INTELLECTUAL FOUNDATIONS

FOR FACULTY

Learning outcomes and other criteria for courses in each of the Intellectual Foundations categories are posted in this section. 

The process for submitting courses for approval as part of the Intellectual Foundations Program is as follows:

  • All courses are submitted via your Dean's office to the Senate Office which logs-in the courses for reporting purposes.  
  • Please use the new curricular forms and routing sheets.  They have been revised to reflect the Intellectual Foundations program. For all the curricular forms you could ever want, please go to the Senate Curriculum Committee web site or click on Forms (on the top, left just under the photo).
  • Courses are referred to SIFOC by the Senate Curriculum Committee after it has reviewed the new course proposal or revision.
  • The new routing sheet reflects this process.  Please use the Intellectual Foundations Submission Narrative format to explain to the non-specialists on SIFOC, the correspondence between Intellectual Foundations learning outcomes and the course topical outline.  
  • A single response is returned to departments so they are not required to engage in a three-way negotiating process.

PROCEDURES FOR APPROVAL OF IF COURSES

  1. Courses which require no changes in order to meet IF outcomes:
    1. Complete revised Routing Sheet.  Check only number 3 (Intellectual Foundations) under Type of Action, along with the Intellectual Foundations category
    2. Complete the Intellectual Foundations Course Submission Narrative
    3. Submit two hard copies of the course proposal and the narrative, as well as an electronic copy of each to the College Senate Office
    4. Once the course is logged in and received by the Senate Office, SIFOC will review the course for fit with IF outcomes.  Possible actions:
      1. Approval as submitted
      2. Approval with revisions – returned to department with memo
      3. Rejected – Appeal process (Department chair sends letter to the chair of the Senate Curriculum Committee)
    6. Courses which have not been officially approved by SUNY for Trustees’ designation must submit the SUNY approval form as well.
    7. Only SIFOC will be reviewing these submissions, and once approved they will be forwarded immediately to Academic Affairs.
  3. Courses which will require changes in order to meet the IF outcomes, will be treated as a revision:
    1. Complete the revised Routing Sheet, Course Proposal and Intellectual Foundations Course Submission Narrative
    2. Submit two hard copies and an electronic version of each to the College Senate, along with one hard copy of the current course
    3. Once the revised course is logged in and received by the Senate Curriculum Committee, it will be reviewed by the Committee according to the usual procedures.  When the course is approved by the Curriculum Committee it will be forwarded to SIFOC for approval of adherence to IF outcomes.
    4. The SUNY approval form for Trustees’ designation must be submitted as well
    5. Once approved by both the Senate Curriculum Committee and SIFOC, courses will be forwarded to Academic Affairs
  5. New courses requesting IF designation will follow current procedures for new course submissions.
  6. Courses should not be submitted for renewal of the Writing Intensive designation.  Courses retain the “W” designation as per past practice.

The Assistant Dean for Intellectual Foundations, Doug Koritz, is available to help with course revisions, etc. He can be reached at 878-6640 or koritzdg@buffalostate.edu