Online Form Help: Course Approval
Courses Committee guidelines are available from the Academic Senate office, 752-2220, and Web site. Follow this link to access the Course Approval System.
Department Submitting Request—Department, School, or Program responsible for the course, e.g. Physics (department), Education (division), or Women's Studies (program).
Request for Action—Select an action and the effective date (year and quarter/semester). To renumber a course, you must file a request for a new course and a request to cancel the old course.
Remarks—When requesting a change, describe both the current course information and the proposed change. State the rationale for the course change or cancellation. The department should consider whether a change in course offerings will affect other programs. For major curricular changes, a memo explaining the rationale for changes is very helpful to the Courses Committee.
Guidelines for renumbering courses—To renumber a course, submit a request for a new course under the new number and submit a cancellation of the course under its old number. Do not re-use a course number for a different course within 4 years of canceling the original course. This will generate problems with the repeat credit process and degree audit. If you must re-use a number immediately or within a short time, append the letter "N" as the alphabetic suffix, e.g., course 104 becomes 104N when renumbering.
To transfer a course from one subject area to another, submit a request for the course as a new course in the new department and submit a request to cancel the existing course in its original department.
Course Subject Area and Subject ID Code—This is the course subject area (not the title or topical content) and its three-letter subject code used in the Class Schedule and Registration Guide and student information system (Banner), e.g., Mathematics = MAT.
Course Number —The course number must be three digits and may include a one- or two-character alphabetic suffix. For example, Music 1 should be entered as Music 001 and Science 10 should be entered as Science 010. Use 1-99 for lower division courses and 100-199 for upper division courses. Upper division courses usually require prerequisites. If the course is numbered 100-199 and no prerequisite is listed, explain under Remarks why the course should be upper division. Other restrictions on the use of numbers are outlined in the Divisional regulations and guidelines available from the Senate Office.
Descriptive Title—The full course title as it will be published in the General Catalog. The title should be clear and informative without being long or complex. Examples: Modern French Thought; California Floristics; Water and Waste Treatment. Avoid subtitles. For example, Issues and Methods in Human Dissection, NOT Human Dissection: Issues and Methods.
Abbreviated Title—The abbreviated title is published in the Class Schedule and Registration Guide and appears on student transcripts. The abbreviated title is limited to 24 characters and spaces. Do not use periods. Symbols [&, ; , - ] count as characters.
Make the abbreviated title clear and informative, so that it will be easily understood by students, advisers, and other institutions. Use as many of the 24 spaces as needed to make the subject clear. Avoid unintelligible abbreviations, generalities, and cuteness: METHODS BASKET WEAVING, not MET BSKET WEVNG; INTRO AFRICAN HISTORY, not IN AFR HIST. Some preferred abbreviations: Intro=Introduction; Anlys=Analysis; Res=Research; Mgmt=Management; Biol=Biology or Biological; Lit=Literature; Psychol=Psychology; etc.
Learning Activity—Learning activity refers to the teaching method(s) being used (e.g., lecture, laboratory, discussion). Hours/week are the contact hours between student and instructor for each teaching method. The learning activity provides important information about:
- the course's unit value (see next entry).
- the contact hours between instructor and student. Most learning activities require contact hours but some do not. For example, the learning activity TMP (term paper) is usually listed as 0.0 hrs/wk on the first page of the course approval form. This does not indicate that students work 0.0 hours per week. Rather, it indicates that the activity requires no contact hours in addition to those in the rest of the course. When a learning activity does not require contact hours, the nature of the learning activity (the kind of paper, its length, etc.) should be fully described under Grading or Course Format and Requirements in the Expanded Course Description (page 2 of on-line form). This will help students and the Courses Committee evaluate the unit value of the activity.
The Courses Committee recognizes that the list of learning activities is incomplete and may be especially inadequate for on-line courses. We do not intend that the listed activities restrict what instructors do. Rather than add new activities, we ask that instructors select the existing activities that best match the course and then describe the activities more fully under Course Format and Requirements (on page 2 of the on-line form).
A list of learning activities is available here.
Units—The unit value of the course. Follow the Carnegie Rule described in the Courses Committee guidelines. One unit of credit is based on three hours of student work per week over ten weeks. For each hour of lecture or discussion, students are expected to work two hours outside of class. The committee assumes that one unit of laboratory requires three hours of work in the lab and little or no time outside of the lab. If labs require significant work outside of the lab (reports, problem solving, etc.), the additional work should be described (under Grading Percentages) and additional unit(s) should be assigned. An additional unit may be assigned for a major research term paper, extensive written assignments, or project. Justification for this unit must appear in the Expanded Course Description (page 2 of this form).
Mode of Grading—Check the appropriate box. In the Expanded Course Description, explain how the grade will be determined. Deferred grading applies to courses taken in sequence with a final grade for all units completed assigned at the end of the sequence (e.g., 101A-101B-101C).
Multi-term grading is generally limited to courses in the School of Veterinary Medicine and applies to a single course extending over two or more terms, with the final grade assigned upon completion of the course.
