ACC Handbook

The American Association of University Professors’ “Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities” notes, “The faculty has primary responsibility for such fundamental areas as curriculum, subject matter and methods of instruction, research, faculty status, and those aspects of student life which relate to the educational process.” Responsible and effective faculty stewardship of curriculum and academic programs is the acknowledged locus of authority from which faculty influence emanates at most effectively governed institutions of higher education, thus the Academic Coordinating Commission is charged with what is, in many respects, one of the most important jobs in any faculty governance organization. The Academic Coordinating Commission is charged by, and acts under, the authority of the Faculty Senate of Western Washington University and shall operate at all times in accordance with the bylaws, provisions, and purposes set forth in the Constitution of the Faculty of Western Washington University.

When in question, the Faculty Senate has final interpretation of the ACC's purpose and responsibilities.

The ACC follows rules of order that are established in the Senate Bylaws.

ACC operating procedures and policies not set out or superseded by the Faculty Constitution shall be determined or revised by a two-thirds majority vote of the voting membership of the Commission and shall be communicated both in meeting minutes and in this Handbook. Substantive revision of the ACC Handbook requires the action and approval of the ACC. All actions of the ACC, including revision of ACC policies and operating procedures, are subject to Senate approval and do not become effective until reviewed and adopted by the Faculty Senate.

The Executive Committee may act on behalf of the Commission during the Summer Session or at other times when decisions are required between regularly scheduled ACC meetings. In such instances, all Executive Committee actions are subject to review by the ACC at its next regularly scheduled meeting. The Executive Committee is not to make determinations on matters of policy on ACC's behalf. All Executive Committee actions taken on behalf of the ACC will be stated in writing and submitted to the ACC for ratification at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

Any item requiring ACC consideration must be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee by the Thursday before the scheduled ACC meeting that the item is proposed to be discussed. Each agenda will also include a time allotment for "Items from the Floor," during which topics may be raised for immediate consideration or for referral to the Executive Committee.

Following each meeting, the recorder for the ACC or the chair or designee will publish an electronic abstract of actions taken by the Commission on the ACC Meetings Agendas and Archived Meetings webpage. Further information will be communicated (if needed) to the Faculty Senate, ACC members, College Deans and assistants, committee chairs and recorders, and to appropriate vice presidents, vice provosts, academic departments, and administrative offices.

In its charge to the Academic Coordinating Commission, the Faculty Senate empowers the ACC to create any subordinate bodies that it deems necessary for the effective completion of its work. Similar to how ACC is charged for the purpose of extending the capacity of the Faculty Senate, standing and ad hoc committees of the ACC are charged for the purpose of extending and facilitating the work of the ACC. Through their service, committee members share in the work and responsibilities of both the ACC and the Faculty Senate.

Unless otherwise stated, the appointment term of all ACC standing committees shall be for two consecutive years. Committee members may stand for reappointment for two additional two-year terms. After reaching term limits, a member must remain off a standing committee for one year before becoming eligible for reappointment.

The Chair of ACC, or the Chair's representative, shall be a non-voting advisory member of all ACC standing Committees.

Openings for appointments to ACC committees shall be published on the Faculty Senate website. In the case of student appointments, ASWWU Senate shall be notified of openings.

Committee and council members may resign their position by written notice to the respective committee chair or to the ACC Chair, following which a new member shall be appointed for the remaining of the resigning member's two-year term. A resigning member may recommend a replacement.

The voting-eligible faculty of each college and the Graduate School are responsible for charging and maintaining curriculum committees that communicate with, report to, and submit curriculum proposals and minutes for approval to the ACC. Such bodies are typically charged by their respective college's primary faculty governance body, or in the case of the Graduate School, by the Graduate Council. Voting-eligible faculty members must chair all such curriculum committees. Each college is obliged to make the charge and membership of its curriculum committee available to the public, and the ACC website will link to the current charges and memberships of curriculum committees not directly overseen by the ACC. Colleges are responsible for communicating changes in curriculum committee charges to the ACC and for ensuring that publicly available charges and membership rosters remain current.

