New Course Procedures

Dr. Wayne McCormack is the contact person in the College of Medicine for the development of new graduate courses.  He currently serves on the University Curriculum Committee and Graduate Curriculum Committee.  These committees approve at the University level all new courses and changes to existing courses.  

Links for more info about how the UF Graduate School process works:

For general instructions regarding the curriculum approval process click here.

To access the Approval Tracking System click here. Login using your Gatorlink username and password. 

New Course Transmittal form (UCC1):  http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/pdf/ucc1request.pdf 

Course Termination or Change Request (UCC2):  http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/pdf/ucc2request.pdf

In addition to a syllabus, it is helpful to include a cover memo briefly explaining the justification for the course change, e.g. change from 1 to 2 credits is due to an increase in contact hours from 15 to 30.  A good rule of thumb for figuring out how many credits a course is worth:  ~15 contact hours = 1 credit.

Before you upload your forms to the approval system, you may put together a draft of the UCC form and syllabus and go over them with Dr. McCormack.  You don’t need a complete syllabus schedule in the sense of having faculty assigned to each session, but you do need to include a list of topics for the sessions.  Things the committee looks for include appropriate reading lists and how the students will be assessed and graded, and a clear idea of how many teaching contact hours there will be. 

All new course proposals (UCC1) and all requests for significant changes (i.e., changes in credit hours, change in title and/or description) (UCC2) must be accompanied by a syllabus.  The attached syllabus must include all of the following for approval by the Graduate Curriculum Committee (see UCC Syllabus Checklist):

 

  • Course title, professor’s contact information including office location and telephone number, with TA contact information if applicable
  • Course objectives and/or goals and class meeting times
  • A topical outline (at least tentative) of subjects to be covered
  • Required and recommended textbooks (or other readings), with year of publication
  • Methods by which students will be evaluated and their grade determined
        Must include: Assessment methods and percentage of grade, e.g., 10% participation in small group discussion, 40% mid-term exam, 50% final exam
                                Point cut-offs for letter grades, or basis for assigning S/U grade
                                Justification if you will NOT be using minus letter grades (https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx)
  • Policy related to class attendance
  • Policy related to make-up exams and other work (sample shown below)
    Attendance and Make-Up Policies:  Students are expected to attend and participate in all class sessions.  Personal issues with respect to class attendance or fulfillment of course requirements will be handled on an individual basis.  Absences due to illness, professional travel, etc. will be excused per UF policy (https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx). 
  • Statement related to accommodations for students with disabilities (sample shown below)
    Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:  To request classroom accommodation because of a disability, students must first register with the Dean of Students Office (http://www.dso.ufl.edu/).  The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to you, which you then give to the instructor when requesting accommodation.  The College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to assist students in their coursework.
  • Information on current UF grading policies for assigning grade points (sample shown below – add a line in the above section on methods of evaluation & grading)
    For more information about UF grading policies see: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx.

 

Suggested additional information (which is required for distribution syllabi to students by UF policy):   University of Florida Policy on Course Syllabi.

  • Critical dates for exams or other work
  • Class demeanor expected by the professor (late to class, cell phones, etc.)
  • The university’s honesty policy regarding cheating and use of software
  • Phone numbers and contact sites for university counseling and mental health services

For more information:
New Course & Course Change Procedures:  http://gradschool.rgp.ufl.edu/archived-files/policy-manual-archived-copy.html#3.3.0.0
    (Please note that the UCC1 and UCC2 links in this document are out of date.  Please use the links above.)