Cores and Themes:
Council on Liberal Education
The Council on Liberal Education (CLE) is appointed by the Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education. The CLE has oversight responsibilities for the University of Minnesota Liberal Education (LE) Curriculum for all undergraduate students on the Twin Cities campus. This includes review of all LE (Core, Theme, and Writing Intensive) proposals.
The CLE is composed of faculty and student representatives from across the Twin Cities Campus and is charged to represent the best interests of students and the University of Minnesota as a whole, rather than their departmental or collegiate units.
In order to fulfill LE requirements, all Core and Theme courses must be certified under the requirements for LEs that took effect in 2010.
Courses certified for LE are expected to meet the LE criteria for all terms following certification, regardless of modality or instructor. A course and its syllabus may evolve, but the LE must remain a central component. LE can not be activated or inactivated on a term by term basis. Any change proposed to a course’s LE should reflect the long-term intent for the course.
Submitting a Course for Review
Course proposals should address the guidelines that pertain to the specific LE or WI requirement, as well as the general characteristics that are common to Cores and/or Themes. Student-facing course syllabi should clearly evidence how the course meets each of the specific requirements as well as the general characteristics.
ASR also provides a step-by-step process for submitting proposals.
The CLE will review both the Coursedog proposal and student-facing course syllabus. Each should clearly address how the course meets the proposed LE. To help ensure a smooth review process, proposers are encouraged to follow the below tips when preparing the proposal and syllabus.
Coursedog Proposal (Intended audience- faculty and staff):
- Include information for the responsible faculty member as the Curriculum Contact. This is usually the person who teaches the course, DUS, or department chair.
- Ensure the LE questions are fully addressed for each proposed LE. Reviewers and students should be able to discern by reading the syllabus how the LE is integral to the course.
- Attach a syllabus for each proposed modality in PDF and/or Word format.
Syllabus (Intended audience- students):
- Follow the syllabus requirements policy and ensure that names, contact information, etc. for any referenced student support resources are up-to-date.
- Include a clear statement of which LE the course meets and describe how LE is integral to the course in student-friendly language.
- Provide details that clearly evidence how the LE requirements are met in the assignments and activities of the course. It isn’t sufficient to say that they are met; the syllabus should evidence how.
Review Timeline and Decisions
The CLE meets monthly during the academic year and encourages course proposals to be submitted well in advance. The full review process typically takes 1-3 months from the date of submission.
Types of CLE decisions:
- Approval - Course is approved for the proposed LE/WI based on the effective term entered in Coursedog.
- Provisional Approval - The LE/WI proposal has minor revisions that must be made prior to full approval. Once requested changes are made, the course will be approved for the proposed LE/WI designation based on the effective term entered in Coursedog.
- Revise and Resubmit - The CLE has concerns that must be addressed and reviewed prior to full approval. Revisions will be re-evaluated by the CLE.
Recertification
Courses approved for LE are recertified every four to five years, or when course modality changes. How a course fulfills an LE requirement is often communicated clearly when a course is initially proposed for the LE requirement. Those teaching LE courses are responsible for ensuring that the LE components of a course are sustained even through inevitable content evolution.
Course recertification was articulated as an important part of maintaining the integrity of the LE curriculum in the 2008 Report of the Council on Liberal Education. In 2014 the LE recertification process was paused to support departments and colleges who were then focused on University Accreditation demands and this pause has continued through the LE Redesign Process (2017) and current Core Curriculum 2025 work (2014 memo).
Frequently Asked Questions
A list of frequently asked questions related to LE/WI proposals can assist with questions faculty or staff may have during the submission of an LE/WI proposal. For further questions, please contact Berne Christiansen at [email protected].
Frequently asked questions for proposers of LE courses
How are course proposals reviewed by the Council on Liberal Education?
Course proposals are evaluated by reviewers that include faculty and student members of the Council on Liberal Education. They look for explicit language as to how the course meets each of the general and specific core or theme requirements of the LE designation for which it is proposed. View the criteria against which the Council evaluates course proposals.
What is the most common reason that a course is returned for clarification?
The most common reason that a course is returned for clarification is that the proposal has not been sufficiently explicit as to how each of the criteria corresponding to the course’s intended LE designation have been met. Note that it is not enough to simply say that a particular criterion will be met or to assume that its fulfillment is implicit in the title of the course. The connection to the criteria must be overt and explicit. In addition to the inclusion of explanatory text, some good ways to accomplish this are the enunciation of specific course topics, reading assignments, and/or assignment prompts. Note, also, that both Core and Theme courses have their own set of general requirements and that each LE designation has its own additional specific requirements. Both the general and specific requirements must be addressed in full.
What does it mean if a course is “Provisionally Approved”?
A provisional approval means that the course will likely be approved pending one or more minor clarifications.
What does it mean if the Council denies certification?
If certification is denied by the Council, it means that the reviewers felt that the course could not be modified to fit the LE criteria without morphing it into something other than what is was intended to be. “Deny” does not mean you cannot resubmit, but it signifies that significant changes would be necessary for the proposal to be successful. The Council recognizes that not all excellent courses are natural fits for an LE designation. Proposers whose course is denied should carefully weigh the benefits of garnering LE certification against the disadvantages of sacrificing the attributes they want to preserve in their course.
If the Council returns or denies my proposal, does that mean that my course has been judged to be a poor course?
No. The Council does not rate the quality of a course. Rather, it assesses how well the course fulfills the Core or Theme designation for which it is proposed. The vast majority of courses reviewed by the Council are excellent courses.
If I have provided all information about my course in Coursedog, what is the role of the syllabus in the review of my course?
The syllabus is a very important part of the course proposal. The Council places high value on ensuring that students understand how the essential elements of the LE curriculum are infused in the course. One should not assume that those connections are obvious or implicit. Rather, they must be overt and explicit. A student-facing syllabus speaks volumes to reviewers as to how an instructor intends to teach the course.
My course had been previously certified and I am applying for recertification. Am I guaranteed a successful outcome?
No. Courses can “drift” over time and the recertification review is intended to ensure that LE courses stay true to the requirements of the LE curriculum. Think of it like writing a renewal for external funding: Current support does not guarantee continuation.
When should I submit my course proposal?
Proposals should be submitted at least two weeks before the meeting at which they are intended for review. A schedule of meeting dates may be found on the CLE home page.
When will I hear back from the Council?
You will generally hear back from the Council one week after the date on which the proposal is reviewed. A schedule of meeting dates may be found on the CLE homepage.