Control of Courses Versus Collaborative Teaching

Policy Number: Not assigned a number.

Effective Date: Fall 1999

Policy Title:  Control of Courses Versus Collaborative Teaching

Contact: Office of Academic Programs

Policy Statement: The unit which "controls" a course will always be the unit that completes the course outline in the course request system. This is consistent with the IBHE definition that it is not the department from which the faculty member who staffs the course is paid, but the department that owns the course that is considered the controlling unit. Currently, a department that controls a course and submits the course outline has the authority to prescribe the course content, with input from cross-listing departments.

Reason for Policy: Ownership of a course is necessary to make clear which unit controls course content. Shared ownership is too complicated for the course approval system. Currently, all courses are "controlled" by a single department, and this will not change. The desire to obtain "credit" for providing staffing for a course that a unit does not control will be reflected in certain reports that describe a unit's teaching effort.

In the past, units have submitted paperwork to temporarily change the "control" of a course when staffing is being provided by a non-controlling unit. This practice has been discontinued. If staffing is shared or provided by a non-controlling department, teaching effort is reflected in certain faculty-based reports. This allows the department providing the instruction to claim the credit hours, negating the need to change "control" of the course on a temporary basis.

Minority Impact Statement: This policy does not have any disproportionate or unique impact on UIC’s minority students, staff, or faculty.

Who Should Read the Policy:  Instructors, staff, and administrators involved in designing or teaching courses at UIC.

Policy History: Endorsed by the Senate Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP) on April 13, 1999.