The Council on University Programs (CUP) was created by the ACC in May 2010 as a Standing Committee for the purpose of providing curricular oversight to academic programs that do not reside in a college. The CUP effectively serves as an alternative to a college-level curriculum body for such programs.

All university-wide programs are responsible for charging and maintaining a faculty curriculum committee that drafts, reviews, and proposes curricula, and communicates with and submits curriculum proposals and minutes for approval to the CUP. The curriculum committee of each such university-wide program:

• Shall be composed of at least 5 members, 3/5ths or more of whom are tenure line faculty. The faculty on the committee must represent at least three different departments and at least two colleges. The committee elects a chair at the start of each academic year.
   
• Shall have an approved and published charge and membership and shall identify and publish expected course, program, and degree learning outcomes.

The faculty of Woodring College of Education is responsible for charging and maintaining the Teacher Curricula and Certification Council (TCCC) for the purpose of overseeing teacher education curricula, teacher certification programs, and professional preparation programs proposed by certification consortia in which the university participates. The TCCC must provide a means of interaction among the units of WWU engaged in teacher preparation and take action to improve relations with agencies outside WWU that relate to teacher preparation and certification. The membership of the TCCC must include faculty representation from each college or unit engaged in teacher preparation.

Committees and councils meet at least once a quarter and report to the ACC.

Committees reporting to ACC shall forward electronic copies (.docx or .pdf format) of approved minutes of each meeting to the Catalog and Curriculum Specialist within 21 working days of the meeting. Approved minutes will be archived and available through the Office of the Faculty Senate.

The minutes shall clearly show date of the meeting, date the minutes were approved, the recorder, a quorum listing those present and absent, including guests, and actions taken. Curriculum committee minutes shall provide an accurate and operational Curriculum link for actions regarding courses or programs.

Actions taken by committees reporting to ACC must be communicated in minutes and, unless rejected or postponed by an ACC majority vote, shall have ACC's implied consent once minutes are accepted by the ACC. Actions not approved by the ACC and returned to the reporting committees may be amended, appealed to the ACC, or appealed directed to the Faculty Senate.

In order to ensure minutes are forwarded to ACC in a timely manner, a quorum of a curriculum committee's members may opt to approve meeting minutes via email. While it is acceptable to review and approve meeting minutes as soon as possible via remote application, conducting meetings via email is unacceptable, as it is not possible to adhere to parliamentary procedure. It is acceptable to conduct meetings remotely via communication platforms such as Zoom or Teams, where contemporaneous communication is possible, parliamentary procedure is observed, and a quorum is present.

Membership

The membership of the Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE) shall be as follows:

Voting members (14)

• One faculty representative of and from each of the following areas:

  • College of Business and Economics
  • Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies 
  • College of Fine and Performing Arts
  • College of the Environment
  • College of Humanities and Social Sciences (Social Sciences)
  • College of Humanities and Social Sciences (Humanities)
  • College of Science and Engineering
  • Woodring College of Education
  • Western Libraries
• One at large-faculty chair, elected annually
   
• An ACC member or designated representative, appointed by ACC for a one-year term
   
• Two students who have taken GURs at Western, appointed by the ASWWU Senate
   
• Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, ex officio

Advisory Members (3) 

• Director of Advising or Designee
   
• A representative of the Registrar's Office
   
• Director of Writing Instruction Support

Terms of membership shall be staggered.

Chair

The chairperson of the Committee shall be elected by and from its membership at the first meeting of Fall Quarter. The chairperson must be a faculty member who has experience teaching GUR courses, and after the chair has been elected, they serve at large. As necessary, a faculty representative of the chair's college or area shall be appointed to fill the representative seat that a newly elected chair has vacated.

Reportage

The Committee on Undergraduate Education meets five times a quarter or more often as required, usually on Thursdays at 4 pm. An electronic copy of the approved minutes of each meeting shall be forwarded to the Catalog and Curriculum Specialist within 21 days of the meeting.

