment tools AND (B) Describe the procedure the department/program will use to ensure the faculty will be involved in the process (refer to the University’s policy on assessment.)
• CSUN has a campus assessment policy that requires program assessment at the department and program level to support curricular revision and program review. (See CSU General Education Breadth Requirements from the Chancellor’s Office as well as CSUN’s Student Outcomes Assessment Policy.) Since the establishment of that assessment policy, EPC has included questions regarding course and program student learning outcomes and assessment methods on all curriculum forms used to propose curriculum revisions. Curriculum proposals should outline both how assessment activities have contributed to the proposal and how the curriculum proposal will fit into the program and/or GE assessment program. This information may be provided in narrative form, but the narrative must contain all of the information that would be presented on the Course Alignment Matrix and Course Objectives Chart (.doc). EPC will expect to review the relevant SLOs and assessment information as part of new course proposals and as part of significant course and/or program modifications. (Any course modification in which there is no change to the content being delivered to students does not require this information, but should clearly state this in the assessment section to avoid confusion.)

What EPC is looking for: Typically, the committee wants to see how the department plans to include the new course in their assessment activities and ensure it is doing the work that the program intends it to do for our students. Straightforward explanations suffice. 

Note: This is not where the committee wants to understand how students are being assessed in the course, that should happen in the attached syllabus. Explain how the course’s effectiveness is being assessed in the program. If you need help determining this, your department or college assessment coordinator should be able to help.

A sample syllabus is required for all new course proposals, or with a course modification if the content of the course is changing or being updated. Review the Syllabus Best Practices website for additional information.

What EPC is looking for:

• The committee prefers that the syllabus contains no personal information relating to instructor who may teach the course, as curriculum does not belong to any specific faculty member.
• The syllabus must meet the CSUN Syllabus Policy. EPC will not review proposals if the syllabus does not meet the policy.
• The syllabus should have a clear indication of how a student will be graded, and if there is a significant amount of "subjective" grading (like participation), clear grading practices should be explained. Historically, the committee believes that grading practices should be more transparent than discretionary, and that students should understand how their grade will be calculated (and even to calculate it on their own).

• A selected bibliography is requested so that the committee can understand the breadth and depth of the content of the course, and to include this information as part of the record. The selected bibliography is not required reading for the course. Rather, this is a list you would show a colleague who was going to teach the course, to demonstrate the body of information the course covers. Current/recent sources should be included in this list, reflecting current thinking in the field.
• A bibliography is required for all new course proposals, or with a course modification if the content of the course is changing or being updated.

Attach any other relevant supporting documentation. Beyond the attachments requested above, these are typical documents you might attach.

• Alignment Matrix and Course Objectives Chart (.doc) (See Measurable Program Student Learning Outcomes above.)
• Letters of accreditation requiring curricular change

The general purposes of consultation are to ensure that other departments and colleges around campus are aware of new and changed curriculum, to identify areas of overlap, to identify implications of curricular changes for other departments and colleges, and to simply make other units aware of new or changed offerings in areas that may be of interest. See Guidelines for Curricular Consultation (.pdf) for more information. Use the Add button to list all other affected colleges and departments in the record of consultation.

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