Course Changes - Best Practices

  • A unique Course ID number is attached to every course in the PeopleSoft catalog. It is a key identifier referenced throughout the student system, including the class schedule, academic requirements report, degree planner, and student records & enrollment.
  • A course can change (units, title, upper division to lower division, etc.) but if it retains the same Course ID number, each ‘version’ of the course remains linked so grade forgiveness and repeat limits can be systematically applied to students’ records. If such changes are made using the Course-Change form in the curriculum proposal process, then the Course ID number remains the same. This allows the student system to continue to apply grade forgiveness and repeat limits even though the course has been significantly revised.
  • The following curriculum actions will sever the Course ID link: o Course–Drop with Course–New: a different course ID is generated for the added course.
  • Without a common course ID, grade forgiveness or repeat limits cannot be enforced.
  • If a student is enrolled in a (prerequisite) course in a prior term, the system assumes the student will complete with a ‘C’ and allows enrollment for a future term. If the student subsequently earns a ‘D’ or lower, Post Enrollment Requirement Checking (PERC) will drop the student after the grading cycle is complete.
  • If a student is enrolled in a prerequisite course in the same term (co requisite), the system cannot enforce the minimum ‘C’ grade.

How this impacts students:

  • Catalog course description can be confusing. How can a student meet the minimum grade requirement if enrolled as a co requisite?

Questions to consider:

  • Is there a reason to hold a student who has already taken the course to a higher standard than a student concurrently enrolled?
  • Are there enough students repeating the course to justify a different standard?
  • Course number changes are not generally allowed since they cause confusion for students and are difficult to track. Exceptions may be granted if a course is determined to be better suited as lower division instead of upper division or vice versa.
  • If changing the course number, the catalog must include the default statement, ‘Not open for credit to students with credit in SUBJ XXX.’
  • If such changes are made via the Course-Change form, then the course ID remains the same allowing for grade forgiveness and repeat limits to be enforced by the system.
  • If the course is dropped and a replacement course is added, (Course–Drop with Course–New) then there will be no system connection between the courses and so the grade forgiveness and repeat limits cannot be enforced.
  • Note about default statement, “Not open for credit to students with credit in SUBJ XXX”: If this statement is added to a course description simply to advise students that two courses may be similar in content, the system is unable to keep the student from earning credit in both courses since there is no sharing of the Course ID and thus no link between the courses. In such cases, the catalog statement will be for informational purposes only.

Numbers cannot be reused for 5 five years so that the old and new version of the course are not confused. Please check with the Curriculum Office when unsure if a course number is available for use.

Refer to the Requisite Checking FAQs page about course requisites and enforcing them during online registration.

  • New Courses: If newly created courses satisfy major/minor/certificate academic requirements, those new courses should appear in a Program Change proposal for the associated program(s) – i.e. additional major elective course choices.
  • Inactive Courses: If courses are becoming inactive and they are required within the major, the degree requirements should be updated accordingly.
  • Remember to indicate whether courses require a minimum grade (i.e., C or better) in the program requirements. If all courses in the major require a C or better, one option is to include a universal statement that applies to all courses within a given major.
  • When updating lower division courses required within the major, remember to consider potential impacts on existing Major Specific Declaration Requirements. As a reminder, Major Specific Declaration Requirements go through an approval process separate from the annual curriculum cycle.

Search


Courses Quicklinks