Charge

• Advise the Academic Coordinating Commission on all curriculum matters related to General Education, including the acceptance of courses for listing as fulfilling General University Requirements (GURs), general education and first-year programs, and all courses bearing the SMNR prefix, and oversight of the Writing Proficiency (WP) requirement.
   
• Promote the goals of liberal education in general, and writing and general education goals in particular, within the academic community.
   
• Periodically review these educational goals and assess the degree to which these goals have been achieved. These spheres of assessment include the University, colleges, and departments. The Committee on Undergraduate Education shall communicate its findings, and recommendations for improvement, to the ACC and appropriate units.
   
• Work in cooperation with and with support from the offices of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education; and the University Writing Program.
   
• Report to the ACC.

Membership

The membership of the Council on University Programs (CUP) consists of nine (9) faculty members, including one faculty member appointed by each of the following interdisciplinary programs: Honors College, Global Studies, Leadership Studies, Energy Studies, Canadian-American Studies, Sustainability Studies, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Critical Disability Studies, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Marine and Coastal Science, and Salish Sea Studies; 

One at-large tenure-track faculty member with no formal affiliation to any university program (1); and, 

The Vice Chair of ACC, who shall not be elected Chair of the Council.

Chair

The chairperson of the Council on University Programs shall be elected by and from its membership at the first meeting of Fall Quarter. 

Reportage

The Council meets as required, no less than once a quarter. An electronic copy of the approved minutes of each meeting shall be forwarded to the Catalog and Curriculum Specialist within 21 days of the meeting.

Charge

• The Council on University Programs reviews and approves curricular proposals from an interdisciplinary perspective.
   
• The Council oversees effective ways of ensuring the quality of interdisciplinary and University-wide programs.
   
• The Council functions as a college curriculum committee for programs not affiliated with a college, and as such is a standing committee of the ACC.
   
• The Council oversees curricular review and approval of Western on the Peninsulas programs.
   
• Curricular authority over university programs not affiliated with a college is vested entirely in the Council on University Programs. However, implications regarding repeatability, prerequisites and equivalency or other implications for majors must be referred to the relevant department.
   
• Recommendations that result from such consultations must be captured in the Council's minutes to the ACC.

Rights and Responsibilities are standards regarded as being particularly fundamental to the needs of constituents interacting with the curriculum and curriculum approval processes of Western Washington University. As such, the Academic Coordinating Commission will make particularly strong efforts to ensure that procedures and rights outlined in this section are upheld.

The Western Washington University Catalog is intended as a reliable guide for students and potential students. The University Catalog represents a contract between the students and the University; therefore, permanent courses may not be scheduled and listed in Browse Classes/Classfinder until they appear in the University Catalog. The University Catalog is published once a year and specific deadlines for submission of courses for approval can be found on the Faculty Senate website and the Curriculum Management webpage.

In order to ensure that the Catalog is a reliable guide for students and potential students, the ACC requires that curricular changes conflicting with the Catalog current at the time the changes are proposed shall not become effective until they are approved by the ACC and published in a subsequent version of the Catalog. This permits, for example, the addition of new courses, but prevents a change in credit hours for a course or program, a change in course prerequisites, or any major change in a program, including of program requirements.

New courses and modifications to/cancellations of existing courses, and new/revised/moratorium/canceled majors, minors, masters, or doctorate programs must be formally approved by the ACC and such actions recorded in ACC minutes. The Faculty Senate is the final approving agent for ACC action prior to appearance in the University Catalog.

Councils, commissions, colleges, departments, and academic programs considering actions which will impinge upon courses or programs offering by another academic unit of Western Washington University, must give notification to the academic unit involved two weeks in advance of the action. Failure to do so may delay or void the action. The ACC requires clear evidence of collegial communication in all instances where a new, revised, or cancelled course or program is likely to impact the curriculum or the enrollment of a course or program in another academic unit. The ACC strongly recommends collegial communication in cases where a proposal is substantially similar to an existing course or program in another academic unit. The purpose of this regulation is to allow an opportunity for input by the affected unit. Impact reports for permanent courses are available in Curriculum.

