Curriculum Management

Academic Teaching Credential Policy

Posted on by Amy Hall

Instructors (faculty/staff in a teaching role) excluding teaching assistants enrolled in a graduate program and supervised by faculty, must possess an academic degree relevant to what they teach and at least one level above the level at which they teach, except in programs for terminal degrees or when equivalent experience is established. In terminal degree programs, instructors (faculty/staff in a teaching role) must possess the same level of degree. Each academic unit must define a minimum threshold of experience and an evaluation process to be used in the appointment process with approval of the Provost, when instructors (faculty/staff in a teaching role) are employed based on equivalent experiences.


Faculty teaching general education courses, or other non‐occupational courses, hold a master’s degree or higher in the discipline or sub-field. If a faculty member holds a master’s degree or higher in a discipline or sub-field other than that in which they teach, that faculty member should have completed a minimum of 18 graduate credit hours in the discipline or sub-field in which they teach.

Instructors teaching in graduate programs should hold the terminal degree determined by the discipline and have a record of research, scholarship or achievement appropriate for the graduate program.

Designation of Upper-division Undergraduate and Graduate Level Courses

Posted on by Amy Hall

Undergraduate Upper-Level* Course designation:

  • 50% or more of Student Learning Outcomes higher-order as indicated by Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001, cognitive domain) at Level 3 or above; or
  • Prerequisite Knowledge Required; or
  • Curriculum Map Achievement Targets:  Developing or Mastering for program SLO
    • Note: Assignment(s) should reflect appropriate upper-level student product

Graduate* Course designation:

  • 50% or more of Student Learning Outcomes higher-order as indicated by Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001, cognitive domain) at Level 3 or above; or
  • Prerequisite Knowledge Required –  As indicated by program admission criteria; or
  • Curriculum Map Achievement Targets:  Developing or Mastering for program SLO

*Co-listed course syllabi between undergraduate and graduate course reflects level appropriate assignments.

Course Lifecycle Policy

Posted on by wpadm
  • Keywords: Course offering, course lifecycle
  • Policy Number: KC‐ACA‐3158
  • Originally Issued: Fall 2019
  • Revised: N/A
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: Fall 2019
  • Approved by: Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: Registrar’s Office

Policy Statement

This process will be initiated by the Registration & Records Office annually.

A Course Lifecycle report will be provided to the Academic Units with a listing of courses that have not been scheduled in more than two years. Courses that have not been taught within the last two years will need a justification to remain in an active status and printed in the catalog course inventory. Courses will have up to four years to remain in a status of “active but not offered” before they are administratively inactivated. Courses that are administratively inactivated will be removed from displaying as an available option in the degree audit, though they will still display and fulfill degree requirements for those students who have already taken the course. Courses may be re‐activated through the established campus curriculum review process.

Reason for Policy

Courses published in the catalog must be offered every two years or have an approved justification on file. A systematic process will be implemented in order to provide an annual review of courses that have not been taught for a given length of time.

Who Should Read this Policy?

Academic Unit Administrators, Registrar’s office personnel

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

N/A

Contacts

UMKC Registrar

Exclusions

None

History & Updates

None

Online Course and Instructor Certification

Posted on by wpadm
  • Keywords: Online, certification, instructor
  • Policy Number: KC-ACA-3205
  • Originally Issued: April 2015
  • Revised: May 2022 to include QCR Process
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: N/A
  • Approved by: Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: Academic Affairs

Policy Statement

Any online, for‐credit course with an attribute of Online Synchronous (OS), Online Asynchronous (OA) or any for‐credit hybrid/blended (OC) course meeting on campus four times or less during a term must be approved to be taught online by the responsible department, school, or college. Courses approved to be taught online must be certified through the UM System Quality Course Review (QCR) process prior to being listed in the schedule of courses. Instructors teaching courses with these attributes must complete the UM System Online Teaching Certification prior to teaching an online course at UMKC. UMKC recognizes online course and instructor certification as a best practice and as evidence to meet Higher Learning Commission accrediting standards outlined in the “Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C‐RAC): Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education.”

Reason for Policy

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC‐SARA) have adopted the “Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C‐RAC): Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education” as the standards by which online programs are evaluated and accredited. Nine specific categories are identified and cover all aspects of online program delivery and assessment. Demonstrated compliance with these guidelines is a requirement for regional accreditation through HLC and membership into SARA. Membership into SARA is a requirement for online programs to be offered outside of the state of Missouri. Lack of compliance with these guidelines can lead to loss of institutional accreditation or other significant penalties and sanctions. Third party rankings, such as the U.S. News Ranking of Online Programs, use evidence of compliance with the C‐RAC guidelines to review and rank institutions.

