Writing, Modifying, and Reviewing Curriculum Using CurricUNET 2018-2019 AY

Getting Started: Get an account from the Curriculum Committee Faculty Co-Chair. PT faculty will need the approval of their department/program coordinator or division chair/dean. Please inform the CC Chair of the discipline(s) in which you will need originator access. Your username is your first initial and last name (all lowercase) The default password when you’re first given an account is: changeme (all lowercase). Please change it to a unique password after you log in for the first time. (Passwords are case sensitive. Please make note of your password. The Curriciulum Faculty Co-Chair and the Curriculum Analyst can reset the password to the default if you forget your password.) Go to CurricUNET to get started: http://www.curricunet.com/napa/. You can also get there using the A-Z Directory as well as “Employee Login” in the Faculty & Staff dropdown menu from NVC’s homepage. Note: You do not need an account to search for/look at CORs. They are public documents. Blue = Active, Black = draft in progress, Red = historical

After logging in, you will see this page:

The Basics CurricUNET has 3 essential functions when it comes to accessing curriculum. It allows the public to Search our courses and programs, including active, pending, and historical versions. It allows faculty authors to Build courses and programs (creating and modifying them). It allows curriculum committee members as well as faculty authors, division chairs/deans to Track courses and programs undergoing review. Curriculum Committee Members will select “My Approvals” Faculty Authors will select “My Proposals” Anyone (with login credentials) can select “All Proposals” to discover where a proposal is. Faculty may play multiple roles and will need to select the relevant role in that instance (curriculum committee member or course author, etc.).

To write or revise curriculum: Always start at Build.

To Write or Revise Courses: Select Courses. Then this page will appear: Note: The page may be empty. Or if you’ve already been working on proposals, those drafts will be listed here, and you can simply continue editing them by clicking on the pencil icon.

Next, select the function you want: Create Course = create a new course from scratch. Edit Course = continue working on a draft you already started. Course Modification = begin modifying an existing course (possibly created by a different faculty author).

To modify an existing course (the most common use): Select “Course Modification” and this page will appear. Next select the Discipline from the dropdown menu. You may also specify the Course Number. Note: You will only be able to access courses in disciplines to which you have been given originator access.

To begin a course modification: Click on the copy icon to create a copy you can edit without overwriting the existing draft.

Select the Type of Course Modification: Once you click the copy icon next to a course, this page will appear: Next you need to choose the type of Course Modification from the drop down menu: Modified Course Proposal Course Archive New Course formerly Special Topics Course Reactivation Noncredit Course Modification

Modifying the Course Proposal: The first step is to input the rationale for the type of proposal, in this case for modifying the course. This step helps the faculty author, division chair/dean, articulation officer, and curriculum committee chair know whether the changes are substantive, which may require rearticulation or resubmission to the Chancellor’s Office in addition to local approval, or nonsubstantive.

Course Modification After you’ve input the rationale and selected enter, you will see this page: From here you go into each of the items in the checklist and make the necessary changes. Note: Please also check for and provide missing or update information where necessary.

Go Through the Checklist: Be sure to click “Save” and then “Finish” after you make changes. If the draft has already been copied or created, go back in using “Edit.” In that case, you may need to “unlock” pages to edit them. The Checklist:

The Cover Page

The Course Description The Catalog/Schedule Description is the most public aspect of the COR and thus arguably the most important. Make sure the description provides a clear indication of the focus and requirements of the course so that it serves as an effective guide for students. The description should be written in complete sentences. The description should provide more than a simple restatement of the course title or topic.

The Discipline Page Notice that the page needs to be unlocked in order to change or add a discipline. This is because I left and returned to edit the course. When you first copy a course and if you start modifying it right then, it will offer you the chance to add a discipline. Most likely, you won’t need to add a discipline unless you’re creating a new course. Advance without saving by selecting “finish” or “cancel.”

The Course Standards Page This page is particularly important. The type of Semester Hours (contact type) will determine the number of contact hours in relation to the number of outside of class hours. Total Hours refers to the Total Contact Hours.

Calculating Contact Hours Based on Units and Contact Types For a 1-unit, 18-week course: Lecture = 1 hour contact: 2 hours outside of class X 18 Contact Hours = 18 Outside of Class Hours = 36 Total (Contact) Hours = 18 Integrated Lab (typically called Activity): 2 hours contact: 1 hour outside of class X 18 Contact Hours = 36 Outside of Class Hours = 18 Total (Contact) Hours = 36 Lab = 3 hours contact: 0 hours outside of class X 18 Contact Hours = 54 Outside of Class Hours = 0 Total (Contact) Hours = 54

Also on the Course Standards Page Assign the TOP Code There is a dropdown menu from which you will select the TOP Code. If you’re unsure, check existing/comparable courses in the same discipline. You may also refer to the TOP Code Manual on the Curriculum Committee’s home page. Also, identify: Maximum Enrollment Grading Options (dropdown menu) Delivery Method (check all that apply). Note: Some courses do not articulate if they are offered fully online. Check with the Articulation Officer if in doubt.