The ACC is charged with the responsibility of reviewing courses to determine whether they are legitimate offerings, including consideration of the number of credit hours awarded based on the content and pedagogy of the course. All curriculum committees are expected to subject courses and their pedagogy to a rigorous review to ensure appropriate and consistent granting of credit hours prior to forwarding course proposals to the ACC.

Other standing committees of the ACC, who review courses for their appropriateness in fulfilling certain requirements, (e.g., GUR courses), should consider whether the course as a whole contains content sufficient to meet the demands of a particular requirement. These committees are expected to advise whether the course as a whole is to be accepted.

Departments making significant changes to and/or departure of programs or their requirements, including program eliminations or moratoria, must establish a plan that allows students in such programs to complete, within three years of the program revisions, the requirements applicable to students at the time they entered the program.

In order to protect students and facilitate their timely progress toward graduation, ACC recommends adoption of the 3/2/1 model as a guiding principle in review of curricular proposals and reformation of the general university requirements. (December 5, 2000 — Quality Education Report, Office of Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education)

According to the 3/2/1 model, the desirable ratio of major, general education, and elective credits in an undergraduate degree program is 90 for the major, 60 for the GURs, and 30 elective credits respectively. The ACC has committed itself to closely examine any change in a major that increases the credit hour requirement beyond 90.

The ACC acknowledges that different criteria may need to be applied to some majors for reasons such as certification or accreditation requirements.

The ACC recommends a cap on the number of credits allowed within a department. Such a change, along with continued scrutiny of course credit increases, may effectively free up elective opportunities for students, as well as decrease the credit load on transfer students.

ACC-approved course/program (major, minor, master, doctorate, certificate, endorsement) curriculum proposals, started and validated by the submitter wishing to introduce course/program changes, will be reviewed and approved to the required approver on behalf of the affected academic department or academic program. Required approvers will follow academic unit operating procedures for curricular approval in their academic department or academic program, securing approval as instructed. Unit heads of academic departments or academic programs then approve proposals for review and approval by the appropriate college-level curriculum body (or CUP) in which the affected academic department or academic program is housed.

ACC is responsible for ensuring every approved course at Western is assigned an appropriate number of credit hours, meets Western's credit hour definition, and complies with the total student work per credit.

• Link to ACC Policy on Credit Hours

The Department of Education provides regulations guiding online education. All institutions that receive Federal financial support, including student financial aid, must comply with these regulations. The ACC has prepared this document to guide the preparation of any proposals for Alternate Modality Courses so that they comply with the federal regulation’s requirement for Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in online education. RSI is not only a regulatory requirement, it is a hallmark of the high quality education students have come to expect here at WWU.

• Link to Guidance Regular and Substantive Interaction

ACC revised its Syllabus Requirements and Guidance to assist with new courses, courses with existing or new GUR attributes, course revisions, etc.

• Link to Syllabus Requirements and Guidance

ACC-approved definitions of instructional method of delivery method of a course

• Link to Course Modality Definitions

ACC's current timeline and planning for course modality approval, including current definitions for Western approved course modalities. 

• Link to Course Modality Timeline and Contingency Planning

All permanently approved online and hybrid courses will be reviewed for compliance with the ACC Credit Hour Policy, ACC Syllabus Requirements and Policy, and the newly Provost-approved college and department modality policies.

• Link to Recommended Review of All Permanently Approved Online/Hybrid Courses for Compliance

ACC defines the term "crosslisting" for more clarity at the schedule level; includes examples that may appear to be crosslisting but don't meet the definition, and examples that may not occur.

• Link to Crosslisting Policy

ACC requires that all repeatable courses specify limitations upon repeatability and that course descriptions for repeatable classes include standardized language articulating these limits.

• Link to Course Repeatability 

ACC implemented a new procedure for requesting a moratorium for a program of study, and programs being considered for permanent cancellation must be placed into moratorium first.

