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Center for Teaching & Learning

School of Business Center for Teaching & Learning Curriculum Development

Who to include on your curriculum team:

Erica Lott, Director of Teaching and Learning
Erica is the School of Business’ curriculum designer – she facilitates the design process for goal development, assessment, learning activities, gap analysis, and curriculum overlap.

Evelyn Howard, Program Administrative Specialist
Evelyn facilitates the curriculum development administrative process for new/revised curriculum. This includes majors, minors, certificates, concentrations, and Management UG courses.

Amy Kingma, Management Schedule Deputy
Amy works with the Registrar to schedule course locations and times. She also revises Graduate-level courses and coordinates section-level restriction changes.

Mary Schultz, Economics Scheduling Deputy
Mary coordinates UG Economic course updates, as well as the Economics schedule deputy.

Advisors and students
Make sure to choose the appropriate advisor(s) and student(s) to provide feedback on the curriculum as you build it. These are two critical groups to provide input and feedback on successful courses or curriculum design.

Five Key Components of a Successful Curriculum Design

  1. Buy-in at different levels is critical. Obtain buy-in from administration before starting the process. Continue to keep the faculty, staff, students, and administrators involved in the process from beginning to end to ensure everyone review the proposals and provide feedback.
  2. Identify the department, college/school, and university-level timelines for approving curricula before getting started. Plan your timeline for implementing the curriculum based on the decision-making points.
  3. Plan extra time for reviewing content, feedback, and consensus-building. Make sure you have multiple community building events during the process to make the curriculum development and feedback accessible.
  4. Identify and incorporate multiple voices and a range of student experiences at every step of the process.
  5. Incorporate advisors from the beginning of the (re)design. They are most familiar with the curriculum and have access to student data others do not have access to (such as numbers of students in courses, course sequencing, etc.) and are essential for developing transition plans.

For information on the nine steps of the framework, see below.

1Creating theCurriculum Team2Early Feedbackand CommunityBuilding3Data Gatheringand Feedback4Learning Outcomesand Objectives5Develop CurriculumMaps6Develop CurriculumMaterials7Implementation8Assessment andRefinement9Publication
  • Identify and establish a lead(s) for the (re)design, and faculty, students, and staff Curriculum committees.
  • Obtain buy-in from administrative stakeholders within the university (dean, associate dean, department head, etc.).
  • Develop a timeline and plan based on your department, college/school, and university's timeline for curricular changes and approval.
  • Develop a plan for data collection
  • Conduct literature review and gather data from peer institutions.
  • Conduct community building activities to encourage engagement adn thinking about the curriculum together early (brown bag lunches, retreats, etc).
  • Collect data on existing courses (e.g., outcomes and objectives, content and skill development level) and conduct focus groups, interviews with all stakeholders (internal and external).
  • Map the current curriculum to identify gaps and areas of overlap in order to examine department/program outcomes for areas of alignment/misalignment.
  • Identify inequitable areas of the curriculum, such as bottlenecks or barriers to progressing in the curriculum, and populations of students that are unable to participate in educational opportunities.
  • Create program-level outcomes based on the data collected during the data gathering and feedback.
  • Share outcomes and objectives with all faculty, as well as the staff and students involved in the design process to obtain feedback and revise together to ensure consensus and buy-in.
  • Vote on the outcomes and objectives as a department and share to the college/university according to your school's curriculum process.
  • Outline the new and/or revised program outcomes and objectives developed and approved by the department.
  • Align existing courses to the new curriculum and identify areas for development of new courses and revisions of existing courses to meet the new program outcomes.
  • Establish content and skills to be developed, as well as the level of development needed for each course and year of the program.
  • Design course-level outcomes, objectives, assessments, and activities that align with the program outcomes.
  • Develop syllabi and share with the department/university (if required).
  • Outline how the course is meant to be run and add items to the department repository if one exists.
  • Determine a transition and implementation plan.
  • Consider how many students need to go through the existing content and which courses are needed. Keep in mind students that may minor or switch to this major.
  • Based on the program outcomes, identify components of the new curriculum that you can assess to ensure you are meeting the goals of the program.
  • Identify faculty, students, and staff to conduct focus groups or interviews to hear about experiences with the new curriculum and points for refinement.
  • Make changes to the curriculum based on the evidence and feedback collected.
  • Document the steps you take along the design process, such as the decisions made and why, addressing inequitable areas of the content, transition plans, program goals, the assessment and refinement process, and challenges and solutions faced in the process.
  • Identify avenues to share curricular work with the institution, as well as the specific discipline to guide others in a similar process.

