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APPC COURSE REVIEW GUIDELINES
The following guidelines were developed by the APPC and approved by the Academic Senate on February 5, 2008. They outline procedures of the Senate and its committee on Programs and Policies and do not include those at the departmental, school or administrative (Provost’s office and Registrar) levels. Please consult the appropriate offices for their procedures and guidelines. 

APPC C ourse Review GUIDELINES (PDF)
This document serves as a guide for Course Application submission and approval, as well as provide a context for the APP Committee’s actions.

Course Review ProcesS
The committee, which generally meets every other week on weeks when the full senate does not meet, receives course application materials from the Provost’s office. Applications include a “Course Addition or Revision Tracking Sheet” and course syllabus, along with a Course Tracking Sheet (excel sheet sent to the committee chair) for each course. Committee members review all materials prior to discussing each course in committee. The Chair records essential points. Consensus is reached and the course is assigned a status. A list of actions, based on the Chair’s notes is compiled for each course and distributed to the committee members for review, and subsequently included in the Course Tracking Sheet and returned to the Provost’s office to be returned to respective departments.

Inadequate documentation and/or information in support of a successful application is the major cause of delay in the approval process, regardless of the merits of the proposed course. Please be sure to thoroughly review the course application form and support material prior to submission.

The committee considers of import, the course description and syllabus, which are essential for evaluating the course by the committee, students, and accrediting bodies. In general, the Syllabus and Course Description should be comprehensible to the student reader who has not yet taken the course. This does not include terminology and technical descriptions that the student would not yet be familiar with.

Adherence to Syllabus Policy and Guidelines
Submission of syllabus with all course applications is required. The syllabi for approved courses should conform to the Course Syllabus & Policy Guidelines issued by the Provost’s office except in cases when these guidelines conflict with other accreditation requirements.

Syllabus Grading Policy
In addition to the Course Syllabus & Policy Guidelines, The APPC suggests the following guidelines regarding grading
a.   Grading Attendance should reflect the school’s suggested policy of three unexcused absences causing failure.*
* Please consult the Attendance Policy, which is published in the Pratt Bulletins(Undergraduate and Graduate), Student Handbook and Faculty Handbook (online and in print).
b.   It is appropriate to include Attendance, Participation and Punctuality, as a component in grading section of Syllabus.
c.   Attendance, Participation and Punctuality combined should not account for more than 25% of the grade.
Course Description Specifications
a.   Use the present tense.
b.   Use “active” rather than “passive” voice.
c.   Eliminate unnecessary words.
d.   Emphasize course content.
e.   Avoid long descriptions of the business/cultural environment. Instead relate how the current environment is addressed by the course.
f.   Word Count – suggested length: 50-90; 100 word maximum (approx. 3 sentences)
e.   Course description in bulletin and syllabus should be identical
   
Course Status
The APPC recognizes five distinctions in a course application status, notated in the course tracking spreadsheet:
a.   Approved
The Academic Senate has approved the course without modification
b.   Conditional Approval – Pending Changes
The APPC has reviewed the Course Proposal and found that it merits approval and meets most standards. However, additional information or changes are required for the Senate to give final approval. The required information is listed in the notes column of the included course tracking sheets.
c.   Pending – Request Clarification
The APPC has reviewed the Course Proposal and found it lacked clarity and/or information to properly evaluate the proposal. Additional or revised information, listed in the notes column of the included course tracking sheets, is required to enable a full review.
d   Pending – Request Conference
The APPC has reviewed the Course Proposal and found it lacked clarity and/or information to properly evaluate the proposal. Additional and/or revised information is required to enable a full review. A conference with the chair and/or instructor is requested. Additional or revised information, listed in the notes column of the included course tracking sheets, is required to enable a full review.
e   Not Approved
Actions
The AAPC will use the following language to make a distinction between required and optional changes.
a.   The APPC requests (required) - used when the requested change is in keeping with established policies, guidelines or practices.
b.   The APPC suggests (optional) - used in the case where a recommended change is related to guidelines or policies that has not yet been established or is otherwise being established, which the committee supports.
c.   The APPC notes (no action required) - There may occasionally be points the committee would like to draw attention to, but does not consider it within its purview to affect.
   
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Last Updated: January 17, 2010
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