Core Committee Function and Membership

The charge and function of the Core Curriculum Committee was revised in March 2011 and affirmed by vote of the committee in October 2014. The Director of Core Curriculum serves as the chair of the committee and is a voting member.  Membership is appointed by school with the addition of a voting representative from the Center for Adult Learning. The vice president for academic affairs, director of institutional assessment and research and the registrar serve ex-officio. The functions of the committee are listed below. As membership for this committee is appointed by school there are no term limits. Schools may determine how the appointment is made and the timetable for service. 

Changes in the core curriculum may be initiated by faculty members, Working Groups or the Core Committee. A quorum is necessary for all course approvals and the endorsement of changes to core elements or components. The quorum is considered to be 50% plus one of the active core voting membership.

The functions of the Core Curriculum Committee include:

• Approve new and existing courses for the core curriculum status
• Approve core curriculum course revisions
• Periodically review approved core curriculum courses for alignment with learning outcomes
• Assess students' achievement of core curriculum learning outcomes
• Recommend core curriculum modifications to Faculty Council 
• Review the core curriculum and submit a report to the Program Review Committee when required

The Core Committee meets a minimum of twice per semester. Meetings are included in the Academic Affairs Tuesday/Thursday calendar. The committee may conduct business via email vote for items introduced in regular meetings. To assure broad faculty participation and oversight, the operational leadership also uses Working Groups for individual elements. The Working Group model was used in the origination of the current core curriculum and was revitalized in the spring of 2015 with the following revised charge.

Working Groups of the Core Curriculum

Charge and Function

• Working Groups will provide formative feedback for the improvement of effective teaching within designated core elements.
• Working Groups may recommend structural changes related to their designated core element as part of the program review process. These recommendations will be made to the director of the core curriculum who will report the recommendations to the Core Curriculum Committee.
• Working Groups will make recommendations for changes in test-out procedures related to their designated core element to the core curriculum director.
• Working Groups will evaluate and make recommendations for changes in Foundationsand Way of Thinking student learning outcomes, course requirements and assessment rubrics for their designated core element to the Core Curriculum Committee.
• Members will participate in the self-study of their designated core element related to the Program Review process for Viterbo University core curriculum.
• Members may serve as respondents and mentors for faculty preparing applications for core curriculum approval within their core element designation.
• Members may be asked to review waivers or substitution requests within their core element designation.
• The appointed Disciplinary Contact:
  • May be asked to review syllabi for currently approved core curriculum courses for formative feedback within their core element designation.
  • Will provide recommendations for approval or denial of waiver and/or substitution applications at the request of the core curriculum director.
  • Will assist in all matters which require consideration of disciplinary skills, terminology and methodology.

• The appointed Group Leader:
  • Will identify qualified reviewers for test-out reviews and oversee the test out procedure within their core element designation.
  • Will call and organize meetings of the Working Group as needed and/or as directed by the core curriculum director.
  • Will report findings and/or recommendations of the Working Group to the core curriculum director.

Constitution of Working Groups

• All working groups will have an appointed Working Group Leader who will assume responsibility for the organization of working group activities and the communication of findings and recommendations to the core curriculum director.
• All working groups will have a designated Disciplinary Contact who has demonstrated expertise in a discipline recognized as closely aligned with their respective core element designation.
• Group membership will provide representation from at least three colleges.
• Group Leaders should be full time employees with Viterbo University and have been with the university a minimum of five years.
• Members will be appointed by the core curriculum director after soliciting nominations from the Deans’ Council and university departmental chairs, and all appointments must be approved by the Core Curriculum Committee (approval will normally be taken up as business of the committee in a regularly scheduled meeting but may be by electronic communication if necessary or expedient).

Procedure

Any recommendations for substantive changes to core curriculum student learning outcomes or structural components will be:

• Referred to the core curriculum director.
• The core curriculum director will report the recommendations to the Core Curriculum Committee.
  • The CCC may prepare a formal recommendation for change.
  • May appoint a task force to further study and prepare recommendations for change.
  • May choose vote to dismiss recommendations.
• The full faculty must be provided an opportunity to engage in discussion of proposed changes.
• Proposed changes must be endorsed by the Deans’ Council and the academic affairs vice president.
• Final approval of proposed changes by vote of Faculty Council.

Any recommendations for substantive changes to Way of Thinking or Foundationsstudent learning outcomes or course requirements must be:

• Approved by the Core Curriculum Committee and referred to Deans’ Council.
• Endorsed by the Deans’ Council.
• Approved by the academic affairs vice president.

Any recommendations for refinements in student learning outcomes or mandatory course guidelines or changes to evaluation rubrics or test-out procedures must be:

• Endorsed by core curriculum director.
• Approved by the Core Curriculum Committee.
• Will be presented to the Deans’ Council as an information item.