Type of Curriculum Design

Creating or revising curricula has multiple checkpoints within the Daniels School of Business prior to being submitted to the university for approvals. Below are the steps for developing different types of curriculum-from creating or revising new curricula (e.g., majors, minors, concentrations) to creating or revising new courses. There are steps built in to work with the curriculum team to ensure a seamless process when submitting to the university for final approval.

Below is the process for submitting new or revised undergraduate curricula, including majors, minors, and concentrations. As you plan to launch a new program, keep in mind the different timelines for creation; steps 1-7 in the New/Revised Undergraduate Curriculum Process for majors, minors, and concentrations can take between 7-10 weeks.

Scrappedor Start Over *2nd read can be waivedby simple majority vote *Proposing Dept Proposal ApprovalsDept Head & Associate DeanCurriculog Proposal LaunchedBegins University Approvals Curriculum Exploration Form Curriculog Phase Majority Vote Yes Adopted Approved New Design Phase Approved Revisions *Approved Revisions will not be incorporated untilthe next annual curriculum update process No Objections, or < 10% voting faculty and no dept/area formally object Majority VoteNo, Scrappedor Start Over 2nd Faculty Read IncorporateRevisions Faculty Vote Needs Revisions Needs Revisions UG Faculty seeks Dept/AreaHead Approval Collaborate with Directorof Teaching & Learning UG Faculty submits New / RevisedCurriculum Request Collaborate with ProgramAdmin Specialist MGMT or ECON PolicyCommittee ReviewScheduled UG CurriculumCommittee ReviewScheduled 1st Faculty Read 2nd Faculty Read IncorporateRevisions Faculty Vote 1st Read -Changes postedfor 3 weeks

Download Undergraduate Internal Curriculum Process PDF

  1. Curriculum Exploration Form: Undergraduate Faculty seeks Dept/Area Head Approval
  2. Design Phase: Collaborate with Director of Teaching & Learning
  3. Curriculum Request Link: Undergraduate Faculty submits New/Revised Curriculum Request
  4. Curriculog Phase: Collaborate with Program Admin Specialist
  5. MGMT or ECON Policy Committee Review Scheduled
  6. Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Review Scheduled
    1. If Approved – New, go to step #7
    2. If Approved – Revisions, go to step #11
  7. 1st Faculty Read
  8. Incorporate Revisions (as needed by proposing dept)
  9. 2nd Faculty Read (2nd read can be waived by simple majority vote)
  10. Faculty Vote
    1. If Majority Vote Yes, go to step #15 - Adopted
    2. If Needs Revision, return to step #8
    3. If Scrapped/Start Over, return to step #1
  11. 1st Read – Changes posted for 3 weeks (Approved Revisions will not be incorporated until the next annual curriculum update process)
    1. If No Objections, go to step #15 - Adopted
    2. If more than 10% voting faculty or dept/area formally object, go to step #12
    3. If less than 10% voting faculty no dept/area formally object, go to step #15 - Adopted
  12. Incorporate Revisions (as needed)
  13. 2nd Faculty Read
  14. Faculty Vote
    1. If Majority Vote Yes, go to step #15 - Adopted
    2. If Needs Revisions, return to step #12
    3. If Majority Vote No - Scrapped/Start Over, return to step #1
  15. Curriculum Adopted
  16. Proposal Approvals by Dept. Head and Associate Dean
  17. Curriculog Proposal Launch: Begins University Approvals

Faculty share the idea with their department or area head to make sure they are aware and in support. Faculty will fill out a form to share specific details about the curriculum. Department/area heads will sign the acknowledgement form and faculty can move to step 2.

Faculty collaborate with the Director of Teaching & Learning, Erica Lott, to design the curriculum and make sure the New/Revised Curriculum Request proposal steps are completed and ready for submission. This process includes researching other programs for comparison (if not conducted prior to meeting with the director), creating program outcomes, courses or assessments for the curriculum, curricular mapping, alignment within the major, and more.

