Proposers/Initiators

Key Responsibilities

  • Discuss curriculum proposal development with the respective unit
  • Develop curriculum proposals that respond to student needs, keeping in mind BGSU’s mission and strategic plan, college priorities, and responsible resource management
  • Communicate with relevant parties within and across units that may be impacted by proposed changes
  • Meet with curriculum development representatives from the proposer’s home college early in the process to ensure alignment with college priorities and expectations
  • Attend Curriculog training sessions and/or use Curriculog training materials to submit proposals accurately
  • Fully answer proposal questions in Curriculog
  • Accept and integrate, as appropriate, feedback from reviewers and impacted units
  • When invited, present proposal(s) to curriculum committees

Guiding Questions

For New Program Proposals
  • What is the student-centered reason for proposing this program? Considering available data, results of consultations with faculty, students, advisors, etc., and any other evidence, why is this program needed at BGSU at this time?
  • If your unit has a curriculum committee, what was that committee’s response to the proposal? What feedback did you receive at this level? What changes were made based on this feedback?
  • What feedback did you receive from your unit head/chair/director? What feedback did you receive at this level? What changes were made based on this feedback?
  • With which Associate/Assistant Dean(s) from your college did you consult on this proposal (this should occur early in the process and discussions should be maintained throughout development)? What feedback did you receive at this level? What changes were made based on this feedback?
  • New program proposals should be developed in consultation with the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (undergraduate) or the Vice Provost and Dean, Graduate and Professional Programs (graduate). Please plan to meet with representatives of their offices as early as possible in your development.
  • How does this proposal contribute to recruitment of new students? What are the key elements that make this new program distinctive, both at BGSU and in Ohio?
  • How does this proposal align with Forward, BGSU’s strategic plan?
  • How does this proposal increase access and reduce opportunity gaps among students from underrepresented populations?
  • What are the learning outcomes for this program? LOs should be measurable, should draw upon BGSU’s Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy chart, and should reflect the range of cognitive levels that a student is expected to develop over the course of the degree program. Please include the Learning Outcomes Maps in your proposal, available at the BGSU Curriculum Development and Curriculog website. If your unit is externally accredited, please also include a map of your accreditation outcomes.
  • How does the program of study build on other skills/competencies that students have learned in other courses (integrative learning)?
  • What library resources will be required to support this new program? Are those resources already in place? If not, how will they be acquired and at whose expense? Plan to meet with representatives from University Libraries as early as possible in the development process.
  • Is this program meant to be offered online? If so, plan to work with the Online and Summer Academic Programs for necessary approvals.
  • What units across campus could be impacted by this proposal? Explain. Plan to reach out to those units for letters of endorsement before submitting your proposal in Curriculog.
  • Undergraduate Only: Does this proposal include a signature work component?
  • Undergraduate Only: Will students be able to complete this program of study in no more than four years (122 credit hours maximum)? Please use the sample four-year degree plan spreadsheet provided on the BGSU Curriculum Development and Curriculog website.
  • Undergraduate Only: Does this course build on other skills/competencies that students have learned in other courses (integrative learning)? Is it intended to fulfill a signature work component?
For New Course Proposals:
  • What is the student-centered reason for proposing this course? Considering available data, results of consultations with faculty, students, advisors, etc., and any other evidence, why is this course needed at BGSU at this time?
  • If your unit has a curriculum committee, what was that committee’s response to your proposal? What feedback were you given? What changes did you make in response to that feedback?
  • What feedback did you receive from your unit head/chair/director? Is that person supportive of this proposal?
  • With which Associate/Assistant Dean(s) from your college did you consult on this proposal? What feedback did you receive at this level? What changes were made based on this feedback?
  • How does the syllabus and course proposal increase access and reduce opportunity gaps among students from underrepresented populations?
  • What are the learning outcomes for this course? LOs should be measurable, should draw upon BGSU’s Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy chart, and should reflect the range of cognitive levels that a student is expected to develop over the course of the class. The syllabus you submit in Curriculog should clearly indicate how the LOs are assessed in the proposed course.
  • Does this course build on other skills/competencies that students have learned in other courses (integrative learning)? Is it intended to fulfill a signature work component?
  • Do required readings represent a diverse and inclusive range of perspectives on the subject matter covered in the course? How so? 
  • Are readings up-to-date, representing state-of-the-art, current methodologies and perspectives in the field of study?
  • Is this course intended to be a required course or an elective? If it’s elective, will other elective courses be considered for elimination? Keep in mind that elective courses may have financial implications for students receiving federal student aid.
  • Does this course incorporate active learning, experiential/service learning, undergraduate research, or other high impact practices?
  • If you intend to offer this course online, please include your approval paperwork from Online and Summer Programs.
  • If your program is externally accredited, does this course align with the accrediting body’s learning outcomes?
  • Are there sufficient library resources already in place for this course? If not, please provide a list of resources that would need to be available via the University Libraries.