Who Should Read this Policy?

Full‐time and adjunct faculty teaching online and other online instructors, schedulers, registrar’s office, evaluation groups

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

UMKC Online

Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C‐RAC): Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education

https://teaching.missouri.edu/online-course-development/course-design/quality-course-reviews

https://teaching.missouri.edu/supporting-instruction/professional-development/online-teaching-certification-seminar

IV.          Contacts

UMKC Online

Physical Location: Administrative Center Room 355, 5100 Rockhill Rd, KC, MO 64110‐2446 Website: http://umkc.edu/online

Exclusions

None

History & Updates

None

Appendices

Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C‐RAC): Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education

Co-Listed Graduate/Professional and Undergraduate Courses Policy

Posted on by wpadm
  • Keywords: Co-listed courses
  • Policy Number: KC‐ACA‐3160
  • Originally Issued: Fall 2019
  • Revised: N/A
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: Fall 2019
  • Approved by: Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: Registrar

Policy Statement

When a graduate course and an undergraduate course are co‐listed they should reflect the following guidelines:

  • There must be two separate course syllabi (one for the graduate course and one for the undergraduate course) that clearly differentiate the performance expectations for students receiving undergraduate and graduate level credit in the co‐listed courses (e.g., student learning outcomes, required problems, projects, readings, presentations or other methods). The relationship between graduate work and graduate credit must be clearly spelled out, and there must be different standards of grading.
  • Both syllabi must indicate that the co‐listed courses meet at the same time and location with the same instructor, but that the two courses have different requirements and performance expectations reflecting the different course levels.
  • Courses to be co‐listed must be offered within the same department or equivalent academic unit. Co‐listed courses may not be cross‐listed unless specific circumstances have been reviewed and approved by the academic dean.
  • Thesis, internship, directed reading, research and independent study classes may not be used as part of a co‐listed arrangement.
  • The Class Schedule should clarify, by means of class notes, that co‐listed courses meet at the same time and location, and with the same instructor, but that the two courses have different requirements reflecting the different course levels.
  • Co‐listed courses must indicate that the courses can be co‐listed within the curriculum management system. If one of the co‐listed courses is completed for credit the other one may not be taken for credit at a subsequent time, unless explicitly stated on student’s program of study and approved by the student’s graduate committee.
  • Syllabi and Class Schedule must note that students taking one co‐listed course may not take the other one for credit at a subsequent time, unless explicitly stated on student’s program of study and approved by the student’s graduate committee.

Course proposals must be submitted and approved separately for each of the co‐listed courses through the campus curricular review process.

Reason for Policy

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) has called on institutions to create policies that will distinguish the various levels of learning that the institution offers, such as graduate and undergraduate level coursework. In addition, HLC Accreditation Standard 3.A. 2 requires that institutions articulate and differentiate learning goals for its undergraduate, graduate, post‐baccalaureate, post‐ graduate, and certificate programs. This policy was developed to support student academic success and provide consistent, quality delivery of academic programming and services.

Who Should Read this Policy?

All faculty; Academic advisors; Deans; Registrar’s office personnel; All Students

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

Registar’s Office; UMKC Cross‐Listed Course Policy

Contacts

UMKC Provosts office

Website : https://www.umkc.edu/Provost/

Physical Location: Administrative Center, 5115 Oak Street, Room 300G, Kansas City, MO 64110

Mailing Address: 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110‐2499;

Phone: 816‐235‐1107; Fax: 816‐235‐5509

Exclusions               

Conservatory Ensembles (per NASM Standard III.B)

 History & Updates               

None

Appendices                                                                                                                                                                             

None

Academic Course Approval Policy

Posted on by wpadm
  • Keywords: Course approval, course edits
  • Policy Number: KC‐ACA‐3210
  • Originally Issued: Spring 19
  • Revised: NA
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: NA
  • Approved by: Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: Registrar

Policy Statement

UMKC utilizes Leepfrog’s CourseLeaf CIM Courses platform to manage the course proposal, revision, and approval processes.

  • Course proposals and revisions must include a syllabus based on the established UMKC Syllabus Components.
  • Course proposals and revisions must include the student learning outcomes for the course.
  • Course proposals must include a revised curriculum map that includes the new course.
  • Course proposals (undergraduate only) must include a revised major map that includes the new course.
  • Course proposals must include undergraduate degree audit applicability (i.e., course contributes to social sciences hours in the College of Arts and Sciences degree requirements).

Each academic unit follows the established curriculum review process for their particular unit prior to campus level review. Course proposals and revisions must be approved by the Dean level of the unit review by December 1st of each year to ensure publication in the next catalog.