Faculty submit the New/Revised Curriculum Request form for curriculum proposals. The form is designed and developed in step 2.

Associate Program Administration Specialist, Evelyn Howard, reviews information and creates Curriculog Proposal. Collaborate with Evelyn, who will prepare the curriculum request in Curriculog. As university curriculum policies change, Evelyn ensures the curriculum meets university’s requirements (e.g., credit hours, course classifications, etc.). While the curriculum is added into Curriculog, the curriculum can then move onto voting stages.

Curriculum will not be submitted until the curriculum has been approved.

After the curriculum has been added to Curriculog, the first stage of voting on curriculum begins with the MPC or EPC (Management Policy Committee and Economics Policy Committee, respectively). Associate Program Administrator schedules proposal with MPC/EPC. If revisions are recommended by MPC/EPC, originator (faculty member) will incorporate recommendations and send revised copy to Associate Program Administration Specialist. Once this step has been approved, curriculum moves to the UG Curriculum Committee for approval.

The Associate Program Administration Specialist, Evelyn Howard, schedules curriculum proposal presentation to UG Curriculum Committee on behalf of the faculty.

Curriculum committee will review the proposed curriculum and will do one of three things:

  1. New Approved Curriculum: New curriculum that is approved will move from the
    Curriculum Committee to the Faculty Town Hall for a 1st faculty read.
  2. Approved Revised Curriculum: Revised curriculum that is approved moves to 1st faculty read that is posted 3 weeks for review.
  3. New or Revised Curriculum, Not Approved: For any curriculum that is not approved by the curriculum committee, new or revised, it will be sent back to the faculty. Depending on the recommendations from the Curriculum Committee, the curriculum can either be sent back for revisions based on recommendations or needs to be started over. If curriculum needs to be started over, it will be up to the department to decide if moving forward with the proposal is appropriate.
  1. New approved curriculum with no recommended revisions moves to 2nd faculty read (can be waived).
  2. New approved curriculum with recommended revisions moves back to originator to incorporate revisions.
  3. Revised approved curriculum with no objections from 1st read moves to adopted, no 2nd read needed.
  4. Revised approved curriculum with objections has two paths:
    1. If the revised curriculum has < 10% voting objections and no dept/area head
      objects, the curriculum is adopted.
      • Once curriculum is approved, it can officially be marketed. Fill out the Business MarCom Request Form to work with the School of Business’ Marketing & Communications team to get started.
    2. If revised curriculum has > 10% voting faculty or a dept/area head formally objects, the curriculum moves to 2nd faculty read.
  1. New curriculum from the 2nd read moves to Faculty Vote.
  2. Revised curriculum 2nd read proposals move to Faculty Vote.
  3. Revised with additional revisions are sent back to originator to incorporate revisions. After revisions are made, the curriculum moves to Faculty Vote.
  1. New curriculum approved moves to adopted.
  2. New curriculum not approved is returned to originator.
  3. Revised curriculum approved moves to adopted.
  4. Revised curriculum not approved is sent back to originator to start over.

Once curriculum is approved, it can officially be marketed. Fill out the Business MarCom Request Form to work with the School of Business’ Marketing & Communications team to get started.

All revisions are sent from the originator to the Program Administration Specialist to update in Curriculog. The Program Administration Specialist incorporates revisions and sends Curriculog proposal PDF to Dept/Area Head & Associate Dean for approval.

Approved Curriculog proposal is launched.

University approval steps begin.

Creating or Revising an Undergraduate Course

The process for revising or creating a new course is simple. Below are the steps to work through the new and revised course workflow.

Curriculum Exploration Form Curriculog Entry Design Phase Originator will be sent notification thatproposal has been started UG Faculty seeks Dept/AreaHead Approval Collaborate with Directorof Teaching & Learning UG Faculty submits DSB Course Request Collaborate with ProgramAdmin Specialist Curriculog ProposalLaunched RegistrarProcessing Originator Review Curriculog ProposalApprovals Registrar - UG DeptHead, Associate Dean CurriculogProposal Launched Originator will be sent notification that proposal hasbeen completed along with active term Revised Course New Course Revisions Approved

Download Undergraduate Internal Course Process PDF

This step is for new courses only.

Syllabi can be created in consultation or drafts can be sent for feedback.

