Guidance for Course Proposals

Approval Process

All course proposals (new, change, drop) are processed via Curriculog, UK's curriculum management system. The approval process is as follows:

A course proposal is reviewed by the faculty of the proposer’s department.
Upon approval, the department will submit the course proposal to the college faculty for review. This is often done through a group of faculty organized through the dean’s office such as a faculty council or Educational Policy & Curriculum committee.
After approval at the college level, a course proposal then goes to the Office of the Provost.

NOTE ABOUT MINOR COURSE CHANGES: Minor course changes do not go to an academic council. Minor course changes will move from the college level to the Office of the Provost.
1. Courses taken primarily by undergraduate students (100- through 400-level courses) are reviewed by the Undergraduate Council (UC).
2. Courses taken primarily by graduate students (600- and 700-level courses) are reviewed by the Graduate Council (GC).
3. Courses taken by students in the professional health care colleges (800- and 900-level courses) are reviewed by the Health Care Colleges Council (HCCC).
  1. Health care colleges have the option of sending undergraduate and graduate course proposals to the HCCC, but are not required to do so unless the course includes direct patient contact and/or care.
  2. Courses taken by both undergraduate and graduate students (400G- and 500-level courses) are reviewed by both the Undergraduate and Graduate Councils.
The academic council will then send a course proposal to the Office of the Provost.
Office personnel will put reviewed courses on a 10-day post for review. Any concerns about a particular course proposal can be brought to the Office of the Provost, which will facilitate next steps.
After the 10-day post comes to an end, Office of the Provost personnel will send notice of approved courses to the Registrar and to other campus individuals, including the contact person(s). This email is formal notice that the approval process was completed.
The Registrar’s office will enter the course information into UK's systems and the course can be offered as early as the following fall semester.

Curriculog

Every course syllabus must include the following:

Detailed information about the course (i.e., the 24 required syllabi components listed in Administrative Regulation — Academic and Student Affairs Section 6.1.2.1);
A link to the Academic Policy Statements web page or a copy and paste of the text at that URL; and
A link to the Academic Offenses Rules for Undergraduate and Graduate Students web page or a copy and paste of the text at that link. (Syllabi for professional-level classes must include that program's rules on academic offenses or a link to a page with that information.)

Instructors may add additional information, as needed, such as information on generative AI, resources for students and/or information on classroom recording and course copyright.

Instructors should include the following language regarding Classroom Emergency Preparedness and Response:

Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our campus community. While the University of Kentucky Police Department continues to enhance campus safety measures, it’s important to remember that everyone has a responsibility in keeping our community safe. To find more information visit Emergency Response Guide | University of Kentucky Police Department (uky.edu)

Emergency Reporting & Action

Reporting

If there is an emergency, DIAL 911. To report suspicious activity or non-emergency situations, call the UK Police Department at 859-257-8573 or #UKPD from any mobile phone.

If an emergency occurs in a classroom or residence hall with a red emergency button, press to quickly notify UKPD. Emergency responders will immediately be dispatched to your location.

Action

During an emergency, you are responsible for your own safety.

If an emergency occurs during class, your instructor will provide further direction based on university and department emergency plans.

Warning Systems

UK Alert

The university provides emergency notifications through UK Alert, which sends messages via email, text message, phone calls, building alarm systems, digital signage, social media and outdoor sirens. If you receive a UK Alert message during class, notify your instructor and classmates immediately.

For more information, visit https://police.uky.edu/get-notified/uk-alert.

LiveSafe

The university provides additional emergency preparedness information and safety tools through LiveSafe, a free mobile app for iOS and Android. You can report suspicious activity, message with UK Police and virtually escort your friends through the SafeWalk tool.

For more information, visit https://police.uky.edu/safety/livesafe.

Blue Emergency Towers

Blue Emergency Notification Towers are strategically placed at over 50 locations across campus to provide outdoor alert tones and broadcast emergency messages with loud speakers. Each tower also features an emergency push button speaker phone that reaches UKPD and a camera mounted above the tower.

For more information, visit https://police.uky.edu/safety/blue-emergency-towers.

