For the 2004-2005 academic year, the Curriculum Committee plans to complete the prioritized projects mentioned below within the prescribed time frame so as to meet the expectations of the Senate and President’s Office.  The Committee will start working as soon as the Senate confirms its members. Depending on the work flow, the time allocated to be spent on the projects will be two separate 3 hour meetings every week.

This draft working program, which has been prepared by the Committee Chairperson, may be altered after receiving feedback from the President’s Office, the head of academic units, and the Committee’s members after our first meeting.

Resources/Needs

1.       Human Resources: As shown below, all projects will be conducted with the University’s current human resources.  However,:

·         For issues that need expertise, specialists from outside the University will be contacted after receiving the go ahead from the President’s Office.

·         Preferably a Research Assistant from the Faculty of Communication or the Industrial Engineering Department will be requested for the Spring semester to be responsible for following up on all issues regarding the printing of catalogs and other material.

·         All writings/documentation will be entered into the computer by the Chairperson, but the services of a current (already assigned) secretary will be requested for all posting and filing work.

·         The assignment of a Teaching Assistant, not to exceed 20 hours a week, to help in maintaining the WEB site will be requested.

·         Due to the intense work load, a reduction in teaching hours for the Committee members and the Chairperson will be requested from the relevant bodies.

2.       Computer equipment: A laser printer will be requested for the Chairperson for writings/documentation purposes.

Project  No 1.  The establishment of a comprehensive electronic database and reporting system for courses.

·         Target:

·         Partial completion: 2004-2005 Fall Semester

·         End date:  2004-2005 Spring Semester

·         Priority:  Primary importance

·         Current status: The pilot application of the design and data entry system (in a digital format) is ready.

·         What needs to be done:

·         Develop an organizational chart regarding the authorization of data entry/ changes.

·         The preparation of the necessary computer infrastructure.

·         To obtain feedback from the academic units during the pilot application period.

·         To make the necessary changes and improvements.

·         To review the computer infrastructure.

·         To provide system access to the academic units for data entry/ changes

·         Reports (the design of automatic syllabus/ automatic listings/ design of search interfaces)

·         To prepare the necessary computer infrastructure for using the reporting systems

·         Tasks and Duties

·         Proposals concerning design and application: The Subcommittee and Chairperson (3 members).

·         Approval: by the Committee

·         Contact:  Chairperson or vice-chairperson

·         Computing/Information Processing:  The head of the Computing Center

·         Oversight of the data entry at the Faculties/Schools: lies with the members of the Committee members for their individual Faculty/Schools.

Project 2.  The harmonization of common-misdesignated or duplicate courses

·         Target:

·         Partial completion: 2004-2005 Spring semester

·         End date:  2005-2006 Fall semester

·         Priority: Primary importance

·         Current status:

·         The writings/memos concerning definition of the process, general principles, and the contact process with the academic units is ready.

·         What needs to be done:

·         To go over the process and principles with the Chairperson of the General Education department.

·         To go over the process and principles with the President of EMU.

·         Receiving approval

·         To review the decisions made by the subcommittee responsible for deciding which courses should be provided by which departments.

·         Communication/announcements/writings with the academic units

·         The organization and saving of data

·         Resolving disagreements and negotiations

·         Reporting final decisions to the Faculties/Schools

·         If there are any suggestions by the Faculties/Schools concerning curriculum changes, to submit them along with other proposals seeking approval. 

·         Tasks and Duties

·         Below we have the units/administrators/individuals to be consulted while determining which courses should be offered by which departments.

·         Heads of academic units (their suggestions to be provided by the Departments through their Dean)

·         The Chair of the General Education department

·         The Faculty Curriculum Committee’s Chair (their suggestions to be provided by the Departments through their Dean)

·         The administrative unit responsible for Student’s Affairs (their suggestions to be provided by the relevant Vice President or Coordinator)

·         All relevant committees or bodies (their suggestions to be provided by the head of the unit that they are associated with)

·         Full time, Ph.D holding lecturers (their suggestions to be provided by the Departments through their Department Chair)

·         Subcommittee (for determining compulsory/essential courses)

·         Classification of data and the formation of an informative (of a read only nature) database accessed through the internet:  A vice chair responsible for administrative affairs (an executive secretary)

·         The implementation of writings/contacts/meetings:

·         First stage: the Committee Chairperson

·         Situations needing resolutions: the President’s Office 

Project No. 3.  Determining the processes and principles for new courses, changes, and closings 

·         Target:  Middle of the 2004-2005 academic year

·         Priority:  Primary importance

·         Current status: The Chairperson has conducted a preliminary search on the internet.

