Designing a New Course Proposal Process for Independent Schools
Independent schools are home to exceptionally talented and creative faculty, and this time of year often brings a flurry of exciting new course ideas—each intriguing and full of potential. How can Academic Leaders help guide their schools’ Academic Councils to support faculty in flexing their curriculum talents while ensuring these offerings align with the school’s mission and resources? A strong review process strikes that balance, fostering new ideas while maintaining academic integrity.
Independent schools foster intellectual curiosity and critical thinking, and maintain academic rigor while nurturing their students’ growth by offering a robust catalog of courses. A thorough review process for new courses and programs helps maintain the quality and consistency of the curriculum and fidelity to mission while encouraging innovation and stewarding resources effectively.
Most independent schools have a process for approving new on-campus courses; however, Academic Leaders report that their current processes are not always as well-defined as they could be, nor do they delineate appropriate responsibility between administrative criteria and academic criteria. This paper outlines the roles, responsibilities, and criteria independent schools should consider when adding new courses and programs.
Review and Approval Process
There are two primary roles and corresponding sets for responsibilities for review of courses before a school adds new on-campus courses:
Senior Administration Review: Senior administrators should review the administrative feasibility of the proposal, including resource availability and alignment with institutional goals. This review should happen first. If a course proposal does not align to overall institutional goals or if there are insufficient resources, then the course proposal should be rejected and not be reviewed for alignment to academic goals.
Curriculum Committee Review: The curriculum committee, composed of department chairs and relevant academic leaders, is responsible for evaluating whether the academic components of a proposal meet the required standards.
