Purdue University Northwest > Faculty Senate > News > Senate Documents > FSD 21-16 Resolution to Update the Curriculum Change Process

FSD 21-16 Resolution to Update the Curriculum Change Process

August 10, 2022

 

PURDUE UNIVERSITY NORTHWEST FACULTY SENATE
Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee

FSD 21-16: Resolution to Update the Curriculum Change Process
FOR DISCUSSION AND ACTION

Whereas, current PNW Senate bylaws provide the faculty a right to participate in the curriculum process:

Whereas, every faculty member has the right to make curriculum proposals:

Whereas, the recent past has revealed instances of departments avoiding or ignoring individual faculty member curriculum proposals:

Therefore be it resolved: The Curriculum Committee of the PNW Faculty Senate recommends that the Faculty Senate approve this resolution to update the curriculum change process to adopt the following process:

 

  • Departments must act on individual proposals within 30 days, or proposal will be advanced via Curriculog to the College Level,
  • Colleges that fail to act on departmental proposals within 30 days, will have such proposals advanced to the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee, and
  • Individual faculty members may appeal a department or college vote with cause, to be considered by Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee for review and possible advance to next level for determination.

Committee Members:
Burton Lee Artz (Chair)
Matthew Bauman
Joan Dorman
Hansung Kim
Michael Alden Roller
Jennifer Williams (non-voting member)
Committee Members Voting in favor of this resolution: 5
Committee Members Voting against this resolution: 0

 

 

PNW Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee
Curriculum Change Process

All curricular proposals must be submitted to the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee (Committee) in accordance with the policies and procedures approved by the PNW Faculty Senate (Senate). No individual program, department, school, or college may enact policies or procedures that circumvent or contradict the Senate-approved curriculum process.

 

Curriculum proposals cannot be presented to the Senate prior to a review and vote of the Committee, and curricular changes require the approval of the Senate prior to being submitted to the Office of the Registrar.

  1. All curriculum changes must be submitted, via Curriculog, to the Committee Chair three weeks prior to a scheduled monthly meeting of the Committee. Only proposals that obtain approval as specified in the sections below, may be submitted to the Committee for review.
  2. All requests for curricular change must take place within the Curriculog system. Prior to any formal vote on a curricular change, any member of the Faculty as defined by the PNW by-laws and FSD 19-07 Membership in Faculty Senate Curriculum Process, must first originate and launch a complete curriculum proposal for a departmental review within Curriculog. For academic units that do not employ a departmental structure, skip to Step 6.
  3. Departments must generate official agendas within Curriculog for all originated curriculum proposals. Agendas must then be disseminated (via Curriculog and electronic mail) to all Faculty within the respective department, and include a call for a vote on the originated proposals included within the agenda.
  4. All Faculty within a department must have the opportunity to vote – within Curriculog – either to approve, reject, or abstain on each proposal listed within the official agenda. Faculty not voting will be considered abstentions. Proposals move forward based on the majority vote by Faculty in the department, not counting abstentions. Votes must be cast within thirty (30) days of a proposal being launched by an originator within the Curriculog system.
  5. Proposals that receive a vote of approval tallying to a simple majority among all Faculty (not counting abstentions) within a department must be submitted to the college for review. All other curriculum proposals must be returned to their originators. In cases where a department fails to process or vote on a proposal in accordance with these procedures, the Senate Curriculum Committee Chair is empowered to force-approve a proposal to the college level. In such cases, a college is empowered to act on a proposal in lieu of a department.
  6. Each college must review and vote on all curriculum proposals originated and approved by their departments. The process and procedures for the review of approved proposals from departments will be defined by each college. However, each college must review and vote on a departmental proposal within thirty (30) days of being approved by a department (or in units that do not employ a departmental structure, an originator). College votes must be logged within the Curriculog system. In cases where a college fails to review and/or vote on a proposal in accordance with all defined processes and procedures, the Senate Curriculum Committee Chair is empowered to force-approve proposals to the Committee. In such cases, the Committee is empowered to act on a proposal in lieu of a college.
  7. An originator may appeal a department or college vote directly to the Senate Curriculum Committee Chair. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Committee Chair via email within ten (10) days of the recording of the vote within the Curriculog system. The Senate Curriculum Committee Chair, in consultation with the Committee, must make a determination as to the merit of an originator’s appeal prior to the next scheduled meeting of the Committee, and inform the originator of their decision via electronic mail. In such cases the decision of the Committee Chair is final.
  8. The Senate Curriculum Committee Chair must review all approved documents to determine if they adhere to all instructed requirements. Documents that adhere to the instructed requirements are placed on the agenda for the next Committee meeting or they will be returned to their originators. The Senate Curriculum Committee Chair will then generate an agenda, within Curriculog, with all curriculum documents to be reviewed by the Committee and distribute it to all Committee members along with a draft of minutes from the last meeting.
  9. The Senate Curriculum Committee must review, discuss and vote on all proposals placed on the agenda by the Committee Chair. A proposal must obtain a simple majority of votes from a quorum of attending members to constitute a formal action. The Committee Chair will record all decisions and votes of the Committee within Curriculog; approved proposals will move forward to the Faculty Senate while rejected proposals will move back to their originators.

###