Course Tagging Criteria, Process, and Resources

  • Undergraduate required courses (including electives that are part of distribution requirements)
  • 3 or more credits (required 1-2 credit courses can also be tagged)
  • Courses offered regularly or at least once every three years

  • Set aside time during a department meeting to review the Shared Competencies and corresponding rubrics.
  • If courses have a teaching rotation or are taught across multiple sections, engage all faculty stakeholders in a conversation about how the course tags and assignments will be consistent year to year or across course sections.
  • If a course is required for multiple academic programs within a school/college (for instance, ECS 101 is required for all engineering majors) consult with your associate dean/program coordinator to determine how it should be tagged for the school/college.
  • For each required course/experience or elective that may fulfill a distribution requirement, submit a syllabus to the Office of Academic Affairs for review via the Course Tagging Form. The Office of Academic Affairs will review the syllabus and suggest tags based on the course learning objectives and assignments in the syllabus.
  • Consider using the syllabus as a motivating tool to help students connect the dots between course assignments, course learning objectives, and the course tag. Examples can be found on the Syllabi Examples webpage.
  • Reflect on your curriculum map with your course tags in mind. Do students have the opportunity to learn and develop all six competencies through the required courses? If not, consider where students might develop the competencies either in liberal arts requirements and/or experiences.

Existing Courses - Course Tagging Process for 2025-26 Catalog Year:

  • Academic departments upload a syllabus to the course tagging form that represents all course sections. Departments identify up to three tags for the review team to consider; please review the Shared Competencies rubrics when suggesting tags.
  • The Office of Academic Affairs reviews the syllabus using the course tagging rubric and suggests tags to the department based on the course learning objectives, assignments, and grade weights.
  • The department confirms tags for the upcoming catalog year.
  • Deadline – September 1, 2024

New Courses - Course Tagging Process:

  • Academic departments tag courses prior to the school/college curriculum committee review process.
  • Academic Affairs reviews new course syllabi and suggest tags to the academic department within 2 business days.
  • Academic departments upload a syllabus to the course tagging form. Departments identify up to three tags for the review team to consider; please review the Shared Competencies rubrics when suggesting tags.
  • The Office of Academic Affairs reviews the syllabus using the course tagging rubric and suggests tags to the department based on the course learning objectives, assignments, and grade weights.
  • The department confirms tags for the upcoming catalog year.
  • Deadline – accepted on a rolling basis.