Curriculum Council (CC) | Waubonsee Community College

Curriculum Policies and Procedures

2024-2025 Curriculum Policies and Procedures Manual

Curriculum policies and procedures foster the development of courses and programs that:

provide educational experiences designed to facilitate the individual’s progress towards academic, career/employment and personal goals;

offer experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom, that allow students to acquire, develop and demonstrate growth in the core competencies of Critical Thinking, Communication, Quantitative Literacy, Global Awareness, and Information Literacy (College Learning Outcomes);

encourage the development of ideas and insights, and the acquisition of knowledge and skills that together result in an appreciation of cultural and global diversity and the ongoing pursuit of discovery and innovation;

respond to the changing educational, societal and technological needs of current and prospective students and community employers.

Board Policy 4.040.02 Curriculum Council

The Curriculum Council is the college organization charged with the responsibility for reviewing, evaluating, and refining new courses and curricula and recommending programs that merit adoption. Members representative of the college community will be appointed by the president or president’s designee to the Curriculum Council.

Meeting Schedule (Thursdays at 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm)

CC Meeting Dates and Proposal Types 2024-2025

Membership

Voting members include fourteen faculty (two from each academic division, one from Counseling and one from the Library), nine administrative representatives and the student representative. The council also includes non-voting ex-officio members from various departments across the college. (Ex-Officio members attend meetings to contribute related expertise helpful to the Council. Ex-Officio members also are responsible for communicating related updates to applicable offices or staff.)

Members 2024-2025

Curriculum Council Meeting Agenda

Curriculum Council Meeting Minutes Fall 2023 & Spring 2024

Curriculum Council Meeting Minutes Fall 2022 & Spring 2023

Curriculum Council Meeting Minutes Fall 2021 & Spring 2022

Course Outline Review

Course Outlines are the official course record for the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) and for the college. To ensure quality courses and to meet an ICCB requirement to have a systematic process for evaluating our instruction, we embedded a Course Outline review into our Plan Report for Learning Improvement. Each Course Outline will be reviewed at least one time in a 5-year period by following assessment schedules.

How to Review a Course Outline

Examine each section of the outline to confirm information is up to date.

Course Data: This includes the course prefix, title, credit hours, lecture hours, and lab hours.
Course Description
Prerequisite/Corequisite
Repeatability
Course/Scheduling Notes
Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI Code)
Course Objectives
Course Outcomes
Institutional Level Outcomes (College Learning Outcomes)
Supplementary Text(s): (author, Title, Publisher, year) and related materials.
Assessment of Student Learning Methods
Course Topics

What Course Changes Require Approval?

All major course curricular actions require submission to the Illinois Community College Board. All major and minor curricular revisions require Waubonsee curriculum council approval.

**Major Course Revisions**
Prefix	Lecture Hours
Course Number	Lab Hours
Title	Repeatable Credit
Credit Hours	Variable Credit

**Minor Course Revisions**
Course Descriptions	Course Objectives
Prereq/Coreq or Recommended	Course Topics
IAI Code	Assessment of Student Learning

How to Submit Changes to Curriculum Council for Approval

Following the Curriculum Checklist for course development or revision:

1. Originator* meets with Dean to discuss the proposal

2. Originator completes a Course Outline form for the course proposal

New Course Development: Complete the Course Outline Form template

Changes to existing courses: Download the current outline from CurricuNET.

Edit using Adobe Acrobat DC.

Or Save as a Word Document to make your proposed changes.

3. Originator discusses proposal with faculty colleagues and other impacted academic areas for notification and feedback. (This provides colleagues a chance to review changes to ensure they do not impact other courses or programs)

4. If applicable, Originator emails Outcomes to Dean of Learning Outcomes, Curriculum and Program Development for review of new or revised Course Outcomes.

5. Originator emails proposal to college stakeholders for notification and feedback (copy dean and AVP). (This provides stakeholders an opportunity to review changes to ensure they do not impact their areas).

6. Discuss final propal (updated with any suggestions from colleagues and college stakeholders) with the Dean and AVP.

7. Upon confirmation from Dean and AVP, Originator enters curriculum into CurricuNET or Originator can email instructional services for support entering proposals and adding to the next curriculum council meeting agenda.

*The Originator, typically a full-time faculty member, can initiate course development, revision, or withdrawal in consultation with appropriate dean and other division/program faculty members.

What Program Changes Require Approval?

All major program revisions require submission to the Illinois Community College Board. All major program curricular revisions require Waubonsee curriculum council approval.

Major Program Revisions

Prefix	Major Code Version Changes Including:
Major Code Number	Change in Financial Aid Status
Title	Significant Change in Title
Credit Hours	Significant Change in Course Sequence

Minor Program Revisions

Program Descriptions	Minor Change in Course Sequence
Program Admissions Requirements	Assessment of Student Learning
Program Learning Outcomes	Textbooks and Supplementary Materials

Curriculum Council Resources

Curriculum Checklist

For course and program development or revision follow the Curriculum Checklist.

Curriculum Originators and Deans discuss proposed curricular actions including the need for the course; the target start date; instructional support and facility or equipment needed, if applicable. Originators articulate actions on the Course Outline Form. Once completed, the form is shared and curricular actions are discussed with faculty from other impacted academic programs in addition to other academic support services across the college.

For additional support, contact Kris Cesario-Price, Sr. Curriculum Coordinator, at kcesarioprice@waubonsee.edu.

Course Outline Form

To get started with curriculum development, use the Course Outline Form.

For curriculum revision, use the current Course Outline in Curricunet.

Download the current outline form from CurricuNET

Edit the current form to include your proposed changes using either Adobe DC or Save As a word document and update to include your proposed changes. Strikethrough current information and highlight new information.

The Course Outline documents the course and college learning outcomes, as well as the course title, semester hours, description, prerequisite, co-requisites, textbooks, assessment of student learning, and course topics. The Course Outline serves as the official college guide regarding course content.

Curriculum Impact

Course and program development or revision follow guidelines for Academic Impact:

Courses and programs:

are educationally sound and appropriate to be offered for community college students.
do not unnecessarily duplicate existing courses or course content in other disciplines offered by the college.
are compatible with Waubonsee's Mission statement and the college plan.
consider implications for facilities and equipment, qualified staff, budget and other necessary resources.
do not adversely impact other existing areas of the college.

Curriculum Council Bootcamp

The videos below provide all members of the college community with on overview of the important processes and procedures Waubonsee Curriculum Council follows. All information contained in the videos is also detailed in our curriculum council manual which can be found in the Curriculum Policies and Procedures link above.

Welcome to Curriculum Council

The Voting Process

Course Curricular Actions

Major and Minor Changes

Program Curricular Actions

How to Enter/Update Courses into CurricUNET PPT Instructions

How to Review CurricUNET Proposals PPT Instructions

How to Login/Change CurricUNET Password PPT Instructions

Additional Resources