Campus level review includes review and approval by the Director of Assessment; the General Education Curriculum Committee (general education courses only), the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (undergraduate courses only), or the Graduate Officers (graduate and professional courses only); Academic Affairs (Provost Representative); and the Registrar.

EUReka (undergraduate research), Online, Writing Intensive, and Service Learning courses require review and approval by the respective committees.

Non‐substantive edits (minor course title or description changes, typo corrections, etc., as approved by faculty and determined by the CourseLeaf Administrator) do not require a full campus review. Annual administrative updates may occur in consultation with program directors based on data needs and current priority projects determined by the Provost and Registrar.

Reason for Policy

This policy was developed to codify existing practice for the UMKC course approval and revision processes.

Who Should Read this Policy?

All faculty and staff.

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

http://Info.umkc.edu/ucc/information‐resources

Contacts

umkccatalog@umkc.edu

Exclusions

None

History & Updates

None

Appendices

None

Course and Program (Delivery) Equivalency Policy

Posted on by wpadm
  • Keywords: Online and Face‐to‐face Course Equivalency
  • Policy Number: KC‐ACA‐3010
  • Originally Issued: Spring 2019
  • Revised: N/A
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: Spring 2019
  • Approved by: Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: Academic Affairs

Policy Statement

Online education courses and programs will adhere to the same academic standards, policies, and rigor as those offered on campus. The programs and courses offered via online technology must be approved through the same curriculum approval processes as campus‐based courses and programs; comparable in quality and content with the same course description and student learning outcomes; and assessed and evaluated on a regular basis. Curricula for online learning offerings should be coherent, cohesive, and comparable in academic rigor to curricula offered in traditional instructional formats. Each academic unit will establish a procedure for monitoring compliance with this policy and be able to report these findings to the Provost on a semester‐by‐semester basis.

Reason for Policy

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) has called on institutions to provide high quality education, wherever and however its offerings are delivered. In addition, HLC Accreditation Standard 3.A.3 requires that an institutions program quality and learning goals are consistent across all modes of delivery and allocations (on campus, at additional locations, by distance delivery, etc…).

Regardless of the instructional delivery format, students are to be assured they are receiving comparable learning experiences with the same student learning outcomes for the same course. This policy was developed to support student academic success and provide consistent, quality delivery of academic programming and services

Who Should Read this Policy?

All faculty; Academic advisors; Deans; Registrar’s office personnel; All Students

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

Registar’s Office

Please see the Unit Academic Dean’s Offie and/or the Office of the Provost for monitoring procedures and reports.

Contacts

UMKC Provosts office

Website : https://www.umkc.edu/Provost/

Physical Location: Administrative Center, 5115 Oak Street, Room 300G, Kansas City, MO 64110

Mailing Address: 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110‐2499;

Phone: 816‐235‐1107; Fax: 816‐235‐5509

Exclusions

None

History & Updates

None

Appendices

None

Academic Program Approval Policy

Posted on by wpadm
  • Keywords: Program approval, program edits
  • Policy Number: KC‐ACA‐3220-1
  • Originally Issued: Spring 19
  • Revised: Fall 2022
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: NA
  • Approved by: Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation and Vice Provost for Curriculum and Assessment

Policy Statement

UMKC utilizes Leepfrog’s CourseLeaf CIM programs platform to manage the program proposal, revision, and approval processes. 

Prior to proposing a new program, faculty must consult with the Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation to determine need, demand, and conduct a market analysis. Each academic unit follows the established curriculum review process for its particular unit prior to full campus review procedures (UCC or Grad Council).

Program proposals and revisions must be approved by the Dean level of the unit by December 1st of each year to allow for the possibility of publication in the next catalog cycle. 

All program proposal guidelines, procedures, and deadlines will be published annually on the Provost website.

Annual administrative updates may occur in consultation with program directors based on any data update needs to CourseLeaf and/or PeopleSoft and current priority projects as determined by the Provost and Registrar.

New programs may not be advertised until formally approved by all internal and external review entities.

For the purpose of this policy, new programs and program revisions requiring preliminary Academic Innovation Council review before campus review procedures (UCC or Grad Council) are defined below.

