Changing an Existing Course Outline

As the Department reviews curriculum, a Course Outline, which needs to be changed in some way, may be found.  While the School Office can help with the Course Change Form or Memorandum, the information in the Curriculum Process Overview section may help you anticipate how the process will flow, as not all course changes need to be reviewed by the Curriculum Committee.  Changes which are handled administratively, (e.g. Department name, subject designation, etc.), should be requested by a memo, which carries the approval of the Department Head, School Dean, and Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Completing the Course Change Form
CURRENTLY APPROVED (TOP SECTION)
At the top half of the form, please fill in the information as it currently appears in the Master Course File.  The School Office will have a Master Course File for this curriculum area.  The values in the Master Course File and those recorded on the change form are based upon an 18-week presentation of the course.

  1. Subject: Fill in the Subject (e.g., COMIS, ID, etc.).
  2. Catalog: Fill in the Catalog Number (e.g., 25, 118A, 250AB, 99A-B).
  3. Full Descriptive Title: Fill in the full descriptive title (e.g. Integrated Software and Graphics) with a maximum of 40 characters.
  4. Units: Fill in the number of units the student currently earns for completing the course.  LBCC applies the standard of the Carnegie Unit.
    5. • One lecture hour (plus two hours of homework/week) = 1 unit;
    • Three laboratory hours/week = 1 unit;
    • One Work Experience unit = 75 hours of paid work or 60 hours of volunteer work each semester.
  5. Number of Hours: Fill in the number of lecture and laboratory hours currently attached to the course.  The amount of credit awarded shall be adjusted in proportion to the number of hours of lecture, study, or laboratory in half unit increments. 

    6. Example: Lecture Hours
    4.0 lecture hours = 4 units of credit or 4.5 lecture hours = 4.5 units of credit
    Example: Laboratory Hours
    1.5 lab hours - .5 unit of credit; 3 lab hours = 1 unit of credit; or 4.5 lab hours -= 1.5 units of credit
    Example: Lecture/Lab Hours
    5.5 Lecture/7.0 Lab Hours
    5.5 lecture hours = 5.5 units
    7.0 lab hours =      2.0 units
    Course Total =       7.5 units
    If the course has supplemental learning hours identify that value in the box provided. A course’s supplemental learning hours can range between three and ten hours, but a specific whole number value is required.

  6. Materials Fee: Fill in the current Materials Fee, if any.
  7. Class Size Maximum: Fill in the current Class Size Maximum.
  8. Teaching Units: Fill in the number of teaching units, Teaching Units (TUs) are calculated as follows:  one teaching unit for each lecture hour and .75 teaching units for each laboratory hour (e.g. two hours lecture and two hours lab = 2.5 teaching units). The course outline program will automatically calculate this value. Work Experience and clinical practicum are calculated based upon the number of students enrolled; see the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  TUs may be expressed to two decimals.
  9. Grade Choice: Identify the appropriate student grading system that has been approved for this course by placing an “X” in the box following the choice.
  10. Prerequisite: Please add the prerequisite(s) if any as they currently appear. (Unless you have made changes, the correct information will appear in the current catalog.)
  11. Corequisite: Please add the corequisite(s) if any as they currently appear. (Unless you have made changes, the correct information will appear in the current catalog.)
  12. Recommended Preparation: Please add the recommended preparation if any as it currently appears.  (Unless you have made changes, the correct information will appear in the current catalog.)

PROPOSED COURSE CHANGE (BOTTOM SECTION)

The lower portion of the form will be completed with only the changes that are being requested. The portions of the form that are not being changed will remain blank.  Please use the instructions above to complete the lower portion of the form.

Place an “X” in the box preceding “Inactivate” to indicate a course that will no longer be offered.
Place an “X” in the box preceding “Reactivate” to indicate a course that will again be offered.  An updated and complete draft course outline also must be on the course outline website.
  1. Reason for the Proposed Change: Be certain to provide a reason for each requested change. Objective reasons are expected and documented rationale is strongly encouraged (e.g. program plan, outside agency mandate, assessment of student learning outcomes, change in industry, recommendation of vocational advisory committee, adjustment of curriculum sequence for enhanced student edification, etc.).
  2. Signatures: Obtain the Department Head’s signature and the School Dean’s signatures to complete the form.

The Office of Academic Services will determine the semester the change will become effective and are based on the catalog production schedule.  Please refer to the current Academic Services Submission Calendar for deadlines and to assist in curriculum planning.

See the discussion below regarding the issues of interest to the Course Evaluation Subcommittee and the checklist of required documents.