Consent of Instructor—Consent of instructor (CI) is understood to apply to all courses. Select CI only when all enrollment will be by PTA (Permission to Add) number. If CI is specified, CRNs (Course Registration Numbers) will not print in the Class Schedule and Registration Guide.
Prerequisite(s)—List required course subject area and number. For example, the prerequisites for Physics 100 could be listed as: "Physics 8D, Physics 55 and Mathematics 21A." Upper division courses usually have prerequisites. If the course is numbered 100-199 and no prerequisite is listed, explain under Remarks why the course should be upper division. Note that the minimum prerequisite for any upper division course is junior standing or completion of at least one lower division course in the same department. Upper division courses may be listed in the General Catalog with no stated prerequisite if this minimum prerequisite is sufficient.
Restrictions on Enrollment—Include any restrictions on enrollment in this area; e.g., "Open to Nutrition Science majors only." These will be enforced during enrollment. Restrictions on units (e.g., Not open for credit to students who have taken MAT 21A.) is NOT a restriction on enrollment. This information should be included in the Credit Limitation field.
Course Description—A clear description of course content (not the format or goals), within the 40-word limit, to be published in the General Catalog. Any unusual requirements, such as weekend or evening field trips, should be included. Descriptions should be concise, accurate, and complete. For example:
Recent empirical work in
industrial organization. Topics include empirical analysis of cartels, product
differentiation, innovation and technological change, and imperfect competition
in international markets.
Principles of heat and mass
transfer with applications to biomedical systems; emphasis on heat exchange
between the biomedical system and its environment, mass transfer across cell
membranes, and the design and analysis of artificial human organs.
Basic description of brewing
and associated processes, from raw materials to final product; history of
brewing and brewing science; types of beer worldwide; world beer markets;
basics of beer quality, including wholesomeness; role of scientist in brewing.
Economic theories and methods of planning for communities. Human resources, community services and infrastructure, industrialization and technological change, and regional growth. The community's role in the greater economy.
History of interior design in Europe and America from the classical period to modern times. Emphasis on the dwelling in its cultural setting and the development of the theory of modern interior design. One all-day field trip required.
Rather than writing 'Lectures and laboratories will introduce students to surgical anatomy, operative and anesthetic skills' or 'This course will provide students with an introduction to surgical anatomy, operative and anesthetic skills', write 'Introduction to surgical anatomy, operative and anesthetic skills.' This noun-based format tends to reduce words and increases the consistency of catalog descriptions.
General Education—Refer to the policy on General Education at http://www.mrak.ucdavis.edu/senate/committee_ge.cfm. If the course is to be GE certified, select “GE certification” and the appropriate GE area (topical breadth, diversity, or writing experience). In addition to evaluating all new requests for GE, the Courses Committee will re-evaluate GE previously approved for existing courses. You must explain and justify your new or previously-approved request for GE certification in the Expanded Course Description (under General Education Justification).
Cross Listing— Recognize that the cross-listed 'courses' are not two courses but one course with two subject codes and a course number. Enter the other unit's three-letter subject code and course number. In the 'Justification for Cross-listing' field, you must describe how the course is integral to both units and you must indicate that a) each unit will be responsible for supplying resources to the course, or b) the course will be taught collaboratively by each unit, or c) the course will be taught by an instructor with a joint appointment in the units. Course forms that do not describe how the cross-listed course is integral to both units and how both units contribute (a, b, or c) will not be approved.
When requesting cross-listing, each unit must complete a course approval form and submit it for approval. All aspects of both forms must be identical (except the three-letter subject code), and the forms must be submitted at the same time. The course will not be approved unless both forms are submitted and are identical. When changing or canceling a cross-listed course, both units must submit requests for change or cancellation.
Repeat Credit—If applicable, indicate how many times or for how many total units, and/or under what conditions the course can be repeated (e.g., when topic differs; with consent of instructor, etc.) under repeat limitation. If there is no restriction on how many times, or under what circumstances a course can be repeated, leave the repeat limitation fields blank.
Credit Limitations—If applicable, indicate limitations on credit (e.g., "Only two units of credit for students who have previously taken Physics 10," "Not open for credit to students who have taken Sociology 120A").
Quarters Offered—The academic terms (quarters or semesters) in which you plan to offer the course.
Do not submit a Course Approval Form if the only change to an existing course is in the quarters offered. You may change quarters offered by written request to the Office of the Registrar, Attn: Scheduling, without Courses Committee approval.
Instructor(s) and Title—Name and title of the intended instructor(s). You may change instructor assignments by marking the change on catalog galleys without Courses Committee approval. If the instructor has not been identified, list "Staff, _____(chair, director, etc.) in Charge." When possible, identify an instructor rather than "Staff".
Online Form Help: CAF--Expanded Course Description (ECD)
Topical Outline: List 10-20 major topics to be covered in the course. Use HTML codes <p> for a new paragraph and <br> for a break. Although the specific combination of topics may vary from quarter to quarter and from instructor to instructor, this list should include those topics most likely to be covered in all offerings of the course. Do not enter your syllabus, assignments, due dates, or readings into this field.
