Academic Program Planning

Development of the course proposal paperwork itself it not time-consuming, but it may move quickly or slowly, depending upon things such as whether it is part of a larger program proposal.

Begin by meeting with APLI staff who will:

• Provide an overview of the process, including checklists, timelines, and relevant forms.
• Give you access to the Curricular Tracking Sharepoint site (currently only available for GR proposals) where you will have access to:
  • Curricular Tracking Tutorials
  • Curricular Tracking at-a-Glance Status Reports
  • Links to drafts of the appropriate curricular forms for your proposal 
• Pre-fill documents where possible or provide samples where pre-filling is not possible.
• Offer guidance as needed for identifying appropriate/available course numbers.
• Provide you with a copy of the Syllabus Template
• Provide a review for spelling, grammar, formatting, content, and compliance with New Paltz, SUNY, and NYSED expectations.
• Help you initiate the Internal Review Phase.
• NOTE:  Course proposals do not require external approvals, but any new courses are included in new program proposals and major program revision packets.

All New Courses require an accompany Syllabus.  Major Course Revisions require both the OLD and NEW Course Syllabi.  

• Syllabus Requirements 
• Accessible Syllabus Template

To propose a new course, complete the following forms: 

Undergraduate NEW Course Proposal - Cover
Undergraduate NEW Course Proposal - Narrative 

Additional narrative supplements are required when proposing a course for General Education and/or Writing Intensive designation. 

General Education: Append to the course proposal a completed GE 5 Narrative Supplement. Student learning outcomes for each Knowledge & Skills area and core competency, along with a list of FAQs, are published on SUNY's GE Framework website and in SUNY's Implementation Guidance.

Writing Intensive: Refer to the Writing Board’s website and its guidelines for submitting a WI course.

About Liberal Arts designation: Proposers who are uncertain about whether a course should be designated as Liberal Arts may consult the State Education Department’s guidelines, which inform the CC’s determination.

To revise an existing course, complete the following form: 

Course revision proposal form (used for both minor and major revisions, except those related to GE 5) 

Majors revisions related to GE 5 implementation undergo an expedited review process. See the GE Board's "GE Implementation Task Force" site for resources and advice on preparing a GE 5 major revision proposal.

Adding (or removing) General Education and/or Writing Intensive designation is a major revision. As with new courses proposed for these designations, additional narrative supplements are required (see the links above). The Curriculum Committee will review all proposals first, then route them as noted above.

Proposals that address minor revisions only do not require Curriculum Committee review and may be forwarded directly to the Provost's Office (Valerie McAllister, mcallisv@newpaltz.edu) after they have been approved at the department and school levels.

Is the course revision Major or Minor? - See Guide to Course Revisions

Is the Course Revision Major or Minor?

Type of Change	Minor Revision	Major Revision
Course title change
Course number change:	(e.g., xxx501 -> xxx515)	(e.g., xxx501 -> xxx701)
Change in number of credits (e.g., change from 3 to 4 credit hours)
Course description change not related to a substantial change in the nature of the course content.
Course description change reflecting a substantial change in the nature of the course content. (e.g., 30% change in course content)
Change in restrictions Restrictions control registration by including or excluding specific majors, concentrations, or student levels (UG/GR)
Change in prerequisites or co-requisites:
Change in frequency of course offering
Re-activating "frozen" courses (Note: A course may be brought back at will if last taught within the past 4 years.)