The curricula of WashU Olin’s Degree Programs are governed by a set of formal policies and the oversight of Full-Time Faculty Members. Adherence to these policies is monitored through record-keeping and validation activities within Academic Affairs (Registrar), curriculum audits by academic advisors and students affairs staff, and annual curricular reviews conducted by faculty Academic Directors.
Although each program may have unique policies, a set of common policies at WashU Olin govern the academic standards and rigor of courses. The governance mechanisms applied across programs include the following:
Development and Approval of Courses
WashU Olin follows a standardized process across programs for the development and approval of new courses. It is important that faculty follow this process and adhere to the following timelines:
Timeline
- To add a new course to the Spring term, the course must be fully approved no later than September 30.
- To add a new course to the Summer term, the course must be fully approved no later than January 31
- To add a new course to the Fall term, the course must be fully approved no later than January 31
Process
- Pre-Work. The process begins when a faculty member identifies a need in Olin’s catalogue for a new course. To begin developing the course, the faculty member crafts a set of clear learning objectives, discusses the new course idea and learning objectives with members of their Department/Area (including Area Chair), and develops a full course syllabus.
- Course Proposal Submission: With this information in hand, the faculty member should complete and submit the New Course Proposal form. This new course proposal form requires the submission of a full syllabus, identification of pre-requisites, and assessment of similar courses in the existing course catalogue.
- Curriculum Committee Review and Approval. After the proposal is submitted, the Chair of the relevant Standing Curriculum Committee adds review of the new course to the agenda for the Curriculum Committee meeting. The full syllabus for the course is distributed to committee members and the course developer is invited to present the course to the committee. Committee members review the course for its adherence to Olin’s expectations for academic rigor, the alignment of the course design with the credit hours of the course, as well as its place in Olin’s curriculum. If the committee requests changes, the developer will revise the course and resubmit it to the committee. Once no further changes are requested, the Curriculum Committee will vote on approving the course as a new offering. If the course will be offered as an elective, it will be approved for a three-year period as an experimental course. If the course will be offered as a degree requirement, the approval of all Full-Time Faculty is necessary prior to offering.
- Course Scheduling and Initial Offering. Once approved, course details will be transferred to the Academic Affairs team (Registrar) to be added to Olin’s course catalogue and schedule. The Registrar will ensure that the assignment of contact hours in the course schedule aligns with the number of credits assigned for the course. The enrollment and student evaluations for the initial offering of the course will be reviewed by the respective Area Chair and Curriculum Committee for any further needed approval.
- Full-Time Faculty Review and Approval. Courses required for degree completion must receive the approval of all Full-Time Faculty prior to being added to the course catalogue. Elective courses may be offered as experimental courses for three academic years. At the conclusion of the third academic year, an experimental course must be reviewed and approved by the Full-Time Faculty; otherwise, the course will be removed from the catalogue. Like the Curriculum Committee, the Full-Time Faculty review a course for its adherence to Olin’s expectations for academic rigor and the value added to targeted degree programs.
Assignment of Credit Hours for Courses
WashU Olin determines how many credit hours students will earn for a given course by considering the total workload of the course, with consideration of activities conducted during synchronous class-time and activities or preparation completed out-of-class on the student’s own time. Olin’s credit hour standards are as follows:
- Instructional Time. Each credit hour equates to a minimum of 12.5 hours of instructional time. As an example, a typical 3 credit course would require 37.5 hours of instructional time, which could be completed through 14 weekly 3-hour class sessions (with breaks). Instructional time typically comprises face-to-face contact between students and the instructor. For online and hybrid courses, however, instructional time may also comprise asynchronous and meaningful interactions between students and the instructor.
- Preparation and Independent Learning Time. For each credit hour earned, faculty should require that students engage in preparatory work and independent learning for at least 25 hours. This equates to approximately 2 hours of preparatory time for each hour spent on instructional time.
For estimating hours spent in activities outside of dedicated classroom time, Olin encourages faculty members to rely on the Workload Estimator 2.0 disseminated by Wake Forest University.
Adherence to Credit Hour Standards
Adherence to credit hour standards is monitored through the development of WashU Olin’s Academic Calendars. These calendars apply across degree programs, ensuring that each class has the requisite time available for instructional and preparatory time. Individual courses are scheduled by the Academic Affairs team (Registrar) using specified terms (e.g., Mini-A, Mini-B, Full-Term) that are determined by the Academic Calendar. For courses that have unique or idiosyncratic schedules (e.g., Intensive Courses), the Academic Affairs team (Registrar) prepares specific daily schedules with clearly defined hours that align with the credit hours for the course. All course schedules are posted publicly in WashU’s course catalogue.