“New programs” are programs delivered in any modality – in-person, hybrid, or online – that have never before been offered at UMKC.  New programs may include but are not limited to:

  • Undergraduate majors (BA, BFA, BS, etc.)
  • Undergraduate minors
  • Graduate programs (MA, MS, MFA, PhD, etc.)
  • Certificates (graduate or undergraduate)
  • Transcripted emphasis areas
  • New programs for Missouri Online (including inter-campus collaborations)

“Program revisions” include any and all proposed revisions to existing programs.  All program revisions must be submitted through campus review procedures (UCC or Grad Council).  Program revisions requiring preliminary AI review may include but are not limited to:

  • Title changes
  • CIP code changes
  • Program requirement changes (including new courses of any modality) that make up at least 25% of program requirements since the last HLC review
  • Retired programs (inactive status for 5 years or less) that the unit seeks to reinstate
  • Modality changes or additions with no curricular changes (ex:  creating a 100% online version of an existing program) 

Reason for Policy

This policy was developed to codify current practice for the UMKC program approval and revision processes.

Who Should Read this Policy?

All faculty, academic staff, deans, chairs and program directors.

Instructions Procedures and Related Information

Review Procedure for New Programs

Timelines to Approval by Program Type

Program Proposal for Missouri Online (100% Online)

Glossary of Abbreviations

Instruction Mode Definitions

Contacts

Laurie Ellinghausen, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation

ellinghausenl@umkc.edu

Kim McNeley, Vice Provost for Curriculum and Assessment

mcneleyk@umkc.edu

Exclusions

None

History & Updates

Revised Fall 2022 to include Missouri Online information.

Cross-Listed Course Policy

Posted on by wpadm
  • Keywords: Cross-listed course
  • Policy Number: KC‐ACA‐3159
  • Originally Issued: Fall 2019
  • Revised: N/A
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: Fall 2019
  • Approved by: Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: Registrar

Policy Statement

Cross‐listed courses are the same course offered with multiple subject codes and are programmed in the degree audit system to count equally towards degree requirements.

Reason for Policy

This policy was developed to support student academic success and to provide consistent, quality delivery of academic programs and services.

Who Should Read this Policy?

All faculty; Academic advisors; Deans; Registrar’s office personnel; All Students

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

Registar’s Office; UMKC Co‐Listing Graduate/Professional and Undergraduate Courses Policy Missouri Core 42; only approved UMKC subject codes will count towards the Core 42.

Contacts

UMKC Provosts office

Website : https://www.umkc.edu/Provost/

Physical Location: Administrative Center, 5115 Oak Street, Room 300G, Kansas City, MO 64110

Mailing Address: 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110‐2499;

Phone: 816‐235‐1107; Fax: 816‐235‐5509

Exclusions

None

History & Updates

None

Appendices

None

Prerequisites and Co‐requisites Policy

Posted on by wpadm
  • Keywords: Prerequisites, Co‐requisites
  • Policy Nuber: KC‐ACA‐3165
  • Originally Issued: Fall 2019
  • Revised: N/A
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: 2019-2020
  • Approved by: Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: registrar@umkc.edu

Policy Statement

A course prerequisite is any requirement an academic department identifies as essential for a student to successfully complete before taking a course in order for a student to be successful in the course. All prerequisites, whether they apply to an individual course or to all courses in a department should be clearly stated in course offerings section of the University Catalog and enforced if attached to a course. Prerequisites should also be stated in the course syllabus.

Course prerequisites consist of one or more of the following: proficiency exams, special student groups, course material that fosters a foundation of learning for the next like course or select major requirements.

Students will not be allowed to register for a course if they have not successfully completed (or are currently completing) the prerequisite.

Students are responsible for knowing and completing all published prerequisite requirements for a course before taking that course. The university has the obligation to inform students of prerequisite requirements. It has the right to cancel a student’s registration in a course if the student has not satisfied the published prerequisite requirements for that course.

A course co‐requisite is a requirement that must be completed before or at the same time as the course for which it is required. All co‐requisites, whether they apply to an individual course or to all courses in a department, should be clearly stated in course offerings section of the University Catalog and enforced if attached to a course. Co‐requisites should also be stated in the course syllabus. Students are responsible for knowing and completing all published co‐requisite requirements for a course. The university has the right to cancel a student’s registration in a course if the student has not arranged to satisfy the co‐requisite requirements for that course.

Reason for Policy

This policy was developed to support student academic success and to provide consistent, quality delivery of academic programs and services.

Who Should Read this Policy?

All faculty; Academic advisors; Registrar’s office personnel.

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

UMKC Academic Calendar: http://www.umkc.edu/calendar/

Contacts:

UMKC Registrar’s Office: Website

http://www.umkc.edu/registrar/default.asp

Physical Location: 115 Administrative Center, 5115 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO 64110

Mailing Address: 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110‐2499;

Phone: 816‐235‐1125; Fax: 816‐235‐5513; Email: registrar@umkc.edu

Exclusions

Professional schools in Dentistry, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Law.

  • History & Updates

Appendices

None

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