Reading: List the text(s), required readings, or references the student will use. A full bibliography is not necessary. If applicable, indicate films and audio tapes used.
Grading Percentages: Explain the basis for determining grades. Note the relative weight of graded components (as percentages, not fractions) in assigning the final grade. For example, "Letter grade based on homework 15%, midterm examination 15%, project 20%, laboratory 25%, final examination 25%.) If participation exceeds 10% of the grade, explain why and explain how participation will be evaluated. Although attendance is not considered a valid component of the grade, attendance can be used to evaluate participation.
Undergraduate courses generally require a final. If this is an undergraduate course and it does not require a final, explain why. In some cases, term papers or projects can substitute for a final exam.
Specify the type and length of written assignments or projects. (For example: Research paper of 10-12 pages; eight 3- to 4-page essays; programming project requiring approximately 25 hours; lab and field project requiring approximately 80 hours.) Provide additional detail if the Learning Activity (page 1) includes one or more units for a major research term paper, extensive written assignments, or project.
Explain grading procedures in cases involving nonstandard teaching practices and/or assignments.
If the course is to be graded P/NP (undergraduates) or S/U (graduate), describe how these grades will be determined. This statement is not required for the following courses: 98, 99, 198, 199, 290, 299.
Course Format and Requirements: Describe what students do and what instructors do so that the Courses Committee can better understand the course and assess its unit value. Indicate the course duration. If the course doesn't meet for 10 weeks, provide additional details. For example, 'This course meets for 10 weeks' or 'This course meets for 5 weeks, with 4 hours of lecture and 6 hours of laboratory per week'. This information is valuable to both students and the Courses Committees. The Courses Committees require this information to assess unit valuation. Remember, 1 unit equals 30 hours of student work.
Explain special grading procedures, discrepancies between course units and contact hours, and other procedural matters or requirements not covered elsewhere on the Course Approval Form.
For courses with on-line learning activities (so called 'web-based courses'), describe those activities here. Also, estimate the time required by a typical student to complete each of the learning activities; describe how the instructor interacts with students and for how many hours per week or quarter; and describe how the course unit value conforms to the University of California statewide regulation 760 (1 unit equals 30 hours of student work). In a 4 unit course, for example, the instructor must explain under course format how the average student will work for 120 hours (12 hours per week in a 10-week quarter).
Explanation of Potential Course Overlap: Instructors must determine whether the proposed course overlaps partially or completely with any course taught at UC Davis. Although it is both inefficient and unfair to create a new course that undermines an existing course, some overlap is common, and even substantial overlap can be justified. Justifications include: a) the courses serve different student groups or the courses differ in disciplinary perspective; b) the existing course is over enrolled. c) the courses differ in depth or focus; d) the size of a graduate class needs to be small to facilitate discussion.
Information on overlap is also relevant to unit credit. For example, if two courses overlap substantially, a student should not receive full credit for taking both. Finally, information on overlap also will help students decide whether they should take the course. Remember, students will increasingly be using the on-line Expanded Course Description.
In summary, the courses committees expect the instructor to have carefully searched for possible overlap with courses in his/her department and in any other department. The instructor should describe and justify any overlap. Between 1999-2002, the courses committees did not reject any course based on overlap. However, the courses committees returned many submissions because of inadequate information on overlap; inadequate information about overlap delays approval.
Indicate the absence of overlap only after carefully reviewing other courses.
General Education Justification: If the course is intended as a GE course, additional information is required. (Follow this link for guidelines). As indicated on page 1 of this form, the Courses Committees evaluate the entire course even when only a small change has been requested. Policy and criteria change, and the courses committee reviews all information using current criteria. Thus, a course approved for GE writing credit in 1996 may not satisfy GE writing according to current standards.
Use this field to explain why this course should receive GE credit. If you simply repeat the stated criteria, the courses committees will be skeptical and will ask for more information; this will delay approval.
GE Writing certification normally requires a minimum of five pages (1500 words) of English expository prose which will be evaluated not only for content but also for organization, style, use of language, and logical coherence. Students must receive comments on their writing and should respond to those comments during the quarter. If the course requires one term paper, students must revise a portion of the paper. If the course requires several short papers, students should receive comments on all papers and should be required to demonstrate improved writing as the quarter progresses. In this field, describe the nature and length of writing assignments, how they are graded, and how students receive and respond to feedback.
To receive GE Diversity credit, the submission must demonstrate that 'analysis of the effects of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, or religion on interactions among people is central and essential to the course content and goals'.
To receive GE Topical Breadth credit, the course must: 1) address broad subject matter areas that are important to a student's general knowledge. 2) take a critical, analytical perspective on knowledge, considering how knowledge has been acquired, and the assumptions, theories or paradigms that guide its interpretation, and 3) require readings from a range of theories.
Courses requesting topical breadth or diversity certification must be worth at least 3 units. Courses requesting writing certification must be worth at least 2 units.
Additional Information for Students: Remember, all of this information is available to students and the general public online.
Last Modified: December 8, 2005 9:33 AM