1. Course, Curriculum and Catalog Management: Acalog/Curriculog Chancellor’s Cabinet June 30, 2014

2. Objective
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.
This system is being implemented during the academic year.

3. 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

4. Student Success Core Initiatives
Curriculum
Faculty
This project is also a cornerstone of our student success core initiatives which work to integrate the work of students, faculty, and curriculum in a comprehensive way to improve student success

5. Student Success Core Initiatives
Graduation Analytics
A comprehensive effort to:
Clarify degree requirements and expectations
Identify and mitigate barriers to successful graduation both in terms of program design and student performance
Students
Curriculum
Faculty

6. Goals of Project
Maintain accurate account of all course offerings and degree programs
Integrate course, degree, and catalog information with Banner and degree audit systems
Allow faculty, departments, colleges, and staff to access, edit, and propose changes to the curriculum and catalog in a web-based approval system
To so, the goals of the project are:

7. Benefits of Acalog/Curriculog
Supports any number of users, working on their own schedule, or concurrently – from anywhere via web browser
Provides a real-time account of where proposals are in the process and what steps remain
Integrates course and curriculum information with Banner and related websites, ensuring accuracy
There are several benefits of this system, including:
Acalog/Curriculog serves to organize courses and curriculum in a central database that is integrated with Banner which will then serve as a repository to generate other related documents such as: Academic Plans of Study, Degree Maps, and Degree Audit.

8. Consultation and Support
Academic Advisory Team
Faculty Council
Undergraduate Course & Curriculum
Graduate Council
Faculty Information & Technology Services
Faculty Academic Policy & Standards
Associate Deans
Office of the Registrar
This project has been led by an advisory team consisting of members from:

9. Academic Advisory Team
Advise during conceptualization and development, serve as primary contact
Consider policy and procedural implications
Name
College/Unit/Committee
Charlie Brody
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Jennifer Hurlbert
Belk College of Business
Erik Wikstrom
College of Health and Human Services
Ken Chen
College of Computing and Informatics
Lee Gray
College of Arts + Architecture
Kelly Anderson
College of Education
Henrietta Thomas
University College
Ron Smelser
William States Lee College of Engineering
Susan Sell
Graduate School
Stephanie Otis
Atkins Library
Drew Polly
Faculty Representative: Undergraduate
FITSAC
Kim Harris
Undergraduate Course and Curriculum Committee
Alan Freitag
Faculty Representative: Graduate
Graduate Council
Chris Knauer
Office of the Registrar

10. Guiding Principles Definitive Source Accuracy Clarity Efficiency
Faculty Focused Process, Student Focused Product
The Academic Advisory Team has created a set of Guiding Principles to frame the project:
Definitive Source. The Catalog is the definitive, comprehensive source for academic program and course information. Any additional resources (i.e. plans of study, degree maps, Banner, degree audit) are generated from the information that is identified in the Catalog. The Catalog is published annually.
Accuracy. Degree program requirements and course descriptions in the Catalog should be accurate and up-to-date. Catalog accuracy ensures the accuracy of other campus systems, including Banner and degree audit.
Clarity. Catalog content should be clear and easy to understand for students, faculty, advisors, and program administrators. Information should be delivered consistently in a standardized format across programs and colleges and throughout the Catalog. The delivery of the curriculum should emphasize efficient and logical sequencing to facilitate student acquisition of knowledge and timely graduation.
Efficiency. Program, course and catalog management processes should be timely, transparent and accessible to facilitate annual publication of the catalog. The processes and associated deadlines and deliverables should be clear and reasonable.
Faculty Focused Process, Student Focused Product. The process of the creation and maintenance of University courses and curricula is a faculty-driven and faculty-owned process. The Catalog, as the product of this process, must be student-focused and user-friendly.

11. Vendor Selection Digital Architecture Acalog –catalog management
Curriculog – curriculum management
An RFP (Request for Purchased) was prepared and issued by the Office of Academic Affairs and Information Technology Services. The Academic Advisory Team evaluated the six proposals received and recommended two vendors for on-campus presentations. Presentations to campus were conducted in March Following feedback received from those who attended presentations and after extensive reference checking from peer institutions both within the UNC system and nation-wide, the Academic Advisory Team recommended the purchase of Acalog/Curriculog.
Acalog/Curriculog is currently used within UNC by: ECU, Wilmington 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.

12. Tentative Project Timeline
March 2014: Vendor selected
Summer 2014: Develop catalog template
Fall 2014: Departmental curriculum review
Spring 2015: System live; all short forms and long forms processed via system
June 1, 2015: Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs produced via Acalog/Curriculog

13. Thank You
Maria Arrington-Ferguson, Project Manager,
Leslie R. Zenk, Assistant Provost,