Course Development

The Course Development section of the Curriculum Hub is designed to support faculty and academic staff in creating, revising, and retiring courses at the University of Connecticut. Whether you are proposing a brand-new course, updating an existing one, or removing a course from the catalog, this section provides the guidance, resources, and tools you need to ensure high-quality, complete, and policy-aligned submissions.

This section helps faculty:

Develop new courses that align with university standards and program goals.
Revise existing courses (titles, credits, prerequisites, learning objectives, etc.).
Discontinue courses that are no longer part of the curriculum.

Use this section if you are:

Drafting a proposal for a new undergraduate or graduate course.
Making modifications to an existing course (content, delivery mode, learning outcomes).
Proposing a course for inclusion in General Education or other curricular designations.
Retiring a course that will no longer be offered.

Here you’ll find:

Step-by-Step Guides for new course proposals, revisions, and discontinuations.
Templates and Forms (Course Action Request forms, syllabus templates, learning outcome templates).
Sample Materials such as well-developed proposals and syllabi.
Checklists to ensure submissions meet all requirements.

Course proposals must comply with university policies and standards, including:

Credit hour definitions and contact time expectations.
Course numbering guidelines.
General Education criteria.
Assessment of learning outcomes.

Course proposals follow a shared governance pathway:

Administrative Pre-approval before faculty invest time and energy in this efforts
Department-level review and approval (i.e., Course & Curriculum Committee, Department Head)
School/College-level review and approval (i.e., Course & Curriculum Committee, Dean)
University-level review and approval (ie. Senate committee, Graduate Faculty Council).
Registrar updates and catalog entry.

Faculty should plan ahead, as approval timelines may span multiple months.

Write measurable and clear course learning objectives.
Align courses learning objectives with program learning objects and Gen Ed requirements (if applicable).
Incorporate inclusive and evidence-based teaching practices.

When proposing a course, faculty must submit a Model Course Syllabus. This syllabus represents the disciplinary faculty consensus about the course’s focus and purpose, including:

The agreed-upon learning objectives.
Core content and topics that must be addressed.
Standards that apply to all instructors, including faculty, adjuncts, and graduate teaching assistants.

The Model Course Syllabus serves as the authoritative foundation for the course. Individual instructors then develop their own Instructor Syllabus, which must incorporate the consensus components from the Model syllabus but can be tailored to reflect the instructor’s pedagogical approaches, teaching style, assignments, and assessments.

FAQs: Answers to common questions (e.g., how to cross-list a course, what counts as a significant revision).
Training: Training: The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning offers a range of resources (e.g., Designing Your Course) and workshops to help faculty with course design (e.g., Designing Your Course), develop effective course materials, and enhance teaching strategies.