New Course Information For Faculty
Faculty members should discuss teaching plans with the DUS and Chair with regard to teaching load, curricular needs, overlapping courses, etc. Based on these discussions, faculty should:
- Prepare a New Course Request form, to be submitted once for inclusion in the Bulletin. The completed form should be submitted to the Curriculum Committee for approval.
- Prepare a Teaching Plan Request, to be submitted each academic year to the Curriculum Committee.
- Prepare a Course Schedule Request, to be submitted for the relevant semester to the ADUS.
Procedures and deadlines for each request are outlined below.
1. New Course Request (Courses below 300-level only)
Request deadlines:
Course to be taught in the Fall: December 15 of the preceding calendar year.
Course to be taught in the Spring: August 15 of the preceding calendar year
Got to the Online Request Form: http://www.aas.duke.edu/cgi-bin/coursereq/crsehome.pl
- Login using your regular NetID & Password
- At "Please enter your DUS or DGS code" enter: sayansi <Submit>
- Click Add Course
Fill in the following fields:
Course:
Subject = Biology Course/Catalog # = <number>
You may request a course number or ask that the DUS/ADUS select one for you. In general, you can use any unused number. Note that numbers are considered unused only 4 years after a course with the same number is dropped.
Numbers should be selected following these guidelines:
- Biology 1-99: introductory biology and courses intended for non-majors.
- Biology 100-199: second-level 'core' courses and electives for the major.
- Biology 200-299: advanced 'capstone' courses. For juniors, seniors or graduates. These courses may be exclusively undergraduate, exclusively graduate, or a mixture of both. Freshmen and sophomores will not be able to register without permission from the Dean.
- Biology 300-399 = graduate only. Undergraduates are not allowed to register without permission from the Dean. Don't use this form for 300-level courses.
Generally, courses below the 100-level will not assume any previous biology courses. 100-level courses will presume (and may require) background from an introductory biology course. 200-level courses will generally presume background from 100-level courses. 200-level courses should be appropriate as capstone courses for the major, typically involving graduate-level work and/or significant involvement in the primary literature. Within a level, the choice of number (low/high) or the clustering of related courses to a similar range of numbers may be useful for advising purposing but has no formal significance.
Course numbers may have the following suffixes:
- L = Lab courses. Generally having ~5-8 contact hours per week in any combination of lecture and 'lab' contacts as long as at least half is considered 'lab' time. 'Lab' contacts may include field work and computer-based investigations, as well as more traditional 'wet' labs. Note that an occasional field trip that compliments a lecture may not be a full 'lab' component. Courses designated with an "L" suffix will meet the laboratory requirement of the biology major and the premed lab requirements.
- S = Seminars. Small enrollment courses (<18) in which student led presentations and discussions account for the majority of the contact time over the course of the semester (at least 2.5 hours/week). Courses designated "S" will satisfy the college Small Group Learning Experience (SGLE) requirement.
- Note that a course can be designated as both a lab and a seminar course (L,S), if appropriate. Also, a course can be listed with and without the "L" or "S" suffix if it is occasionally taught only in a lecture format. Each such course would be listed in the Bulletin as a separate entry.
- A, B, C, etc = variations of single course. These may useful if a course is taught in somewhat different formats or has different Modes of Inquiry designations (eg, writing intensive or not). Allows the reuse of the same base catalog number, which is useful for advising purposes. Each such course would be listed in the Bulletin as a separate entry.
Short Title/Long Title:
Course titles should be concise, descriptive and recruitive. Note the length limits. The short title will be used in ACES and in other lists, so it will be the common title in use by students.
Course Description:
This should generally focus on the course content and not the format or specific assignments. Refer to the Bulletin for examples of the style and content of typical descriptions. The last line of the description should include any prerequisites or corequisites that are expected but are not be enforced by the automated registration system ("hardwired" prereqs, see below). Note that students can still register for courses if they don't have the prerequisites listed here.
Use the following style:
- "Prerequisite: Biology xxx or yyy"(either are expected to be completed)
- "Prerequisite: Biology xxx and yyy"(both are expected to be completed)
- "Prerequisite: Biology xxx or consent of instructor"(advisory only – does not establish permission requirement but is more welcoming to students without prereq course)
- "Recommended: Biology xxx or concurrent registration in Biology yyy"(advisory only)
- "Not open to students who have taken Biology xxx" (exclusion)
Instructor:
Last names of any and all instructors who rotate through course. This listing in the Bulletin does not commit an instructor in any given semester nor exclude additional instructors.
