5.1.6sr1 - SRTC Procedure: General Curriculum

Southern Regional Technical College is committed to the process of continuous improvement of instruction through curriculum reviews and revisions. The process is designed to allow input from all instructional personnel, administrative personnel, and advisory committee members associated with the College. The process is common to all colleges in the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). Technical College System of Georgia guidelines for new program approvals are in place and strictly adhered to and ensure the success, longevity, justification of need, financial resources, and authority to begin new programs. Further, this process ensures that any accrediting, certifying, or similar agencies have approved the new program where such agency exists. All aspects of instruction can be addressed within the process as follows: local instruction practices; state standards and program guides; administrative input and oversight; and advisory committee involvement. The curriculum review and revision process revolves around the state standard curriculum used by all TCSG colleges.

Review and Revision of Input Sources
One possible source of input for the curriculum revision process is from the instructor's own classroom experience. There are several aspects of a course that may need revision. These include: course content, time allotted for the course; division of time allotted into classroom and lab hours; and prerequisites. As the course is being taught, it may become obvious that one or more of the above need revision. These practical experiences are adequate basis for making a recommendation for revision. A need for curriculum revision may also be indicated from the student evaluation of instructor/instructions administered semi‐annually. Student comments on the curriculum and the amount of time needed for each section, or other concerns must be evaluated. Discussions with other instructors in the program area will provide additional insight. Student or employer feedback through follow‐up studies may also be considered as possible sources of ideas for curriculum revision. Another reason for suggesting a curriculum revision is of the continuous technological change in all program areas. As new technology replaces the old or requires additional time for inclusion, Faculty may become aware of the need to make a curriculum revision recommendation. Advisory committee input is another important source of curriculum revision recommendations. Advisory committee members are in daily contact with the workplace. Their recommendations as to what is actually important and what skills program graduates need are essential to our effectiveness in preparing students for employment and future growth.

Curriculum Revision Procedure
When a Faculty member has a recommendation for curriculum revision, it is important that the following process be followed:

Discuss the recommendation with other Faculty in the program area. Support for the recommendation may be gathered from others or other viewpoints may be shared that indicate a revision may not be needed, or a better recommendation may be developed through professional interaction.
Discuss the recommendation with the respective Dean for Academic Affairs.
Place the recommendation on the agenda of the next advisory committee meeting by making a written request to the advisory committee.
Discuss the recommendation at the advisory committee meeting. Advisory committee support is important and minutes should indicate that support as it may be required at the next level of the process.
Discuss the recommendation at the next meeting of the Instructional Faculty Consortium Committee (TCSG Process). If the members of the consortium support the recommendation, it will be forwarded to the Executive Committee for further consideration.
If advisory committee input is needed relative to an urgent curriculum question, a telephone poll may be conducted with a written record of the responses. An additional channel of input in curriculum related matters is available through the College directly to the respective Dean for Academic Affairs for the individual program areas. Curriculum revision recommendations may be made in writing to the respective Dean for Academic Affairs with complete explanations and documentation of the proposed change(s).

Minor revisions of content not mandated by state standards, simple revisions of content for the purpose of updating and textbook changes might be handled in‐house. The respective Dean for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Academic Affairs will review revision recommendations. If more information about the recommendation is required, conferences will be scheduled with the person who made the recommendation and any other personnel whose input is needed. If a decision is made to submit the recommendation to TCSG, the respective Dean for Academic Affairs will prepare the recommendation in the appropriate format and submit it to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. This channel for input is available to all instructional personnel, administrative personnel, and advisory committee members at the College.

For further information about the operation of the Instructional Faculty Consortium Committees, please refer to the TCSG website. www.tcsg.edu

Responsibility:
The Vice President for Academic Affairs has the overall responsibility for ensuring this procedure is implemented.

Status:
Adopted: 02-09-2015
Implemented: 07-01-2015