Curriculum Approval Process and Effective Dates

The curriculum approval process outlines the steps from a course or program proposal to State approval and “active” status for Yuba College curriculum. Because of scheduling timelines, a proposal launched in the fall will become active no sooner than the following fall, and a proposal launched in the spring will also become active no sooner than the following fall.

Only active courses and programs may appear in the Yuba College schedule of classes and in the
Yuba College catalog.

Required approvals

Course proposals and revisions require approval from all of the following:

  • Curriculum Committee
  • YCCD Board of Trustees
  • State Chancellor’s Office

When changes can take effect

  • Any course proposal or revision approved between the July and December YCCD Board meetings will not become effective earlier than the following Fall semester.
  • Any course proposal or revision approved between the January and June YCCD Board meetings will not become effective earlier than the Fall semester of the following year.

Scheduling timelines (built one year in advance)

Yuba College develops the schedule of classes one year in advance:

  • Summer and Fall courses are entered by January of the previous academic year.
  • Spring courses are entered by July of the previous year.

Because of these timelines, the Curriculum Committee must review the Effective Date of all course approvals to ensure the schedule of classes does not conflict with active Course Outlines of Record (CORs) in eLumen.

Managing Effective Dates

The Curriculum Committee may change the Effective Date of a Course Outline of Record (COR) to align with the approval and scheduling timeline (for auditing purposes). Managing Effective Dates is essential to ensuring that College publications reflect accurate, active course and program information.

Catalog publication deadline (key reminder)
Important timing note
Curriculum changes, deletions, and additions will be absent from the next year’s catalog if they are not approved by the Board of Trustees by February.

Catalog alignment with eLumen

The Yuba College Catalog should reflect the active courses and programs in eLumen. Catalog preparation begins in January of the prior academic year.

Catalog verification (typically by April)

By April, the Catalog Team typically completes the following steps:

  • Verify approvals for all courses and programs included in the catalog.
  • Double-check Colleague and the catalog draft for alignment, including prerequisites, corequisites, course descriptions, and unit values.
  • Verify the accuracy of catalog entries with the District Educational Services Analyst.

The catalog is typically sent to print by the end of April of the prior academic year. Therefore,
curriculum changes, deletions, and additions will be absent from the next year’s catalog if they are not approved by the Board of Trustees by February.