Consultation guidelines

Curriculum proposals rarely can be considered in a silo. It is important to understand how a proposal - to create, to change, and/or to retire - can impact existing curriculum across campus, including another academic unit's plans for proposals of their own. Consulting those other units is critical, needs to occur early in the process, and should be documented in Kuali Curriculum Management (CM) during the submission process. Kuali CM is not a replacement for communication, but can be used as a tool to share proposals with other Kuali CM users.

Below are some guidelines regarding when consultation is needed. If additional guidance is required, users can contact their faculty/institution representative and/or the Office of Registrar.

Consultation is essential because:

• It helps to clarify the impacts and resolve potential challenges related to curricular decisions and changes (for all units involved), including ownership, timetabling, instructor availability, room caps, course reserves, budget, etc.
• Related curricular business can all move forward at the same time – much clearer to the governance committees moving forward.

Courses

Course proposals may have an impact on other units (e.g., departments/schools, other faculties, Co-operative Experience Education (CEE), Centre for Extended Learning (CEL), etc.).

When is a consultation required?

Some examples (not an exhaustive list):

• When retiring a course that is listed in a plan(s) outside the originating academic unit (see Dependencies section to learn where the course is listed).
• When adding or removing a cross-listing (all stakeholders should be in agreement).
• When making any type of change to a course that is already cross-listed (all stakeholders should be in agreement).
• When changing requisites for a course that is listed in a plan(s) outside the originating academic unit (see Dependencies section to learn where the course is listed).
• When creating a course that other academic units might be interested in teaching/cross-listing or deemed to have research expertise (it is simpler to add the cross-listing at the same time a course is created than to modify it later with a different effective date).

Programs and plans

Modifications to academic programs or plans may have an impact on other units (e.g., departments/schools, other faculties, Co-operative Experience Education (CEE), Centre for Extended Learning (CEL), etc.), as well as students. Regardless if the change requires approval or is considered editorial, individuals and units impacted by the change should be identified and consideration should be given to consultation and communication. Communication between faculties and other units (e.g., CEE) still needs to occur for editorial changes, where applicable.

In addition, the Quality Council now requires that all major modifications "should include an assessment of the impact the proposed modification will have on the program’s students. Input from current students and recent graduates of the program should be considered as part of the development of the [major modification]". (Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance, n.d.) Individuals can reach out to the Academic Quality Enhancement (AQuE) Office for assistance in determining whether student consultation is required; check with the appropriate faculty/institution representative to see who should handle the inquiry. Note: The AQuE team will be determining whether a change is a major or minor modification once a proposal has been submitted - in some cases, the proposal may be sent back to the proposer or approved with a comment regarding needed student consultation.

When is consultation required?

Some examples (not an exclusive list):

• When adding courses (required or elective) from another discipline.
  • Before agreeing to an addition, disciplines should consider:
    • Will there be an increase in the demand for the course? Can this be accommodated?
    • Will enrolment reserves be needed to accommodate these students?
    • Do the requisites of the course need to be modified?
• When removing courses (required or elective) belonging to another discipline.