[Major revision–posted 1/31/25 (replaces 11/10/20 edition)]
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Operating Policy and Procedure

OP 36.01: Adding, Changing, and Deleting Courses

DATE: January 31, 2025

PURPOSE: The purpose of this Operating Policy/Procedure (OP) is to ensure understanding and a standardized approach concerning adding, changing, and deleting courses.

REVIEW: This OP will be reviewed every two years after publication by the Vice Provost for Academic Innovation and Student Success and the Vice Provost for Administrative Affairs with substantive revisions presented to the Provost and Senior Vice President (PSVP).

POLICY/PROCEDURE

The PSVP has been delegated the authority and responsibility for authorizing course additions, changes, and deletions.

1.  Policy

a.    The PSVP or designee will approve all additions, deletions, and changes (including changes in method of delivery) of courses for Texas Tech University using an established procedure for reviewing and determining approval. The review process will include departmental/school/area (hereafter referred to as academic unit) recommendations, college committees established for course review, the Online Learning Council for online and distance courses, the Graduate Council for graduate courses, and the Academic Council.

b.    Courses should not be submitted for areas in which degree programs have not been approved except when they accompany degree program requests.

c.    Efforts should be made at each level to ensure against proliferating courses beyond the ability of the department to offer such courses regularly. Guidance for this is available in the Curricular Proposals section of the Provost's website. The ratio of faculty to course inventory should be considered.

d.    Academic units should review courses annually to ensure appropriateness of content and accuracy of description.

e.    Courses not taught for three consecutive years will be brought to the attention of the department chair/area coordinator/school director and, if not justified, dropped from the course inventory after five years.

f.    Course descriptions should not be changed substantively in catalog copy unless changes have been approved through the established procedures below.

g.    Courses should not be taught before they are accepted as part of the course inventory.

2.  Procedure

a.  Requests for new courses, deletions, and changes to existing courses must be initiated on the university’s online curriculum approval platform, Curriculog.

Curriculog is a program that automates the process of curriculum approval, helping colleges to approve course and program changes and improve communication about the curriculum across campus. Curriculog will also direct proposers to any forms needed to complete and upload as attachments to the proposal. Questions about the system may be directed to the Office of Official Publications at officialpubs.curriculog@ttu.edu.

Curriculog has processes built for the following kinds of course proposals:

(1)    New Course

(2)    Change to Existing Course

(3)    Delete Existing Course

(4)    Change/Add Prerequisite, Corequisite, Restriction, or Repeatable Limit for a Course

(5)    Propose Existing Course for Core Curriculum

(6)    Propose Existing Course for Multicultural Curriculum

(7)    Change or Delete Existing Course for Core Curriculum

(8)    Change or Delete Existing Course for Multicultural Curriculum

(9)    Propose New Course for Core Curriculum

(10)  Propose New Course for Multicultural Curriculum

b.    In order to use Curriculog, it is necessary to attend the Curriculog Course and Program Proposal Training course. Using the Curriculog software for adding, updating, or deleting courses or programs within the TTU inventory will be covered. To sign up for training, email officialpubs.curriculog@ttu.edu.

c.    An approved course section in which 50 percent or more of the contact hours will be delivered electronically must meet the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Principles of Good Practice and be certified by filing a Principles of Good Practice/Copyright Compliance Form, which is available online at the Texas Tech Online website, prior to delivery. The Office of the Provost is responsible for ensuring that the course has been entered into the distance education database before the course is offered.

d.    The course description should be brief (usually fewer than 25 words), indicating only the essential topics and/or learning objectives of the course. Additionally, changes involving the text of the course description or changes involving course prerequisites or any other course restrictions must also be submitted via the university's online curriculum approval platform. Changes to course enrollment restrictions (including pre- and corequisites) should not be made until the proposed changes have been submitted via the university's online curriculum approval platform and reviewed by the Academic Council.

e.    Academic units intending to introduce or substantially change courses that affect other degree programs should consult with the respective academic units before preparing the application. If courses are submitted that appear to involve conflicts or jurisdictional questions between departments or areas, the PSVP or his/her representative will ask Academic Council members from the colleges or schools involved to attempt to resolve those questions before the course is considered by the council. Justification and syllabi may be required to provide a basis for these considerations.

f.    The following deadlines apply to changes made to existing courses. The stated deadline indicates the latest date by which a change must be fully approved in the university's online curricular management system. New courses may be proposed at any time:

(1)    Changes to courses offered in a Fall or Winter Intersession term: March 31

(2)    Changes to courses offered in a Spring or Maymester term: October 31

(3)    Changes to courses offered in a Summer or August Intersession term: October 31

g.    Curriculog will automatically route course or program proposals to the appropriate groups based on what kind of proposal it is. The following routing is required:

(1)    The academic unit initiates a proposal on the university’s online curriculum approval platform. Each academic unit may initiate a proposal after it is reviewed and approved by the faculty as per unit or departmental policy.

(2)    If approved, the proposal is reviewed by the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Official Publications, and Institutional Research for accuracy of information entered.

(3)    The proposal is reviewed by the appropriate College Curriculum Committee and, if needed, is routed to the Online Learning Council and/or Graduate Council and finally to the Academic Council. A digest of the requests is distributed to members prior to the meeting. The action of the Council is noted in the minutes of the meeting. If the vote is positive and the PSVP approves the request, the information is then applied to the course inventories for both the university and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

(4)    An electronic archive of the approval process will be maintained in the university's online curriculum approval platform.

3.  Resources

Please see the Office of the Provost’s Curricular Changes website for detailed information and resources concerning curricular proposals.

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