  • Will there be any course fees associated with this course? If so, how much? Note that course fees must be approved by your College. 
  • Is more than one faculty member in your unit qualified to teach this course? If not, how will the course be covered in the event of leaves, illness, etc.? 
  • Is this course meant to replace an existing course? If so, note that you will need to submit a curriculum modification proposal at the same time the course proposal is submitted. Please also note how students under previous catalog years will be affected by this change and how those students will be accommodated to finish their degrees in a timely fashion.
  • Will this course require any special equipment or space? If so, are those resources already in place?
For Program Modification Proposals:
  • How do these changes benefit BGSU students? Considering available data, results of consultations with faculty, students, advisors, etc., and any other evidence, why are changes to this program needed at BGSU at this time?
  • If your unit has a curriculum committee, what was that committee’s response to your proposal? What feedback were you given? What changes did you make in response to that feedback?
  • What feedback did you receive from your unit head/chair/director? Is that person supportive of this proposal?
  • With which Associate/Assistant Dean(s) from your college did you consult on this proposal? What feedback did you receive at this level? What changes were made based on this feedback? 
  • Major program modification proposals should be developed in consultation with the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (undergraduate) or the Vice Provost and Dean, Graduate and Professional Programs (graduate). Please plan to meet with representatives of their offices as early as possible in your development.
  • How does this proposal increase access and reduce opportunity gaps among students from underrepresented populations? 
  • How does this proposal align with Forward, BGSU’s strategic plan?
  • Will this proposal necessitate a change to the program’s learning outcomes? Note that major changes to programs frequently require updated LOs. LOs should be measurable, should draw upon BGSU’s Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy chart, and should reflect the range of cognitive levels that a student is expected to develop over the course of the degree program. If the program’s current LOs do not meet these requirements, they should be updated as part of this proposal.
  • Does this proposal include a signature work component? Major modifications to programs should include signature work if not already approved for the program.
  • Will this proposal require any new library resources? If so, plan to consult with representatives from University Libraries before submitting your proposal.
  • Does this proposal change the required credit hours to complete the degree? If so, is the degree able to be completed in no more than four years (122 credit hours maximum)? Please use the sample four-year degree plan spreadsheet provided at the Provost’s Office’s Curriculum Development Resources website.
  • What units across campus could be impacted by this proposal? Plan to reach out to those units for letters of endorsement before submitting your proposal in Curriculog.
  • If the program modification is to offer the program online, please work with Online and Summer Academic Programs to initiate the approval process. 
  • Major program changes require additional steps in the approval process. Classification as a major change or minor change is determined by the Office of the Provost. The forms in Curriculog are identical for both types of changes.
  • Definition of major program change: Modifications that substantially change the focus or outcomes of a program are considered major. Such changes include, but are not limited to, revision of programmatic learning outcomes, additions of areas of emphasis, specializations, etc., changes to degree names, modifications that impact other BGSU units, movement of a program to 100% online, and changes to matriculation requirements. 
  • Definition of minor program change: Modifications that do not substantially change the focus or outcomes of a program are considered minor. Such changes include, but are not limited to, corrections to checksheets, updates to catalog copy, replacement of required courses no longer taught in the unit, and addition of new courses to the checksheet.
For Course Modification Proposals:
  • What is the student-centered reason for modifying this course? Considering available data, results of consultations with faculty, students, advisors, etc., and any other evidence, why are changes to this course needed at BGSU at this time
  • If your unit has a curriculum committee, what was that committee’s response to your proposal? What feedback were you given? What changes did you make in response to that feedback?
  • What feedback did you receive from your unit head/chair/director? Is that person supportive of this proposal?
  • With which Associate/Assistant Dean(s) from your college did you consult on this proposal? What feedback did you receive at this level? What changes were made based on this feedback?
  • How do the proposed modifications increase access and reduce opportunity gaps among students from underrepresented populations?
  • What are the learning outcomes for this course? LOs should be measurable, should draw upon BGSU’s Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy chart, and should reflect the range of cognitive levels that a student is expected to develop over the course of the class.
  • Is this course intended to fulfill a signature work component?
  • Do required readings represent a diverse and inclusive range of perspectives on the subject matter covered in the course? How so?
  • Are readings up-to-date, representing state-of-the-art, current methodologies and perspectives in the field of study?
  • Does this course incorporate active learning, experiential/service learning, undergraduate research, or other high impact practices?
  • If your program is externally accredited, does this course align with the accrediting body’s learning outcomes? Please explain.
  • Will there be any course fees or changes to course fees associated with this course? If so, how much? Note that course fees must be approved by your College.
  • Will changes to this course impact any other units on campus? Plan to reach out to those units for letters of endorsement before submitting your proposal in Curriculog.
  • If the course modification is to offer the course online, please work with Online and Summer Academic Programs to initiate the approval process.

Updated: 09/07/2023 11:04AM