A Policy on ADS Guidelines and Guideline Templates at SUNY Empire
Sponsor: |
Undergraduate Committee for Academic Policy (UCAP) |
|---|---|
Contact: |
Director of Academic Review - School of Arts and Humanities, and Professor - School of Business (UCAP co-chairs) |
Category: |
Academic |
Number: |
100.150 |
Effective Date: |
08/16/2021 |
Implementation History: |
|
Keywords: |
AOS Guideline, Guideline Template |
Background Information: |
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide direction to programs and departments developing curricular guidelines. The policy aligns with the university's mission to offer a flexible, rigorous learning environment. It follows previous policy statements that underscore the school's commitment to student-centered, individualized learning programs.
Definitions
Statements
Historically, the university has served students of different backgrounds through its flexible curricular approaches which met their diverse needs. Because the academic backgrounds and needs of our students are so varied, the university depends on faculty to develop a set of academic competencies that are articulated into curricular statements/guidelines. Guidelines allow students to align their goals and previous learning (e.g., transcripts, iPLA credit, PLE) with the academic expectations of SUNY and ESC.
AOS/Concentration/curricular guidelines help students understand the scope and depth of an academic degree or concentration by providing statements of faculty consensus on subject matter competencies.
Guidelines provide a basic structure that allow students to individualize while also ensuring consistency across the university and in so doing, provide a guide to academic review committees.
Guidelines should be written in clear language that is student centered and which supports their use by relevant audiences. Further, they should provide for measurable outcomes. In this way, programs and departments should write guidelines that are comprehensible and useable by the entire university community. That includes students, staff, and faculty. Programs and departments, in addition, should develop guidelines that allow an assessment of their effectiveness. External accrediting bodies require the university to maintain guidelines that are clear and measurable as a measure of curricular integrity.
Guideline templates have been developed by faculty who oversee curricular design and program offerings. They can serve as models for faculty in other academic disciplines, but it is up to each program and department to decide when and how to use these templates.
Applicable Legislation and Regulations
Related References, Policies, Procedures, Forms and Appendices
Area of Study Guidelines: An Introduction to the Area of Study Guidelines Policy