Medical Emergency

If there is a medical emergency, dial 911 and do not act outside the scope of your medical training. After dialing 911, inform your instructor of the situation.

Evacuation

It is required to evacuate for a fire alarm or when university officials order us to do so. Evacuation routes are marked with illuminated exit signs throughout the building. Avoid using elevators during any evacuation.

Emergency Sheltering

Storm Sheltering

Report to the recommended shelter locations. Recommended shelter locations are marked throughout the building.

If shelter locations are unavailable, protect yourself from lightning and flying debris by moving to an interior room or hallway on the building's lowest level. Avoid outside doors and windows and get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck.

Shelter-in-Place

If a shelter-in-place order is issued, you will learn about this through UK Alert, the university’s emergency notification system.

If you are inside, stay where you are unless the building you are in is affected. If the building is affected, and the fire alarm has been activated or directed by law enforcement, you should evacuate. If you are outdoors, proceed into the closest UK building or follow instructions from emergency personnel or alerts.

It is ideal to shelter-in-place in an interior room with the fewest or no windows and no doors to the outside if possible. Shut all windows and close exterior doors.

If a hazardous chemical release occurs outside the building, follow these same procedures.

Active Aggressor

In a situation where an aggressor is trying to attack you or others, follow three steps:

1. Run - Attempt to get away from the attacker.

2. Hide - If you cannot run, barricade yourself in a safe place. Turn your phone to silent and dim your brightness. If possible, use the LiveSafe App to message UK Police and alert them to your location. If you don’t have the app, dial 911. If you cannot speak, leave the line open and allow the dispatcher to listen.

3. Fight - If you cannot run or hide, do whatever you need to do to stop the attacker.

UK Police will communicate additional information through the UK Alert system during an active aggressor situation. Every UKY email automatically receives UK Alerts. You can also sign up in myUK to receive alerts via text and phone call.

Syllabus Guidance and Checklist

If this course is intended to fulfill the GCCR for your program, you must complete this form.

GCCR Course Form

Evaluation Rubrics

Arts and Creativity Area

Humanities Area

Social Sciences Area

Natural, Physical and Mathematical Sciences Area

Composition and Communication I Area

Quantitative Foundations Area

Statistical Inferential Reasoning Area

Community, Culture and Citizenship in the U.S.A. Area

Global Dynamics Area

The UKC prefix allows faculty to propose a course for UK Core and to teach it up to two times prior to submitting it for formal approval. We encourage faculty to be “experimental” in their approaches, while also ensuring that the course meets the learning outcomes for UK Core course area as defined by the relevant course template.

Note the following:

Experimental UKC courses may only be taught twice, after which they must be submitted as new courses through regular curriculum channels prior to being taught again.
Instructors of UKC courses, like instructors of all UK Core courses, are expected to participate in Core assessment activities.
UKC courses should not generally be utilized as a vehicle for teaching large numbers of students in an expeditious manner, but rather to provide faculty with the opportunity to develop and test new courses prior to the formal approval process.
Students may not repeat the same title for credit, unless they are exercising the repeat option.

Requests for approval for Experimental UK Core Courses are submitted via Qualtrics, not Curriculog.

In order to submit a request for an experimental UK Core course (UKC), proposers must first receive approval from department faculty and college-level faculty. Instructions on how to document these approvals is below.

In addition to identifying the course hundred series and Core area that the experimental course will fulfill, proposers must also suggest the specific course number (and ensure that it falls within the selected course hundred series/Core area).

To submit requests:

Click on this link and respond to all survey questions. Proposers are also required to upload three files, described below.

Upload #1: Course Syllabus
- Proposers must provide a complete syllabus that meets all the requirements established by the former Senate. Proposers will upload the course syllabus via a question toward the end of the Qualtrics survey referred to above.
Upload #2: UK Core Area Course Checklist
- Proposers must evaluate their course syllabus against the appropriate UK Core area course checklist. Proposers will upload the completed checklist via a question towards the end of the Qualtrics survey referred to above.
Upload #3: Department and College-Level Approvals
- Proposers must compile any/all documentation of department and college-level approvals and combine them into a single PDF. Proposers will upload the documentation of approval via a question towards the end of the Qualtrics survey referred to above.