Use the following style:
- "last name 1, last name 2, or last name 3"(singly taught course)
- " last name 1 and last name 2" (co-taught course)
- "Staff" (unspecified)
Course Units:
- Undergraduate Units:
o full course of any kind, with or without lab = 1.0 course credit
o half course = 0.5 course credit
- Graduate Units:
o full lecture or seminar alone = 3.0 semester hours
o full course with lab = 4.0 semester hours
o half course = 2.0 semester hours
Note that most courses should be assigned both undergraduate and graduate credits, even if the intended audience is likely to be only one or the other. 200-level courses restricted for graduates only should list Undergaduate Units = 0.0
Course Grading:
Indicate "Regular Grades" for all undergraduate courses. Students can sign up for P/F option on an individual student basis.
Final Exam:
Indicate "Y" by default. Used only by the registrar for scheduling rooms during exam period.
Consent Required:
Establishes a requirement for permission of the instructor at registration. Permission number will be generated automatically during registration for distribution by the instructor (available through STORM). Consent can be useful if the course requires a special background (e.g. honors candidates) or commitment (e.g. fieldtrips) that must be discussed between student and instructor before enrollment. However, consent can also dissuade enrollment and generally should not be used unless needed. Consent overrides the normal priorities for registration and wait-lists. A consent requirement in the Bulletin can be overridden during registration for that semester. Similarly, a course listed in the Bulletin without consent can have a consent requirement added during registration.
Hardwired Prereqs:
Prerequisites and exclusions that are enforced by the ACES system at the time of registration. These cannot easily be overridden, eg. A student whose AP credit has not been entered into the system will be locked out of a course if Intro Bio is specified as a hard-wired prereq. Even if the student is allowed in later then she will lose her place in line and may be lose her seat. Use cautiously.
Crosslists:
Enter Subject code if you believe that a cross-list in another department is appropriate. If approved, the DUS will arrange for the cross-list request to be submitted to the other department. It is generally helpful to write a short email to the DUS explaining the rationale for the cross-list.
Course Format:
Used primarily by the registrar to allow scheduling of separate times & rooms for lectures, labs, etc. Also, allows for system coding of SGLE courses (seminars, tutorials, and independent studies). The key item here is indicate if there will be more than one scheduled contact time (eg, one for lecture and one for discussion).
Area of Knowledge Code:
Generally "NS" = Natural Science for Biology courses. Interdisciplinary courses may carry an additional code.
- ALP: Arts, Literature & Performance
- CZ: Civilization (history, philosophy, etc)
- SS: Social Science (public policy, economics, sociology, etc)
- QS: Quantitative Studies (math, stats, comp sci).
Modes of Inquiry Designations:
- CCI: Cross Cultural Inquiry
- EI: Ethical Inquiry
- FL: Foreign Language
- QID: Quantitative, Inductive, Deductive Reasoning (~QS for older students)
- R: Research Intensive
- STS: Science, Technology, & Society
- W: Writing Intensive
See the criteria on the form and the DUS for more information. Of greatest value to many biology students, and most appropriate for many biology courses, are the STS, R, W and perhaps EI designations. Note that the STS (and EI) designations are based primarily on content and should be reflected in the text of the course description above, as well as in additional details in the explanation boxes. The R & W designations are based primarily on the course format and details of assignments. These don't need to be included in the course descriptions but should be well supported in the supplemental information on this form.
Remarks:
The Committee on Courses is charged with the task of limiting redundancy in the course catalog.
Explain the differences between your course and any closely related courses in the Bulletin.
Create/Save:
You must save your work before it can be submitted. You can return to the form if it is not complete. When you have completed your entries, click on "Faculty: Please contact the DUS assistant now" and send a note to <jill.foster@duke.edu>. If you like, you can include a short note explaining your thoughts and intentions for the course in the email to Jill. The request will be submitted to the departmental Curriculum Committee for review. You will be notified if there are any problems or concerns. Otherwise it will be approved and forwarded to the Courses Committee for inclusion in the Bulletin.
(Additional instructions for using the course request form can be found at: http://www.aas.duke.edu/faculty/forms/instructions.pdf)
2. Teaching Plan Request
To be submitted to the Curriculum Committee in November. The ADUS will distribute a preliminary teaching plan based on the previous year.
Your request should cover the following academic year, both Fall & Spring semester. The teaching plan request should include the following, for each semester:
- Intended course(s) to be taught (number or title is sufficient)
- Co-instructors (if any)
- Enrollment preference
- Number and/or size of discussion and lab sections
- Budget request
The teaching plan will be submitted to the Curriculum Committee for review in early December. The Committee will consider whether there is appropriate coverage of the curriculum and best use of faculty resources. The approved plan will then be submitted to the DGS for TA allocation and assignment and to the Business manager as part of the departmental instructional budget. Any subsequent changes to the plan must be submitted to the DUS.
