A-to-Z Index

Experimental Courses Overview

Experimental courses are designed to allow faculty to undertake curriculum development in areas of importance to their department/school, their college or to the university. Experimental courses permit faculty to explore innovation with a minimum of risk. It is assumed that only a percentage of courses that are developed experimentally will ultimately become a permanent part of the curriculum. In general, experimental courses can only be offered for two academic years prior to their full approval by the appropriate Curriculum and Instruction Committee(s) for insertion in the curriculum. Courses can be offered at any level from 100-900. Experimental courses are designated by department/school or college designators (for example, an experimental course at the 200 level in the Department of History might be labeled HIS 200E; an experimental course being offered as part of the College of Business core curriculum might be labeled COB 300E).

All courses on an experimental basis must include a plan for evaluation of their effectiveness. The results of this evaluation must be forwarded to the appropriate C&I Committee(s) if the course is ultimately submitted for permanent inclusion in the curriculum. Experimental courses are not posted to the Curriculum website, nor are they reviewed by the College C&I Committee. Experimental courses must be approved by the appropriate department head(s)/school director(s) and then be forwarded to the dean(s) for approval. Courses which have completed the experimental phase of their development must be submitted through the regular curriculum approval process to be permanently included in the curriculum.