·         What needs to be done:

·         Determining the basic principles and definitions

·         Definition of credit hours

·         Definition of lecture-tutorial-lab-studio activities

·         Principles for preparing definitions in the course catalog

·         Principles for preparing course syllabi

·         Principles for assigning course codes and reference codes

·         Principles for calculating course expenses/overhead

·         Principles for determining the appropriate course lecturer

·         Principles concerning on-line courses

·         Other?

·         to define the new course offering process and the approval mechanism

·         to provide these principles and definitions to the President and the academic units for their views and suggestions.

·         to provide these principles and definitions to the Senate for approval

·         to prepare proposal formats for new courses

·         preparation of the necessary forms

·         Determining the necessary computer infrastructure and authorizations

·         Preparation of the formal Guidelines (in English and Turkish)

·         Tasks and Duties

·         Preliminary research:  The Chair and all Committee members

·         Proposals:  Subcommittee

·         Writings and communication: the Chair

·         Preparation of the forms:  Chair/Computing and IT Center /one committee member

·         Preparation of the Guidelines: Chair/one committee member/academic and administrative units (BIM, YDO, TDE, Design unit)

Project No. 4.  The preparation of the principles and processes concerning opening new programs and curriculum changes

·         Target:  End of the 2004-2005 Fall semester

·         Priority:  Primary importance

·         Current status:  The Chair has conducted preliminary research

·         What needs to be done:

·         Research:  All members

·         Determining the general principles

·         General education principles/total credit hours/compulsory standards originating from ABET and other accreditation bodies.

·         Setting the basic principles to be considered when asking for changes

·         Setting the basic principles to be considered when conducting a financial viability analysis

·         Determining the basic principles used when evaluating needs/resources

·         Defining the process for opening new programs/curriculum changes and the associated approval mechanism

·         Presenting the principles and processes to the President’s Office and academic units for their views and suggestions

·         Presenting it for approval by the Senate

·         The preparation of proposal formats

·         The preparation of forms

·         Determining the necessary computer infrastructure and authorizations; content review

·         Preparation of the Guidelines (in both English and Turkish)

·         Tasks and Duties:

·         Preliminary research: the Committee Chair and all members

·         Proposals:  the subcommittee

·         Writings and communication:  Committee Chair

·         Preparation of forms:  Committee Chair/Computing and IT Center/one committee member

·         Preparation of the Guidelines: Chair/one committee member/academic and administrative units (BIM, YDO, TDE, Design unit) 

Project No. 5.  Determining the principles for opening new programs

·         Target: the end of the 2004-2005 Fall semester

·         Priority: Secondary importance

·         Current status: no activity as of yet

·         What needs to be done:

·         Harmonize the principles for opening/closing courses and curriculum changes

·         Determining other relevant principles

·         Preparing a comprehensive proposal format

Project No. 6.  The preparation of the university’s undergraduate and associate degree catalog

·         Target: The beginning of the 2005-2006 Fall semester

·         Priority: Primary importance

·         Current status:  The Committee Chair has been briefed by the President on this matter and the Graduate School catalog shall be used as a sample.

·         What needs to be done:

·         The Committee must develop a general format and set up a skeleton team

·         The assignment of instructors by their Faculties and departments to work on this project (the collection of information regarding academic units/organization of information/adapting it to the general format/ reviewing the content)

·         The assignment of technical personnel from the administrative units to assist on this project (computer programming/design/printing/distribution)

·         Assigning personnel from the President’s Office to help in this matter(organization/laying out information regarding student affair’s and associated rules/preparing this information to fit the general format/entering into a computer or digital format/proofreading and approvals from the President’s Office)

·         Finding an editor (must work within the framework of the principles and in collaboration with the Committee Chair when producing the final version of the catalog)

·         Orientation of all involved in the project and coordination of activities

·         Coordinate and synchronize information collection and printing activities

·         Tasks and Duties:

·         Research and inspection:  All members

·         Coordination:  Committee Chair – Vice Chair

·         Other duties:  as explained above

Project No. 7:  The preparation of principles for “barrier or weeding out” courses in conjunction with the academic units

·         Target:  End of the 2004-2005 Fall semester

·         Priority:  Secondary importance

·         Current status:  No activity as of yet

·         What needs to be done:

·         Research:  What do established universities do?

·         Receiving suggestions from the academic units and the President’s Office

·         Developing the principles

·         Presenting these to the academic units and the President’s Office

·         Making the necessary changes

·         Presenting to the Senate for approval

·         Under these principles the academic units will determine their “barrier or weeding out” courses and go to the Senate for their approval

·         Informing the university community of the results (academic unit chairs/students/instructors/Office of Student Affairs)

·         Tasks and Duties:

·         Research: all members

·         Monitoring of progress on this matter in the academic units: representatives from the Faculties/Schools

·         Writings and briefings:  Committee Chair/President’s Office