3. Course Schedule Request
Request deadlines:
Course to be taught in the Fall: January 1 of the preceding calendar year.
Course to be taught in the Spring: September 1 of the preceding calendar year
The ADUS will solicit information regarding scheduling details for the following semester. Typically, the ADUS will provide a preliminary schedule based on the previous year and updated according to the approved teaching plan. The following information should be included or updated in the schedule request:
Instructor(s) name(s):
These can be different than those listed in the Bulletin and should only be those associated with the course that semester. The listing of instructors in the schedule determines who will have access to the online course rosters (STORM) and web sites (Blackboard).
Class times:
Classes typically meet 75 minutes twice a week or 50 minutes three times a week, according the standard schedule (below). One credit seminars that meet once a week must meet a minimum of 2.5 hours per week. Lab classes and seminars may go beyond the standard 'stop' times, but all classes should be begin at standard start times.
75 min (2x/wk) 50 min (3x/wk)
period 1) 8:30-9:45 8:45-9:35
period 2 10:05-11:20 10:20-11:10 PRIME TIME
period 3) 11:40-12:55 1:55-12:45 PRIME TIME
period 4) 1:15-2:30 1:30-2:20 PRIME TIME
period 5) 2:50-4:05 3:05-3:55
period 6) 4:25-5:40 4:40-5:30
period 7) 6:00-7:15 6:15-7:05
period 8) 7:30-..... 7:15-....
You should request course times based on your pedagogic and professional needs. However, the department is charged with distributing courses according to guidelines enforced by the university registrar with respect to the number of prime time and non-prime time courses, twice a week and three times a week courses, MW and WF courses, etc. In addition, the DUS will attempt to distribute course times in order to minimize potential schedule conflicts for students. Finally, limitations on available rooms may constrain available times. To this end, you should try to be as flexible as possible in your request, indicating any impossible times as well as a prioritized list of possible times. In general, it will be easier to schedule courses that are not during "prime time", are taught three days a week or twice a week on WF.
Enrollment Limit:
In general, enrollment limits should be estimated for the annual teaching plan. Limits are generally set by instructors based on pedagogic reasons and expected/desired enrollment. Within reasonable pedagogic constraints, limits for required courses may need to be raised to accommodate demand. Conversely, limits for seminars are set by University policy to 15, with the possibility of over-enrolling to 18. Overall, the requested enrollment limit will constrain room options as we cannot enroll a course beyond the limits of the classroom. In general, the larger the enrollment the fewer the number of room options. The DUS will work with you to identify a reasonable combination of room and enrollment limits based on room availability.
Similarly, the overall enrollment limits and the number of discussion/lab sections maybe constrained by the availability of TAs. A preliminary TA assignment is based on the projected enrollment and number of sections in the approved teaching plan. Increases in the enrollment or number of sections must be approved by the DGS if the course will require more than the allocated number of TAs.
Classroom:
The university registrar controls most of the rooms on campus, with the exception of departmental teaching labs and few conference rooms (eg, BioSci 144, a few rooms in French). While Biology has priority access over non-resident department to rooms in BioSci, the registrar reserves the right to assign rooms as need be. Other than departmentally owned rooms, we cannot specify that a course should be placed in a specific room.
However, you can and should specify particular classroom needs, including the following:
- data projector or other A/V needs
- blackboard (vs whiteboard)
- movable tables or seminar-style seating
In addition, we can increase the likelihood of getting desired rooms if we can anticipate the room assignments and minimize potential conflicts within the Biology schedule and between other resident departments. Therefore you may request a specific classroom or a specific location (eg, BioSci or French). Note that the final assigned room may be different than your request and that enrollments may need to be adjusted to accommodate the available rooms.
Footnotes
Courses may be 'footnoted' in the schedule to modify the registration process or notify students about unscheduled components. Some footnotes will be generated automatically based on the course attributes, but others can be added to the schedule. Some of useful footnotes include:
A. Permission number required to register
B. Majors Only
D. Graduate/Professional students only
G. FOCUS Program students only
H. Seminar for first year students only
J. Juniors only
M. Freshman and/or Sophomore only
P. Fee payable in class
Q. Check for additional times (= fieldtrips)
U. Junior and/or Senior only
+ Graduate students and seniors
~ Seniors only
=Fresh/Soph only during pre-registration
Duke Biology Box 90338 Durham, NC 27708 Phone: 919-660-7372 Fax: 919-660-7293