V. Courses and Instruction
The Regents have delegated to the Academic Senate responsibility for the authorization and supervision of courses of instruction (Standing Order of The Regents 105.2-b). In accordance with this delegation, the UCSF Senate Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCOI) is responsible for the formal and final approval of new courses of instruction, modifications of existing courses, the approval of special prerequisites for major subjects, the withdrawal or retention of courses, the credit valuation of courses, the classification of courses, and any other matters germane to courses of instruction.
Approved courses are subject to the Committee's review at any time. Following review and approval by the Office of the Registrar, the Department Chair, the Curriculum Committee, Interprofessional Education (if applicable), and the School Dean, COCOI reviews proposed course actions on behalf of the Academic Senate. Any COCOI review commences prior to the deadline for updating the course catalog to allow time for revisions. The course form preparer receives an email notification when a course form is approved by COCOI.
Note that Academic Senate Regulation 772 does not require final examinations in graduate courses; final exams are optional and at the discretion of the instructor. If a graduate course has a final exam, COCOI does not need to approve any changes to the final exam
V.A. Establishment of New Courses
New courses are reviewed by the Chair of the COCOI and two COCOI members. When a new course is proposed, the following information must be documented:
- Course number
- Course title
- Abbreviated transcript title
- Unit value
- Instructional format and contact hours
- Duration of course
- Prerequisites
- Estimated total number of required hours of student work per week, including course contact hours and time spent doing coursework outside of the classroom
- Restrictions
- Department chair and/or Dean’s approval (as determined by the school).
New courses, including special topics courses, require the submission of a syllabus. A syllabus should include the following information:
- An outline of the topics to be covered in the course, including a week-by-week schedule or other detailed list that conveys how the course will be presented
- A reading list or a summary of the sort of works to be used
- A list of course requirements (e.g., papers, quizzes, exams)
- The relative weight of each requirement toward the final grade.
V.B. Changes to Existing Courses
- If a request to change an existing course title, description, instructional format, or unit value substantially alters the existing course, the course, at the Committee’s discretion, may be treated as a new course. Such a course submission should include a fully developed syllabus.
- Requests to increase or decrease the unit value of a course must always be explained, with sufficient justification given. Requests to change the unit value must also include a revised estimate of the total number of hours of student work per week.
Once a course is approved, the syllabus and readings may be changed without the Committee’s approval so long as the description, goal, and instructional format of the course, as well as the essential pedagogical approach, remain the same. However, changes in the final examination format must meet the COCOI’s final examination guidelines.