Curriculum Change Guidelines
Strategic Directions
When proposing curricular changes, consider their alignment to institutitional and College-level strategic directions.
- Our Time: University of Guelph Strategic Plan 2022-2027
- Bi-Naagwad: Indigenous Initiatives Strategy
- Anti-Racism Action Plan
- Fostering a Culture of Inclusion at the University of Guelph
Learning Outcomes
Proposals for new programs must outline and describe the intended learning outcomes, how the intended outcomes will be assessed and their alignment with the five Senate-approved Learning Outcomes.
New course proposals must include intended learning outcomes and how these outcomes will be assessed through the methods of evaluation for the course.
For more information about creating or modifying learning outcomes, consult the Office of Teaching and Learning.
Credential Guidelines
See Undergraduate Credential Guidelines for definitions, student audience and credit range for various undergraduate specializations.
Experiential Learning
The Curriculum Inventory Management system helps contribute to the Curricular Experiential Learning Inventory and Tagging process, working with the EL Hub to maintain a list of all courses that meet the six experiential learning criteria identified by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
For questions related to course-level experiential learning, contact the Experiential Learning Hub (experience@uoguelph.ca).
Pathway and Articulation Agreement Development
The Office of Quality Assurance, Office of International Partnerships and Strategy and Office of Registrarial Services - Admission Services collaborate in supporting the development of formal pathway and articulation partnerships with institutions in Ontario, Canada or abroad.
Consultation
Evidence of consultation with other academic units where a schedule of studies may be impacted by proposed changes is required before the submissions can be forwarded to the Board of Undergraduate Studies via the Calendar Review Committee. The Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system should not replace conversations with these units however may, in some cases, automatically consult.
- For changes to courses (e.g., changing a course title), affected units/programs are automatically included in workflow.
- For changes to programs (e.g., adding a course from another unit to the Schedule of Studies), evidence of consultation should be attached to the proposal in CIM.
- Consultation with the Library, OpenEd and Admissions may be prompted in the CIM Workflow, depending on the type of change proposed. These units may follow up outside of CIM for discussion.
Data Access
In some cases, including data with the proposal for a curriculum change may be necessary. Consider what data may be available at the Department/School or College level or via the Data Insights Portal (access may be restricted to Chairs/Directors, Academic Managers & Associate Deans).
To request data, contact Institutional Research & Planning (datarequest@uoguelph.ca).
Analyzing Student Progression through the Program
Use the following Student Progression template to visualize the intended student progression and how students will achieve the program requirements in the anticipated time for completion. This template can be used for new programs, major modifications or curriculum changes that result in impacts to the sequence in which students take courses in their program.
Style Guide
The Office of Quality Assurance and Office of Registrarial Services-Enrolment Services have transferred the former PDF-based Academic Calendar Style Guide into the Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system. Please refer to the blue help bubbles, marked with a question mark, embedded throughout the software for assistance.
Additional information can be found in the following:
Calendar Review Committee reviews proposals to ensure they align with the recommendations in the help bubbles. If errors are caught throughout the approval process, approvers are encouraged to make edits in CIM prior to submitting to CRC.
Process Chart
Curriculum proposals normally begin with a curriculum committee or program committee and move through the governance process to the Board of Undergraduate Studies (BUGS) and Senate. The following chart provides a visual overview of the iterative nature of curriculum change.