When to update course outlines and programs

Course outlines and programs “expire” six years from the approval date (not the effective date).  E.g., an outline approved in October 2018 is good through fall 2024. That means that a modification should be approved by the Curriculum Committee no later than spring '24 so that it can be used spring '25, following the expiration of the previous version. An expired course or program will be deactivated for the next catalog after expiration, unless it goes through Curriculum Committee review and receives a new approval date.

Review this course and program spreadsheet designed to help you modify outlines in a timely manner and to verify your curriculum records. Pay close attention to the tabs at the bottom of the worksheet. Note--This Excel file is only accessible to CCSF employees, so log into Office to access and/or download. Use the filters to focus on your department's items and approval/expiration dates. 

1. Add six years to the approval date (ignore eff sem).  For example, a sp '18-approved COR is good through sp '24.
2. Due to processing timelines, you may have outlines listed as both active and in review. If you have concerns about an old outline listed as active, check the in-review sheet.
3. DEA are listed with course outlines (COR). Please keep their launches in sync, and please phase out or modify DEA still marked DE#. Use -FO and -PO only, and deactivate extra hybrid addenda marked DE#.
4. Allow two semesters for local and state processing, so launch to meet the f '24 dean-approval deadline so that it can pick up in f'25 after the old one rides into the sunset after sp'25.
5. Allow time prior to that outline launch (18 months max) for an aggregate assessment--and time for analysis, reflection, conversation, and revision. 

Courses not offered in six years

Courses that have not been offered recently may be updated to keep the outline active.  However, updating a course outline does not guarantee that it will remain in the catalog and be offered.  If an active course has not been offered in six (6) years, it will be deactivated for the next catalog, regardless of revision date.

Ways to control expiration drama

• A 4.5-5-year cycle should provide a generous cushion during modification, especially if problems occur, as well as allow time to launch and reflect upon an aggregate assessment report, which from the start should inform modification.
• Faculty and departments are responsible for keeping track of when their outlines need to be updated.
  • Use the expiration sheets provided above.
  • Log into CurrIQunet to check on Curriculum Committee approval dates (add six years to plan for expiration date).
  • Use the CurrIQunet's public search.
• Obviously, outlines must be submitted for review BEFORE the expiration date to meet catalog and schedule production deadlines and to allow sufficient time for review. And remember that local and state processing can take two semesters! Avoid gaps in active status.
• Review of curriculum takes time, and many factors can slow this down. Submission of outlines for Curriculum Committee review carries no guarantee that they will be finished or approved within a given time frame.
• Departments may initiate an update to outlines at any time. There is no prohibition against updating course or program outlines on a more frequent cycle than six years.
• Synchronize outline modifications with distance ed and honors addenda modifications since addenda are attached to outlines.
• Modify families of courses concurrently (e.g., PE 219A, PE 219B, and PE 219C form a family) to strengthen consistency.
• If a course is going to expire or be deactivated, check its Impact Report to see if programs or requisites will need to be adjusted.

How to calculate when to update outlines

Ideally, a department's faculty will look at all their outlines and programs and create a multi-year plan for updating their curriculum. It is particularly important to synchronize changes to courses, distance or honors addenda and programs.  The following methods of extrapolating from last approval date to "must update by" will help.

Outlines approved in the same calendar year may fall into different academic year cycles.  The table below provides the oldest possible dates based on catalog cycles. (It also provides dates for courses that have not been offered in 6 years.)

How to read this table . . .

• If an outline has an approval date before August 2015 (and after August 2014), it was only active through the end of the 2020-21 catalog. It needed to be revised and have Curriculum Committee approval in time for publication in the 2021-22 catalog to prevent deactivation. (Again, begin the modification process 4.5-5 years after the active outline's approval date.)
• An outline with an approval date between August 2015 and August 2016 would have been active through the 2021-22 catalog cycle because outlines have a 6-year shelf life.

The Curriculum Committee's Resolution Regarding Ensuring the Currency and Accuracy of the College Catalog and its amendment on Updated Criteria for the Deactivation of Courses (New and Long-Standing) That Haven't Been Offered in 6 Years are the basis for the table above.

Impact of Deactivated Courses on Programs

If a course is deactivated, and that course is a requirement of a program, that program will be deactivated as well, regardless of the program approval date.