• Link to Requesting Degree Program Moratorium

ACC recognizes the needs for regulating large-scale changes to curriculum, creating a streamlined approach that includes criteria for approval and workflow.

• Link to Large-Scale Curriculum Changes Criteria

Western provides reasonable accommodation for students to take holidays for reasons of faith or conscience or for organized activities conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or religious organization.

• Link to Religious Accommodation

A proposed new course, whether temporary or permanent, cannot have a title identical in its entirety, or substantially identical in its entirety, to that of a course already published (or already approved for publication) in the University Catalog.

• Link to Course Titles

X97 numbering is reserved for temporary courses. The course number must indicate the appropriate level of the course; a letter suffix will be assigned to differentiate similarly numbered temporary courses.

• Link to Temporary Courses

Courses numbered from 100 to 299 are classified as lower division; those numbered from 300-499 as supper division. Generally, the first digit of a course number indicates its intended class level.

• Link to Course Numbering Guidelines 

Every academic department and academic program with an approved subject code will have a generic course number, X37, available for faculty-led study abroad courses.

• Link to Study Abroad Course Numbering

The ACC, in conjunction with the Registrar's Office, mandates that old course numbers not be used for a new course number for at least five years since that last date of offering in order to avoid confusion in the University Catalog for students.

Link to Reuse of Course Numbers

Alphabetical suffixes, or letters, shall be used only to distinguish temporary course offing (X97) or in rare cases when a unit's offerings exceed the numbers available in the traditional numbering system.

These guidelines are intended to ensure better communication to the ACC regarding the review processes of student-faculty designed majors and interdisciplinary concentrations.

• Link to Guidelines for Student-Faculty Designed Majors and Concentration Titles

The initiation and implementation of new courses and proposed changes to/cancellation of existing courses, majors, minors, master, and doctorate programs, and certificates is governed through "Curriculum" (curriculum management software).

Curriculum proposals include guidance and links to ACC policies relevant to the course, program, and other approval processes.

Proposals for new courses or programs of study or revision or moratorium/cancellation of existing courses or programs originate in academic departments or university-wide academic programs curriculum committee. 

Course descriptions should resemble final University Catalog copy and should not be overly lengthy or complicated. Concise course descriptions are helpful in informing student understanding of the course intent.

Initial proposals should include number of credit hours, rationale, repeatability, and course prerequisites.

1. Originator approves Curriculum proposal (with appropriate attachments) to academic department or academic program required participant. Academic department or academic program required participants approve Curriculum proposals to the chair of the college-level curriculum committee and/or required approver on behalf of the committee, who then reviews the proposal with the curriculum committee. The proposals and supporting materials are then approved to one of the following committees for approval:

        •  CUE reviews GUR and general education and first-year program courses. 
        •  Graduate School reviews 500+ level courses and programs.
        •  TCCC reviews teacher certification courses and programs.

2. After final edits are made in tandem with final approval by ACC, with referrals, questions, and returns to the originators for revising as necessary, the curricular proposal is approved to the Catalog and Curriculum Specialist.
    
3. A brief description of the course should require little or no editing for the final University Catalog copy, and include credit hours, rationale, equivalency (if relevant), repeatability, and prerequisites. Concise course descriptions are helpful in informing student understanding of the course intent. Requests for GUR approvals are approved to CUE and must include a copy of the syllabus and must list how the course will achieve the required literacies as checked.
    
4. If credits are added to majors or minors, a rationale must be included, to adhere to the 90/60/30 recommendations. Certificated programs do not fall under this restriction. Crosslisting references must be noted.
    
5. Electronic copies (.docx or .pdf format) of minutes are forwarded to ACC and the Catalog and Curriculum Specialist. Curricular Minutes are due to the Catalog and Curriculum Specialist by Thursday at 5:00 p.m. prior to the following scheduled Tuesday ACC meeting.

ACC may postpone review of curriculum proposals until a later meeting if there are questions. Academic unit representatives are invited to attend ACC meetings to clarify proposals.

