The Curriculum Writer’s Handbook
Santa Rosa Junior College 2025-2026 Edition
Pending Academic Senate Approval
This version of SRJC’s Curriculum Writer’s Handbook represents revisions and contributions from the following individuals:
- Ann Foster, CRC Faculty Co-chair
- Josh Adams, CRC Administrative Co-chair
- Current and former Curriculum Technicians: Chas Crocker, Rosa Garcia, Katie Lam, Adrienne Leihy, and Josh Pinaula
- Current and former Curriculum Office Administrative Assistants: Katie Lam and Kathleen Mathies
- Articulation Specialist: Kate Blackwell
- Distance Education Director: Lisa Beach
- CRC Members 2020-2023
- CRC Members 2023-2024
- CRC Members 2024-2025
- CRC Members 2025-2026
The Curriculum Writer’s Handbook includes information needed to understand the federal, state, and local requirements that govern SRJC’s curriculum and curricular processes. This information is intended to facilitate effective and collaborative academic course and program development, review, and revision to meet students’ needs while also reflecting SRJC’s commitment to excellence in teaching and learning.
NOTE: This version of the handbook includes workflow descriptions based upon SRJC’s SIS system and processes; workflow information and related forms will be updated to reflect the new curriculum system once implementation has been completed.
Additionally, this information represents a distillation and interpretation of the most updated curriculum resources from relevant local and state organizations, such as the ASCCC. State regulations are inevitable, so current curriculum-related materials are available online via SRJC’s Curriculum website. Occasionally, questions about curriculum surface that are not easily answered here and require further research. In this case, please contact SRJC’s Curriculum Office about new or revised curriculum within your discipline.
Any significant changes in SRJC’s local curriculum review and approval process will be discussed and voted upon by CRC, then moved to Academic Senate for further discussion and action. Any resulting changes will be communicated to all deans, faculty, and staff through Academic Senators, the Curriculum Review Committee (CRC), and the office of the Dean of Curriculum, Educational and Support Services. Changes will be made on the Curriculum website, on relevant SRJC webpages and updated in the electronic version of this Handbook.
Developing and maintaining courses and programs is a complex process, and most faculty need support and guidance at some time. The primary contacts for curriculum-related concerns are listed below.
Curriculum Review Committee members: Please see the CRC Website for the most current list of members. If you’re not sure which individual to contact, start with the CRC Faculty Co-Chair.
Curriculum Office (Office of Curriculum and Educational Support Services)
Curriculum Technician, Courses: 527-1554
Curriculum Technician, Programs
Articulation Officer
Administrative Assistant to the Curriculum Dean: 521-7826
Curriculum Dean: Please contact through the Curriculum Office Administrative Assistant
| Section | Contents |
| 1. Overview of Curriculum Review Structure | 1.1 Curriculum Review Committee Function and Composition 1.2 Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) Responsibilities 1.3 Curriculum Office Responsibilities 1.4 Cluster Tech Review Committee (CTRC) Composition and Responsibilities 1.5 Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) and Subcommittees & Responsibilities 1.6 Degree of Course Change, Review, and Status |
| 2. California State Requirements for Course Approval | 2.1 Basic Criteria for Approval 2.2 Associate Degree Credit Course Standards 2.3 Non-degree Credit Course Standards (Numbers 300-399) 2.4 Standards for Stand-Alone Courses 2.5 The Course Outline of Record (COR) as a Legal Document |
| 3. Curriculum Development and Approval Process | 3.1 Initial Steps in New Course Development or Revision 3.2 Writing the Course Outline of Record 3.3 Submission, Cluster Tech Review and CRC Subcommittees 3.4 Curriculum Review Committee Actions and Follow-Up |
| 4. Components of the Course Outline of Record | 4.1 The Integrated Course Outline 4.2 Term Effective Date 4.3. Prefix and Course Number 4.4 Course Titles 4.5 Hours, Units, Weeks 4.6 Title 5 Categories and Grading 4.7 Repeatability 4.8 Course Descriptions for Catalog and Schedule of Classes 4.9 Prerequisites, Corequisites, & Recommended Preparation 4.10 Articulation, Major, and Certification Information 4.11 Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and Course Objectives 4.12. Topics and Scope 4.13 Assignments 4.14 Methods of Evaluation (MOE) and Basis for Assigning Grades 4.15 Representative Textbooks and Materials |
| 5. Programs of Study: Certificates and Majors | 5.1 Types of Certificates 5.2 Majors for Occupational and Transfer Degree Programs 5.3 Program Development and Proposal Process 5.4 Revisions to Certificates and Majors |
| 6. Noncredit Courses | 6.1 Noncredit Courses 6.2 Noncredit Programs and Certificates |
| 7. Additional Information about Courses | 7.1 About Transfer Courses 7.2 Special Topics and Experimental Courses 7.3 Courses Numbered 48 (Special Topics) and 49 (Independent Studies) 7.4 Independent Studies Courses (98) 7.5 Submitting Courses for General Education 7.6 Distance Education (DE) 7.7 Stand-Alone Courses 7.8 Curriculum Database System |
| Appendix A | Sources |
| Appendix B | Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives |
| Appendix C | Various ways to access a COR |
| Appendix D | Best Practices for Cluster Tech Review Committee (CTRC) |
| Appendix E | Course Outline of Record (COR) Checklist |
| Appendix F | Forms |
| Appendix G | SIS Screenshots |
| Appendix H | COR Map to SIS Fields |
| Appendix I | Resources for integrating IDEAA principles into Course Outlines of Record |
| Appendix J | Discipline Overlap/Conflict Resources and Checklist for CRC Ad Hoc Committee |
| Appendix K | New Course Development Research Summary |
| Appendix L | Using Data for Curriculum Revision and Development |