What does the Course Evaluation Subcommittee look for on the Course Change Form?
The Curriculum Technician will review the form for completeness and flag missing information for the Faculty Author/Department Head to complete.  For a change to an existing course, the Subcommittee will focus upon the boxes the Department has completed in the bottom half of the form, as they want to know what you are proposing to change and how it is to be changed.  They will then read the reason for the change and assess its reasonableness.  The Subcommittee does not spend much time with a request to inactivate a course.
Greater attention is given to changes in lecture, laboratory, and supplemental learning hours.  If the lecture and/or laboratory hours are added or altered, the Department will need to supply an updated copy of the Course Outline, pages 1 through 3 only. .  If supplemental learning hours are added or altered, the Department will need to supply an updated copy of the entire Course Outline. The Subcommittee will want to know how the course outcomes, content, scope or activities have changed to correspond to the change in lecture, laboratory, and/or supplemental learning contact time.The Subcommittee also looks carefully at the following changes:

  1. Changes to Class Size Maximum.  If you alter the Class Size Maximum, the Department needs to adhere to the college guidelines by which a lecture class is set at a uniform maximum of 40 students.  Laboratory classes are ideally set to a maximum of 35 students, but the essential point is to determine the number of workstations in the classroom normally used for the course and to determine how many students can share a workstation.
  2. Lecture activity is conducted under the immediate supervision (line of sight) of the instructor of record using lecture, discussion, collaborative or experiential learning that may also include incidental use of visual aids, various media, site visits, etc… at the instructor’s discretion.  Laboratory or studio activity is conducted under the immediate supervision, (line of sight) of the instructor.  The students are engaged in various scientific, technical, artistic, athletic, vocational or other instructional activities.
  3. To add or alter a Materials Fee the Subcommittee will ask about the ways in which the fee meets the regulatory tests and how the Department determines the level of the fee.  A justification memo will need to be attached explaining how the Materials Fee conforms to state regulations.  Additional guidance is provided in the Curriculum Book Website.
  4. To reactivate a course, which has been inactivated, the Department must supply a Course Outline with the Course Change Form.  The Subcommittee will seek to verify the extent to which the course outline conforms to the core curriculum standards by reviewing the outline.
  5. To add or change a prerequisite, corequisite or statement of recommended preparation, the Department will be required to complete a Content Review.  The Academic Services Office can provide technical information in these cases and further discussion of this topic is located under the section “Requisite Request”.  Again, the Subcommittee will be verifying the assessment you have made as to the necessity of the pre or corequisite requirement.

All Department Heads and School Deans receive a copy of the Subcommittee agenda one week before the meeting.  The Department Head will receive a separate notice when an item from the Department is on the agenda.  The Faculty Author or the Department Head are encouraged to attend the meeting to answer questions about each proposal.  If no one from the Department will be available to attend the meeting, a member of the Subcommittee should be contacted to ensure Department interests are represented.  Be advised that if questions remain unanswered, the proposal could be delayed or removed from the agenda.  Once a Course Change has been approved by the Subcommittee, it will be forwarded to the Curriculum Committee for approval. 
Academic Services will implement changes.  Significant changes refer to any changes reflected in the school catalog.  Those changes will be implemented according to the Academic Services catalog publication deadline schedule. 

Checklist of Required Documents

  1. Completed and signed Course Change Form
    The Course Change From can be downloaded from the Curriculum Form Website.
  2. Changes to the Catalog Number, Descriptive Title, Units or Class Size Maximum
    Any change on the face page will require a corresponding update to the Course Outline in the Web Database.  If a Catalog Number is to be changed, this will require preliminary coordination with the Curriculum Technician to ensure that the number has not been used in the past.
  3. Changes to the Lecture, Laboratory, and/or Supplemental Learning Hours
    Changes to the lecture and/or laboratory hours will automatically change the teaching units and possibly students units.  Provide an updated change form with a Face Page, Student Learning Outcomes Page, and Content Page (for lecture/lab changes) or an entire outline (for supplemental learning additions or changes). These pages may be accessed from the Course Outline Website.
  4. Add, increase, or decrease a Materials Fee
    Complete the Change Form and prepare a justification memo explaining how the fee meets the requirements of the law and how the Department determined the fee level.  Additional guidance is provided at Materials Fee Guide and a Materials Fee Template is available and should be used.
  5. Reactivating a course
    Complete the change form and provide an updated Course Outline in the Web Database.  The Department will also need to mark up a curriculum guide to indicate the program to which the course belongs and the role of the course in that program.
  6. Adding or changing a requisite (pre, co, or recommended preparation or limitation on enrollment).
    Complete the Change Form; provide a revised Course Outline in the Web Database, and include the Requisite Section.  Guidance on completing the Requisite Section is found under the “Requisite Request” section.  If the Department is requesting a communication or computational skill course as a requisite, the Department will need to collaborate with the Institutional Effectiveness office to provide evidence of the necessity for those skills in the instructional activities. If the Department is asking for a limitation on enrollment, a Curriculum Guide must be attached which demonstrates how a student could complete a degree or certificate without having to take the course for which the Department is seeking the enrollment limitations.
  1. Inactivation is temporary removal of the course from the curriculum with the option of reactivation.  Complete the Change Form Cover Sheet only.

Revised 6/24/2008