Course, Curriculum and Catalog Management: Department Chair Update, April 2, 2015

Overview UNC Charlotte will soon offer Acalog/Curriculog as an electronic academic program and course approval system for creating, modifying, and accessing degree programs, individual courses, and catalog information. Catalog (via Acalog): June 1, 2015 Curriculog: August 15, 2015 Acalog/Curriculog is currently used within UNC by: ECU, Wilmington, Western Carolina and Winston-Salem and is being considered by UNC-Chapel Hill. I have initiated a listserv of those of us in the system who are utilizing the product(s) so we can share best practices and learn from one another. Acalog/Curriculog is also used nationally by hundreds of institutions including large, research institutions such as: UVA, Cornell, Cal Poly, Kansas State, University of TN, and LSU.

Why is this necessary? We have well-meaning processes and systems for managing our curriculum – the efficiency and utility of which have been lessened as we have grown and become more complex: Inaccurate and inconsistent quality of information Delays and inefficiencies Duplication of effort Paper-intensive Lack of synthetized information Lack of historical record and accountability No reporting or data analysis capabilities

Objectives Maintain accurate account of all course offerings and degree programs Integrate course, degree, and catalog information with Banner and degree audit systems to ensure accuracy Allow faculty, departments, colleges, and staff to access, edit, and propose changes to the curriculum and catalog in a web-based approval system Provide a real-time account of where proposals are in the process and what steps remain

Graduation Initiative Guiding Principles: Guide students into the right major early Avoid late attrition from majors Monitor student progress toward timely degree completion Mitigate unnecessary barriers to student persistence and graduation Enable greater student self-guidance and accountability Ensure faculty oversight of curriculum

Consultation and Support Academic Advisory Team Colleges Faculty Representatives Associate Deans Faculty Council Undergraduate Course & Curriculum Graduate Council Office of the Registrar This project has been led by an advisory team who advised during conceptualization and development, serve as primary contact and consider policy and procedural implications

Project Timeline June 1: New Catalog August 15: Curriculog Increased mobile capabilities Improved search functionality Standardization and clarity of layout August 15: Curriculog Campus-wide training via Center for Teaching and Learning Short Forms and Long Forms phased out during Fall Term The Center for Teaching and Learning will be conducting all training and will provide in-person training for Curriculog as well as how-to-guides and web resources for both Acalog and Curriculog. Training workshops will begin this summer for 12-month employees including department chairs, associate deans, deans, and their designees. Faculty training will begin in Fall 2015. We would like to offer to attend either college-wide faculty committees (for the smaller colleges) or individual department meetings during fall semester to train faculty. An email will be forthcoming.

Website and Project Updates Acalog and Curriculog Implementation Site: http://facultygovernance.uncc.edu/acalog-curriculog Guiding Principles Team Members Timeline Presentations, handouts, announcements Training Resources Training Resources will be made available.

Thank You Leslie R. Zenk, Assistant Provost, lzenk@uncc.edu