Curriculum Committee

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Committee Status

Standing Committee

Reporting Relationship

The Curriculum Committee reports directly to the Dean, School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM).

Applicable Standards

The Curriculum Committee shall comply with all applicable institutional policies and accreditation requirements. The Committee shall:

  • Consist of a majority of full-time faculty members;
  • Have adequate structure, representation, authority, and function to meet the educational needs of the School of Veterinary Medicine;
  • Ensure oversight of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) curriculum; and
  • Support continuous quality improvement and competency-based veterinary medical education.

Membership and Appointment

The Curriculum Committee shall consist of seven (7) voting members, of whom a minimum of four (4) shall be full-time faculty members with primary responsibilities within the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Committee members shall be recommended by the respective academic departments and appointed by the Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine.

The Dean may appoint additional members as:

  • Voting members; or
  • Ex officio (non-voting) members.

One student representative from each DVM cohort may be invited to serve as a non-voting member of the Committee.

Student representatives shall participate only in open sessions of the Curriculum Committee.

The Committee shall elect a Chair and Secretary from among its voting members.

All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, unless otherwise specified by University policy.

Term Lengths

Initial Appointments

To ensure continuity and preservation of institutional knowledge, initial appointments shall be staggered as follows:

  • Three-year terms;
  • Two-year terms; and
  • One-year terms.

Ongoing Appointments

Following the initial cycle:

  • Faculty members shall serve three-year terms;
  • Student representatives shall serve one-year terms.

Reappointment

Members may be reappointed for one additional consecutive term.

Charge of the Curriculum Committee

The Curriculum Committee is responsible for the overall design, coordination, integration, evaluation, and continuous improvement of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) curriculum.

The Committee shall coordinate the development, implementation, assessment, and review of the DVM curriculum to ensure that graduates achieve the competencies, program learning outcomes, and educational objectives established by the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Academic departments shall identify the foundational assumptions, educational goals, competencies, and subject matter essential for veterinary medical education and develop courses and learning experiences to achieve those goals.

The Curriculum Committee shall provide oversight, guidance, and recommendations regarding curriculum content, structure, sequencing, delivery, assessment, and evaluation.

Responsibilities

The Curriculum Committee shall:

Curriculum Oversight

  • Coordinate all aspects of the DVM curriculum;
  • Ensure horizontal and vertical integration of curricular content;
  • Monitor curriculum quality, effectiveness, and relevance;
  • Review and approve course descriptions, learning outcomes, syllabi, and curricular modifications;
  • Ensure alignment between Program Educational Objectives (PEOs), Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs), competencies, and course-level outcomes.

Competency Based Veterinary Education

  • Oversee implementation of Competency-Based Veterinary Education (CBVE);
  • Monitor achievement of graduate competencies;
  • Ensure curriculum mapping across all competencies and learning outcomes;
  • Evaluate assessment strategies used to measure competency attainment.

Accreditation Compliance

  • Review the curriculum against applicable accreditation requirements and use American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education standards as a reference for program development. Reference to a standard does not constitute a claim of accreditation.
  • Recommend curricular changes necessary to meet applicable requirements and support the institution’s accreditation objectives.

Curriculum Evaluation and Quality Improvement

  • Conduct continuous curriculum review and improvement using outcomes assessment data;
  • Analyze student performance, course evaluations, progression data, licensing examination outcomes, graduate feedback, employer feedback, and other quality indicators;
  • Recommend and monitor corrective actions and curricular enhancements.

Curriculum Structure

The Committee shall oversee:

  • Course credits;
  • Contact hours;
  • Curriculum sequencing;
  • Course descriptions;
  • Electives;
  • Clinical experiences;
  • Essential Veterinary Skills training;
  • Assessment strategies; and
  • Graduation requirements.

Comprehensive Curriculum Review

The Curriculum Committee shall coordinate a comprehensive and holistic review of the DVM curriculum at least once every seven (7) years.

The review shall evaluate:

  • Curriculum structure and integration;
  • Educational outcomes;
  • Competency attainment;
  • Stakeholder feedback;
  • Accreditation requirements; and
  • Emerging trends in veterinary medical education.

Admissions Coordination

The Curriculum Committee shall meet periodically with the Admissions Committee to:

  • Review academic preparation requirements;
  • Evaluate prerequisite coursework requirements;
  • Assess applicant preparedness for participation in the DVM curriculum; and
  • Recommend modifications to admission requirements when appropriate.

Meetings

Frequency

The Curriculum Committee shall meet at least monthly during the academic year.

Additional meetings may be called by the Chair, Dean, or upon request of a majority of Committee members.

Quorum

A simple majority of voting members shall constitute a quorum.

A quorum must be present to conduct official business and approve recommendations.

Minutes and Documentation

The Secretary shall:

  • Maintain official minutes of all meetings;
  • Record attendance, motions, votes, and actions taken;
  • Distribute minutes to Committee members in a timely manner; and
  • File approved minutes with the Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Committee records shall be maintained in accordance with University record-retention policies and shall be available for review by authorized individuals.

Faculty and Student Development

Training related to curriculum development and educational excellence shall be mandatory for all Curriculum Committee members.

Areas of training include:

  • Competency-Based Veterinary Education (CBVE);
  • Curriculum design and integration;
  • Assessment and evaluation;
  • Curriculum mapping;
  • Educational scholarship;
  • Examination development and analysis;
  • ExamSoft and educational technology platforms;
  • Outcomes assessment; and
  • Accreditation standards and compliance.

Recurrent faculty development and refresher training shall be offered at least annually.

Student representatives may participate in such training opportunities when appropriate.

Conflict of Interest

Members shall disclose any actual, perceived, or potential conflicts of interest that may influence their judgment regarding curricular matters.

Members with conflicts of interest may be recused from discussion or voting as determined by the Chair.

All recusals shall be documented in the meeting minutes.

Lines of Accountability

The Curriculum Committee is accountable to:

  • Dean, School of Veterinary Medicine
  • Faculty Senate
  • Chief Academic Officer (through the Dean)

Annual Review

The Committee shall review its bylaws, membership structure, responsibilities, and effectiveness annually and recommend revisions as needed.

Substantive revisions shall be submitted to the Faculty Senate for review and approval.

Policy Contact

Chair, Curriculum Committee

Dean, School of Veterinary Medicine

Chief Academic Officer