SECTION E: Outcomes, Objectives, Content, Methods of Instruction, Methods of Evaluation, Assignments All of these sections must be filled out. Refer to the blank COR (or previous MS-Word drafts of the COR) to see how the information you enter appears to the public. The Curriculum Committee is looking for the following when reviewing CORs: Completeness Correctness Clarity Integration or Alignment of the Outcomes, Objectives, and Content Recency of textbooks and other materials (within 5 years). Legacy (older) textbooks are allowed, but there should be at least one more recent textbook included.

Outcomes Page To meet ACCJC accreditation standards, NVC includes outcomes in our CORs. The number and content of course learning outcomes (CLOs) are up to the faculty author and department. Be sure to phrase all Outcomes as a verb phrase, finishing the implied statement: By the end of the course, students will be able to: Note: All CLO’s must be assessed within the established assessment cycle, so having fewer is often advisable (unless required by an outside agency as in some CTE courses).

Objectives Page Objectives, like Outcomes, need to be written as verb phrases. Here too, completing the sentence: Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students will be able to: There will likely be more objectives than outcomes as objectives refer to the discrete skills and concepts being learned throughout the course that link to the broader more overarching outcomes students are expected to master by its end.

Course Content: Course Content should align with the Course Objectives, which in turn should align with the Course Outcomes. Locally we have typically structured the content in outline form (though not always with the cooperation of CurricUNET). Content should be inclusive to allow for academic freedom and is entirely the purview of the faculty author/ department.

A COR with Content in Outline Format.

Methods of Evaluation: Check all boxes that apply. Then in the comment boxes, provide at least 2 specific examples of the identified types.

Methods of Instruction Check all boxes that apply. If the course is being offered fully online, be sure to check all types of online adaptation modes you will use. (This step is in development.) Use the comments box to explain if a particular mode must or must not be used

Assignments: Provide 2 specific examples for each type of assignment used. These examples should be representative, not prescriptive, examples.

Learning Resources (Textbooks): Every transfer-credit course must provide at least 1 textbook, which must have been published within the last 5 years. Note: Legacy (older) textbooks are allowed, but there should be at least one more recent textbook included. Textbooks, like assignments, may be representative rather than prescriptive. Open source material may also be identified. Note: Textbook updates are considered a nonsubstantive change.

Creating Courses in CurricUNET: From Build, select “Courses.” Then select “Create Course.” Select the Discipline. Give the course a number and title. Write the Catalog Description. Select the Proposal Type.

Creating Courses in CurricUNET (2): Once the course has been created, follow the Checklist. The only difference between creating and modifying a course is that you’re putting in new material rather than changing what’s already there.

The Curriculum Review Process Step 1 – Faculty author creates/modifies/archives a course or program. Step 2 – Division Chair/Dean reviews proposal for accuracy of data/scheduling elements (units/hours, TOP/SAM code, double-coding status, repeatability/grading option, etc.) and division level considerations (discipline faculty approval, budget/facilities/personnel, learning resources needed, including those requested from library/learning specialist). Step 3 – Technical Review: Curriculum Analyst reviews proposal to ensure statutory/regulatory compliance (Title 5, Chancellor’s Office). Step 4 – Curriculum Committee Faculty Co-Chair reviews proposal and assigns to Faculty Reviewer. Step 5 – Distance Education Review (if course is offered fully online) reviews modes of delivery/online adaptation. Step 6 – Library Review researches relevant available resources and communicates with faculty author.

The Curriculum Review Process Continued Step 7 – Faculty Reviewer reviews proposal for integration (alignment of content, objectives, and outcomes), completeness, and significant grammar errors (those that impede clarity) especially in the public sections of the document. Step 8 – Articulation Officer reviews proposal for adherence to articulation guidelines (CSU GE, IGETC, C-ID and transfer issues) and submits locally approved proposal for articulation. Step 9 – Proposal is submitted to full Curriculum Committee to approve recommendation to Academic Senate. Proposal is submitted to the Academic Senate with recommendation for approval. Proposal is submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval. Step 10 – Proposal is submitted to the Chancellor’s Office for charter (assignment of Course Control Number). Implementation