Sponsoring a Course
Thank you for considering to sponsor a course! The DeCal Board, the student group that provides outreach and publicity services to student-facilitators, created The Sponsoring a Course website to describe some common issues and explain the responsibilities that the faculty sponsors and their departments will assume when they sponsor DeCal courses. If you have any suggestions or comments, please call 510.642.9127 or e-mail decalprogram@gmail.com.
DeCal courses are listed as student-facilitated 98 and 198 courses. Per request, the DeCal program also advertises 97 and 197 service-based courses. Student-facilitators benefit greatly from working with their sponsors to create and implement an educational environment that lends academic legitimacy. Thus, faculty support is essential to this learning experience.
Sponsor’s Eligibility
The Faculty Guide to Campus Life – What is involved in sponsoring a student-facilitated course? describes the different types of special studies courses. The Special Studies 98 and 198 website includes procedures for 98 and 198 courses and contains forms to download, which are also available on this page.
If an individual has been approved to teach as an instructor of record for an academic unit, he or she may “sponsor” a student-facilitated group study course as the instructor of record. The faculty sponsor can be a permanent faculty member or a lecturer. A lecturer is required to sign a Waiver of Compensation (see the Department Chair for details). According to some department regulations, a faculty member can oversee only one P/NP undergraduate course per semester, including DeCal. Please check with undergraduate advisors and other departmental officials in charge of DeCal affairs regarding the eligibility of your sponsorship.
Faculty and Department Support of DeCal Courses
In 2002, the controversy surrounding Daily Cal article on male sexuality DeCal triggers the formation of the Special Studies Task Force.1 Findings ultimately support the integrity of student-initiated courses but recommends the strengthening of faculty and staff support of them. Following the issuance of the “Final Report of the Special Study Courses Task Force,” the Undergraduate Course Facilitator Training & Resources was established at the Student Learning Center, which would provide pedagogical training and resources. Student-facilitators are encouraged to utilize this resource in addition to the DeCal Program.
Here’s an except from the report:
...it is critical to clarify with students, faculty, and staff that the DeCal Program is a student group that provides outreach and publicity services to, but does not authorize or oversee, student-initiated group study courses…the oversight for course content would continue to reside with faculty sponsors and department chairs. 2
Academic Senate Regulation (SR) A230 A.3.3 states:
Each section of a group study course (98 or 198) must receive approval by the Chair of the Department (or equivalent) based on a written proposal submitted by the instructor who is to supervise the course that describes the matter to be studied, the methods of instruction, the number of units to be credited, and methods of evaluation of student performance.
Department chairs are responsible for monitoring the academic rigor of all courses in their departments, including student-facilitated courses. Before approving student-facilitated course proposals, COCI urges department chairs to carefully review each syllabus and to verify that the instructor of record will appropriately supervise the course. Past controversies related to group study courses should serve as a reminder of the importance of this step.3
The Academic Senate issues the following checklists for sponsoring faculty and departments:
According to Regulation A230 and a new initiative adopted by the Academic Senate’s Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCI) on July 5, 2006, proposals for courses to be taught in the fall will be due to COCI one month before the end of summer instruction; proposals for courses to be taught in the spring will be due one month before the last day of fall instruction. Late submissions must be accompanied by a letter from the dean or department chair clearly laying out the reasons for the lateness. COCI will make every effort to work with departments but reserves the authority to revoke approval of individual sections or entire courses that fail to abide by Regulation A230 and COCI procedures.
For additional information, please consult Christina Maslach, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, and the Academic Senate’s Committee on Courses of Instruction.
Unauthorized Levying of Course Fee
In DeCal courses, the most common campus policy violation is the collection of unauthorized course materials fees that include instructional fees, payment for guest speakers’ parking and gifts, equipment rental costs, etc. . The sponsoring faculty and departments should ensure that student-facilitated 98 and 198 courses follow the rules. The Course Materials Fee Committee requires that a fee request be made and approved under exceptional situations a year before the course is offered. In the past, when the Registrar’s Office learned of the unsanctioned levying of fees in a DeCal-listed class, the undergraduate course facilitators were given the option of either refunding the fees, or canceling the class. For more information on course fee, please contact Wanda Mar, the Principal Budget Analyst of UC Berkeley – Budget & Resource Planning who sits on the Course Materials Fee Committee. She can also be reached at 611 University Hall – MC 1510 or by phone 510.643.9595.
If facilitators need resources outside the departments’ normal coverage, they should consider applying for the Education Enhancement Fund, which the Associated Students of University California created specifically for DeCal courses. Funding is allocated to applicants based on their proposed classroom curriculum and ability to demonstrate the compatibility of their course with EEF goals. Applicants must also provide a valid list of expenses. The EEF has a limit of $100 or $200 (the amount depends on the ASUC Senate’s budget allocation for the year). If facilitators need additional funding, they should contact the DeCal Board. We will do what we can to help!
The Funding website has more information on EEF and other forms of financial support for student-facilitators.
University Regulations and Risk Management
Before attending any official off-campus field trips, all students must sign one of the following two forms:
Faculty sponsors should also remind facilitators to read the the University’s regulations governing student activities and organizations published by the Vice Chancellor’s Office of Undergraduate Affairs.
Risk Management has important information on other liability issues.
Help Your Student-Facilitators Accommodate Students with Disabilities
The administrative heads of departments and schools are responsible for ensuring that the instructional staff of their units understand the Berkeley Campus’ full commitment to implementing Federal law and University policy assuring nondiscrimination for students on the basis of disability. Please help your student-facilitators accommodate the academic needs of students with disabilities. Here’s the link to Berkeley Campus Plan for Accommodating the Academic Needs of Students with Disabilities and FAQ’s.
On behalf of all facilitators, thank you for your sponsorship and unrelenting support!
With the utmost gratitude,
The DeCal Board
1 Russo, Sarah. “Berkeley Male Sexuality Class Reinstated Students Watched Class Instructor Have Sex,” Accuracy in Academia, March 2002, http://www.academia.org/campus_reports/2002/march_2002_1.html
2 Special Studies Courses Task Force. “Final Report Special Studies Courses Task Force.” (University of California, Berkeley, 2 June, 2003) http://education.berkeley.edu/accreditation/pdf/Special_Studies_report.pdf
3 Holland, Gary. Chair of the Committee on Courses of Instruction. Message to Deans and Department Chairs (University of California, Berkeley, 7 April, 2006) https://mossberg.berkeley.edu/CalMessages/display_message.asp?d=4/7/2006&s=107
Updated September 21, 2006.