The DSB Course Request Form allows the originator of the request to choose whether this is a new course or the items to be updated. For example, if you went through IMPACT and changed your course description and outcomes, you can submit those in this form.

Associate Program Administration Specialist enters course into Curriculog and send PDF course proposal to originator for approval.

Originator reviews and either sends back to Program Administration Specialist for revisions or approves.

On approval a new/revised course is launched in Curriculog for the following approvals:

  1. Registrar Review - Undergraduate
  2. Dept Head Approval - Lin Nan & Yang Wang
  3. UG Associate Dean approval - Kelly Blanchard

Registrar processes and makes course active.

Originator and academic advisors are notified that course is completed, new course or revisions are outlined, and effective term noted.

Timelines for Curriculum Development

Timelines for curriculum development vary by the type of curriculum you are creating or revising. Below you will find the 2023-2024 timelines for curriculum development for each curriculum type.

Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Degrees Certificate Majors Minors Concentration Courses Start CollegesSteps for Sp 24 Start CollegesSteps for Sp 24 Start CollegesSteps for Sp 24 Start CollegesSteps for Sp 24 Start CollegesSteps for Sp 24 Start CollegesSteps for Su 24 Start CollegesSteps for F 24 Start CollegesSteps for Sp 24 Start CollegesSteps for Sp 24 Start CollegesSteps for Sp 24 Start CollegesSteps for Sp 24 CurriculumUpdate Optin CurriculumUpdate Optin CurriculumUpdate Optin CurriculumUpdate Optin Dept Curriculum Review /Updates sent to Program Specialist Dept Curriculum Review /Updates sent to Program Specialist Dept Curriculum Review /Updates sent to Program Specialist Dept Curriculum Review /Updates sent to Program Specialist Curriculum CommitteeReview of Changes Curriculum CommitteeReview of Changes Curriculum CommitteeReview of Changes Curriculum CommitteeReview of Changes Start College Steps now to be approvedin time for F25 common app addition Sp StudentReg begins Students recieveSchedule Nov 30 Su/F StudentReg begins Common AppUpdated Students recieveschedule Apr 8 Fall 23 Spring 24 Summer 24 CurriculumTimeline 23-24 Guide to Developing /Publishing Curriculum
  • More Information can be found at Academic Proposals - Provost Office
  • Student registration can be found at Registrar website
  • Course changes must be fully approved in Curriculog prior to the first month students can register for changes to appear in the current term
  • Student begin registering for Spring at the beginning of September and registering for Fall & Summer the beginning of January
  • Majors, Minors, Certificates and Concentrations can only be revised during the yearly plan of study update
  • Degrees & Majors fully approved in Curriculog by Apr 2023 will not show up in common app as selection for students until Fall 2025 (202610) term
  • Curriculum fully approved by Apr 1, 2023 will be available for current students or CODO students to add to CCR Fall 2025 (202510) term

Download Curriculum Timeline PDF

Course Development Timeline

When revising or creating a course, prepare the course request during November for courses to be revised or start in Spring of the following year, March for courses for Summer and June for courses for Fall.

Degrees, Certificates, Majors, Minors, Concentrations, and Certificates Timelines

Degrees

When creating or revising degrees, begin this process in June to be approved the following year (e.g., June 2024 to be considered on the Fall 2025 Common App and Implementation).

Majors and Certificates

Start in August for completion of the school curriculum process and implementation in Spring the following year (e.g., start the process in August 2024 for completion of the college steps in Spring 2025). For Fall 2025 implementation, start the curriculum process in April 2025.

Minors and Concentrations

Start in September for completion of the school curriculum process and implementation in Spring the following year (e.g., start the process in September 2024 for completion of the college steps in Spring 2025). For Fall 2025 implementation, start the curriculum process in May 2025.

Workshops & Consultations

Workshops

You can request a custom workshop for your department design needs.

Workshops provide a working session for a small group to work on creating outcomes and objectives, assessments, activities, orspecial topics in teaching (e.g., AI in theclassroom).

Consultations

Consultations are time for one-on-one support for feedback or working time. These can be discussions from classroom management, teaching and learning topics, working sessions for individuals, and more.

Email Erica Lott at ealott@purdue.edu to discuss your needs or to request a workshop or consult on a specific topic.

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