Curriculum Review Process

This website provides information to assist University of South Alabama faculty and staff in the creation and submission of curriculum proposals and revisions. The information presented here applies only to courses and programs administered by Academic Affairs. It includes information on procedures and deadlines for the following types of proposals at all academic levels:

  • New academic programs such as majors, minors, concentrations, and certificates
  • Revision or removal of existing academic programs
  • New course proposals
  • Revision or removal of existing courses
  • Requests for courses to be included in the general education curriculum
  • Course fee requests

Curriculum Review

Typically, all curriculum proposals require at least departmental, college and university-level approval. Some proposals may require additional approval from one or more outside agencies such as the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – Council on Colleges (SACS-COC), and in rare cases the Department of Education. Note that some proposals may also be subject to review by an accrediting body in the program's discipline. 

The USA Faculty Handbook section 6.9 specifies the committees and administrative offices charged with curriculum review at the university level, as well as providing additional guidance for the development of new academic programs. Review committees include the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, which reviews all new undergraduate course and program proposals as well as curricular changes to existing programs, the Graduate Curriculum Committee of the Graduate Council, which reviews all graduate courses and program proposals, the Honors College, which reviews proposals with an Honors ("HON") designation, and the Writing Committee, which recommends and monitors Writing ("W") credit courses. Each academic department and college should have its own curriculum review committees as well. 

Reviewers take into account a number of considerations in assessing a proposed change. These may include the rationale for the change, the impact on current students if it is implemented, and for new courses and programs, expected student demand, learning outcomes and academic content, whether the course or program duplicates existing offerings, and expected cost. 

Proposing a Curriculum Change


Beginning fall, 2023, new curriculum proposals will be submitted through CourseLeaf CIM, a curriculum review software platform that includes reviewer workflow tools. Proposals for new courses or programs, revisions to existing courses, and revision to program requirements in the Bulletin should be entered into CIM.  Additional CIM functions include adding a course fee, deactivating a course, requesting a course be added to the general education curriculum, or requesting a new course prefix. Once entered and submitted to Workflow, the curriculum review process is also managed within CIM. 

Contents


 Accessing CIM

Courses Inventory

Proposing a New Course

Revising an Existing Course

Inactivating a Course

Program Management

Proposing a New Program

Revising an Existing Program

General Education Course Proposals

Course Fee Proposals

Questions and Additional Training 


Questions regarding CIM may be directed to:  courseleaf@southalabama.edu.  If your question is related to courses or program, please put "CIM" in the subject line.

End Users: In addition to the instructions above, a CourseLeaf End-User Training Video is available in Canvas (USA Online log-in required).  

Approvers: A CourseLeaf CIM approver training video is available in Canvas for faculty and administrators who are workflow approvers for courses and programs in CIM (USA Online log-in required).  

Proposal Timelines and Deadlines


Curriculum changes impact a number of university stakeholders. Students may have their ability to register for a course or to count it toward a degree requirement impacted by curricular changes. Advisors need to know of changes months in advance to correctly advise students for subsequent terms. And staff and administrators must adjust course schedules, degree requirements, the University bulletin, and other resources in a timely manner to ensure the smooth implementation of curricular changes. 

Note: Prerequisite changes with a summer semester effective date will require prior approval from the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The deadlines below are designed to ensure timely review of proposed changes and are updated annually. 

Changes for the 2024-5 Bulletin Deadline Meeting Date
Changes to program requirements (e.g., revised course requirements, changes to elective blocks, revised program admissions requirements, etc.) 2nd Friday in January  
(Jan. 10th 2025)
February 7th, 2025
Changes not affecting program requirements (e.g., editing descriptions, formatting, faculty listings, etc.) 2nd Friday in May
(May 9th, 2025)
N/A
Type of Change Desired Implementation Date Deadline for Proposal Submission Meeting Date
New courses affecting 2025-6 program requirements (courses required by new programs or revised program requirements), or changes to existing courses that affect summer or fall 2025 student registration (e.g., changes to prerequisite or course restrictions) 2025-6 Bulletin
(fall, 2025) or summer, 2025
Monday January 20th, 2025 Friday February 7th, 2025
New courses not affecting 2025-6 program requirements, or changes to courses not affecting summer or fall 2025 registration (e.g., course description). Fall, 2025 Monday March 10th, 2025 Friday March 28th, 2025
New courses for spring, 2025, or changes to courses for spring 2025. Spring, 2025 Monday September 16th, 2024 Friday October 4th, 2024
Type of Change Desired Implementation Date Deadline for Proposal Submission USA Meeting Date ACHE Due Dates ACHE Meeting Date
New program proposals or substantial changes to programs that require review by ACHE (e.g., new majors). Fall, 2026

Monday April 14th, 2025

Friday May 2nd, 2025

June 2025 (new program)

July 2025 (other changes)

*See ACHE website for specific dates
Sept 2025
New program proposals not requiring ACHE review (e.g., new minors) Fall, 2025 Monday September 16th, 2024 Friday October 4th, 2024 N/A N/A
Program Inactivation Fall, 2025 Monday September 16th, 2024 N/A N/A N/A