The below proposal guide provides suggestions and representative examples for successfully completing the initial (i.e., new) application for Diversification designations. That said, this guide should be viewed suggestively rather than prescriptively as there are multiple ways to establish that a course satisfies the hallmarks of a particular Diversification designation.
To apply for a Diversification designation for a course that has never had one, please follow the below protocol.
Ensure that the course has completed the approval cycle (i.e., has secured approval from the proposer's Division, Division Chair, the Faculty Senate, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and Chancellor PRIOR to application). In short, a course must exist BEFORE applying for a Diversification designation. Petitions for Diversification designations that have not completed the approval cycle prior to application will be rejected, and proposers will be asked to re-submit their applications at a later date.
Review the course eligibility requirements to determine whether the course qualifies for a Diversification designation. Be aware that the following types of courses are ineligible for Diversification designations: 1) directed reading and research (courses typically numbered x99); 2) internship; 3) practicum; 4) experimental (courses typically numbered x97 or x98).
Review the Diversification hallmarks for the designation for which you are applying.
Determine whether and/or how the course is designated at other campuses in the University of Hawai'i System. The UH System initiative to align courses also applies to select courses and designations. Please ensure that the designation being applied for is consistent within the UH System. If the course does not currently have a designation in the UH System, applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss the application for a Diversification designation with discipline coordinators overseeing the course at other UH campuses BEFORE applying for a designation. Inconsistencies in designations across UH campuses can create significant articulation problems, and possibly result in loss of credits, for students.
Complete all fields of the initial application. In particular, take care to explain in the application which Diversification hallmarks your course fulfills, and how this course fulfills those hallmarks in your selected Diversification category/categories. A mere list of Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) is insufficient to satisfy this requirement.
Send to the Diversification Board Chair, Michael Oishi, at mtoishi@hawaii.edu, ONE representative syllabus for the course in question. The primary object of the syllabus is to enable the Diversification Board to determine whether two-thirds of the required class meetings demonstrate the hallmarks of the Diversification designation sought. Please note that the syllabus provided does NOT require a daily course calendar updated for the semester of application, though it may. Rather, a syllabus that includes a list of topics and/or issues covered over the sixteen weeks of instruction may be submitted instead. However, the syllabus provided must be updated for current course alpha, number, and catalog description; credit hours; and Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs). If you are uncertain about any of these required elements, please consult the course information archived in the Kuali Student Curriculum Management system.
Most of the required questions in the Initial Application are straightforward and easy to respond to. More challenging is the last question: "Which Diversification hallmarks does your course fulfill, and how does this course fulfill those hallmarks in your selected Diversification category/categories?" Here one should take care to explain, by way of a short narrative, how the course meets those hallmarks through the Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs). As mentioned above, a mere list of CLOs is insufficient to satisfy this requirement. In your response to this question, please be aware that you do NOT need to prove how two-thirds of the required class meetings fulfill the hallmarks of the Diversification designation being sought. Instead, use the syllabus to establish the two-thirds requirement.
The below links to sample applications and syllabuses may provide useful frameworks or ideas when composing your own.
Sample Initial Application and Syllabus for Diversification: Arts (DA) Designation
Sample Initial Application and Syllabus for Diversification: Biological Sciences (DB) Designation
Sample Initial Application and Syllabus for Diversification: Humanities (DH) Designation
Sample Initial Application and Syllabus for Diversification: Literatures (DL) Designation
Sample Initial Application and Syllabus for Diversification: Physical Sciences (DP) Designation
Sample Initial Application and Syllabus for Diversification: Social Sciences (DS) Designation
Sample Initial Application and Syllabus for Diversification: Science Laboratory (DY) Designation