Whenever the Academic Coordinating Commission becomes aware of an apparent or potential curricular conflict or redundancy, arising without due notification, between any colleges and/or departments and/or programs of the university that falls under its jurisdiction the Commission will ask the Provost, or the Provost's designee: 1) to call the appropriate administrators together; 2) to ask the parties to resolve the difficulty, and 3) to submit to the Commission a recommendation acceptable to all parties.

1. ACC-approved course/program (major, minor, doctorate, certificate, endorsement) curriculum proposals launched and submitted by the originator wishing to introduce course/program changes, will be approved to the academic unit required participant of the affected academic department or academic program. Required participants follow academic unit operating procedures for curricular approval in their academic department or academic program, securing approval as instructed. Required participants of academic departments or academic programs then approve proposals for proposed curriculum to the chair of the college curriculum committee and/or required approver on behalf of the committee (or CUP in the case of university-wide programs) in which the affected academic department or academic program is housed.
    
2. The chair of the curriculum committee/designated representative will create a Curriculum agenda of proposals for courses numbered less than 500 and undergrad programs to the college curriculum committee (or CUP) for action that is recorded in curricular minutes. The chair of the curricular committee/designated representative will approve all proposals for courses numbered 500 and higher and master and doctorate programs to the Graduate School for actin. College curriculum committees are not required by ACC to review 500-level courses. However, if review of these courses and/or programs takes place in the college curriculum committees, these actions should be recorded and listed in curriculum minutes.
    
3. After proposals are approved, the information will be recorded in the college curriculum committee, CUP, or Graduate School minutes. Links to Curriculum proposals should be listed in the minutes in such a way as to be available to be viewed via online agenda. These minutes are emailed to the Catalog and Curriculum Specialist following approval by the end of the day Thursday prior to the following scheduled ACC meeting on Tuesday for incorporation into the ACC agenda and in preparation for ACC review. The Catalog and Curriculum Specialist approves all final ACC approved Curriculum proposals and may work with the Faculty Senate Office and academic units during the process to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
    
4. The ACC reviews the minutes and may accept the actions as submitted, accept a certain portion of the actions, or send the entire set of minutes back. Occasionally Commissioners propose minor editorial changes. Typos and minor editorial changes are forwarded as informational items back to the originators but seldom cause delay in approvals. The Catalog and Curriculum Specialist may oversee minor typos and editorial changes and may provide a short list of the same to the ACC in order to efficiently facilitate approval. Entire sets of curriculum minutes or specific curricular items may be returned to the forwarding committee for clarification or concerns. The ACC holds open meetings, and faculty or curricular chairs or deans who have additional information of use to the commissioners are strongly encouraged to attend in person or remotely in order to facilitate immediate approval of their requests.
    
5. Course/program proposals may require approval by other committees prior to formal ACC approval. Committees that function as curriculum committees include (1) CUE, which approves GUR courses and general education and first-year program courses; (2) Graduate School, which approves courses numbered above 500 and master and doctorate programs; (3) TCCC, which approves courses/programs that are appropriate for teaching certification; and (4) CUP, which approves courses offered through university-wide academic programs.

Minutes submitted to ACC should reflect all actions taken within the curriculum committee. The recorder should include their name and attach a roster regarding attending, including any guests. Minutes must include the date, location, and the time of the meeting, and the date on which the committee reviewed and approved its minutes.

The chair of the appropriate curriculum committee is responsible for reviewing all requests for new/revised/canceled courses of new/revised/moratorium/canceled majors or minors to determine if requests pertain to professional education. Such proposals are forwarded for approval to the Teacher Curricula and Certification Council (TCCC) for simultaneous review/action. Examples of courses which should be sent to the TCCC include those which address educational psychology, teaching methodology, teaching philosophy, requirements of certification, and majors or minors for education degrees.

Current courses may be designated as part of the FYE program if approved as such by the General Education and First-Year Programs and Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE).

Courses offered through Outreach and Continuing Education must go through the standard curriculum review process.