Submission guidelines

Curriculum Committee Submission Guide

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to clarify the role of the RISD Curriculum Committee in overseeing changes to courses and curricula, and to clarify the procedures for submitting documents to the committee for timely review and approval.

Role of the Committee

The role of the RISD Curriculum Committee is to provide college-wide peer review of changes to RISD courses and curricula. The committee is charged with reviewing:

●  Changes to curriculum

●  New concentrations: curriculum and courses

●  New programs: curriculum and courses

●  Proposals for non-required (elective) courses that have been offered once as a trial course and are being offered for a second time

●  Proposals for required courses that are being offered for the first time

●  Revisions to already established courses

The committee does not review:

●  First-time elective course offerings (considered trial courses)

●  Liberal Arts elective courses (except graduate level courses)

●  Non-degree programs, such as post-baccalaureate programs

●  Wintersession elective offerings

●  Independent Study Proposals

●  Collaborative Study Proposals

●  Internships

●  Content of special topics courses, e.g. Industrial Design Special Topic Design Studio, once initial approval has been received

●  Minor changes to course descriptions

The committee reviews all submissions for completeness and clarity, as well as compliance with institutional guidelines and standards. Further information about specific criteria by which materials reviewed are listed in the subsections below.

Submission Process

Submissions to the committee follow the approvals workflow as follows. Submissions must be received by Academic Affairs no later than two weeks prior to the meeting at which they are to be reviewed. All materials received after the deadline will be moved to the following meeting.

In order for course offerings to be listed in the following year’s Course Announcement, materials must be reviewed and approved by the Wintersession meeting of the current year. Materials received after that date risk not being listed in the Course Announcement.

Approvals Workflow:

   Department   → Department Head →  Dean  → Curriculum Committee

    Faculty                                                        

Department heads are notified of the status of their submission after the meeting in which it has been reviewed. Revised submissions must also follow the approvals workflow above - direct submissions to the Curriculum Committee chair are not permitted.

Submission Requirements

All submissions to the Curriculum Committee must include the required documents listed below. Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed. Forms may be found on the Academic Affairs internal site. Additional resources regarding syllabus development and format (Syllabus Guidelines) can be found here. At its discretion, the Curriculum Committee may request additional documentation regarding proposed changes.

Change to an Existing Curriculum

Changes to an existing curriculum include any addition, removal, or change to non-elective courses that are required for completion of a particular degree program. Proposed changes to an existing curriculum are reviewed for thoroughness, clarity, and their ability to demonstrably produce improved learning outcomes among affected students. Significant curriculum changes are additionally evaluated for their ability to expand the range of cultures and inclusive pedagogical practices represented in the program.[1]

It is expected that any curriculum change be rigorously vetted and approved by its faculty prior to submission. Curriculum changes are reviewed with the highest level of scrutiny by the Curriculum Committee and are expected to be well argued and rigorously supported in both the structure and content of the underlying courses.

Submissions requesting changes to an existing curriculum should include, at minimum:

❏ Curriculum Change Form for each program affected.

❏ Letter from Department Head(s) explaining the pedagogical rationale for the change, including how it aligns with the departmental mission statement and learning outcomes, accreditation requirements, and the most recent academic program review. The rationale should be presented in a clear and organized fashion.

❏ Course proposal forms and syllabi* for all new courses

❏ Course change forms and syllabi* for all existing courses that require modification due to the change (e.g. a course that is modified from elective to required). Course syllabi that would be made obsolete by the proposed change may also be requested by the committee.

❏ Syllabi* for existing courses that may be significantly impacted by the change.

❏ Existing course table for each program affected.

❏ Proposed course table for each program affected, in a format that indicates changes in red (track changes).

❏ Effective AY21-22: Department/Program faculty meeting minutes indicating approval of the submission by a quorum of the department’s faculty. Minutes should include the final vote tally. Curriculum change documents should be entered into the minutes as presented to the faculty. Faculty voting ‘no’ should have the opportunity to submit a brief rationale for their dissent with the submission.

Changes to different parts of a single curriculum (e.g. core vs degree project) should be submitted as separate curriculum changes unless they are clearly interdependent. Changes that affect multiple programs (e.g. BFA + MFA) within the same department should include curriculum change forms and revised curriculum tables for each affected program.

* All current and proposed syllabi must be in compliance with the committee’s published syllabus guidelines.

New Degree Program or Concentration

Submissions seeking to establish a curriculum for a new degree program or concentration should include, at minimum:

❏ Detailed program proposal and feasibility report as approved by the Faculty Meeting.

❏ Proposed curriculum table.

❏ Course proposal forms and syllabi* for all new courses.

❏ Course change forms and syllabi* for all existing courses that require modification due to the change (e.g. a course that is modified from elective to required). Course syllabi that would be made obsolete by the proposed change may also be requested by the committee.

Effective AY21-22: Department/Program faculty meeting minutes indicating approval of the submission by a quorum of the department’s faculty. Minutes should include the final vote tally. Curriculum change documents should be entered into the minutes as presented to the faculty. Faculty voting ‘no’ should have the opportunity to submit a brief rationale for their dissent with the submission.

* All current and proposed syllabi must be in compliance with the committee’s published syllabus guidelines.

New Course

Submissions proposing a new course should include:

❏ Course proposal form.

❏ Course Syllabus*

* All current and proposed syllabi must be in compliance with the committee’s published syllabus guidelines.

Change to an Existing Course

Submissions proposing significant changes to an existing course should include:

❏ Course change form.

❏ Revised course syllabus*.

❏ Prior course syllabus, if applicable.

Minor changes to existing courses (name, time, or room change, or minor changes to the course description) are not reviewed by the Curriculum Committee.

* All current and proposed syllabi must be in compliance with the committee’s published syllabus guidelines.

Contact Hours Table

                                                         Credits   Contact  Measure                                                        Semester/Term Total Hours

FALL/SPRING (13 weeks)                                                                                                                                                                                      

Studio                                               3/6         5/10        Weekly                                                         65/130

Dual/Hybrid Studio-Seminar               3/6/9       5/10/15   Weekly                                                        65/130/195

Lecture/Seminar/Workshop                3/6         3/6         Weekly                                                         39/78

1-Credit Workshop (4 weeks)             1            5            Weekly                                                         20

WINTERSESSION (5 weeks)                                                                                                                                                                                             

Studio                                               3/6         10/20      Weekly                                                         60/120

Lecture/Seminar/Workshop                3            6            Weekly                                                         36

REVISED

May 2021

[1] Departments and faculty preparing submissions are encouraged to review the Curriculum Committee’s Syllabus Guidelines as well as the resources made available via the Teaching + Learning Lab.