Academic Planning

Suggestions to get you started:

1.  Although most of the steps of curricula development will happen by committee and/or staff, here is a general overview of the decision-making process. You will be the signing authority for course assignments.

• Academic planning is typically a 1-3 year planning process, so your first priority will be putting out any unexpected fires, such as unanticipated faculty leaves, courses that don't have rooms, etc.
• Look at previous schedules and meet with those involved in developing the curriculum and scheduling, e.g. directors of undergraduate or graduate programs, curriculum committee members, course scheduler/staff, etc. 
• Course scheduling is handled differently in each department.  Learn how decisions are made and by whom for course assignment (majors, availability, etc.) to ensure equitable distribution. 
• Discuss expectations of your engagement, establish how you'd like to be involved, the importance of transparency, and the timing of sign-off. Refer to your department by-laws. 

2.  Get set up in the Course and Curriculum Management system (CCMS) to be able to give approval. 

3.  Find out when your department is scheduled for an accreditation review from your Dean, and also, where you are in the AQAD cycle.  Add any immediate relevant details to your master planning calendar.

4. Understand the process for Educational Effectiveness Planning in your department.

• UMass Amherst Curricular and Course Development - The UMass Course and Curriculum Management System (CCMS) lets you create, review, track, and approve proposals for new or revised courses, programs, or requirements. 
• Student Response to Instruction (SRTI) instrument is a campus-wide tool for collecting students’ perspectives about their instructional experiences.

• Guidance on Developing Your Educational Effectiveness Plan (EEP). 
  • EEP provides departments with a structure for conducting systematic inquiry into the effectiveness of their support for student success. EEP results provide current information for use in Unit Planning, Annual Budget Planning, AQAD reports, Accreditation, and other reporting.
• Examples:  The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences has an excellent guide for Enrollment Management and Course Planning.  Reach out to the Director of Operations to request a copy and share best practices.