Applications - Tips & Directions for Applying for New Core Designation(s)

Below, find a few helpful pointers and directions for applying for a new Core designation (Attribute, Field, Skill, Core Capstone) for one's course.

Some Pointers

1. Review the Learning Goals and Objectives, and the Rubric: Any Core course must be able to allow students to achieve the learning goals and objectives of the Core attribute it bears. It will help, then, to review those learning goals and objectives as well as the standards the CCC has defined for meeting, exceeding, and not meeting said objectives. These need not steer your course content, but they can help you devise assessments and help give some structure to the course, not to mention make your application clearer to the CCC. The Learning Goals and Objectives of all Core designations may be found at this link.  Please find the current rubrics at this link.
   
   
   

2. Plan for Assessment: Student learning in any Core course must be assessable. It may help to think about this aspect prior to applying for a new Core designation and mentioning where and how you anticipate assessing Core learning goals and objectives in that course in your application. Composing Curriculum Maps for relevant Core elementes may help here; a link to the Curriculum Map form may be found at this link. At any rate, thinking about this will help the CCC see in your application materials that our students will be taught with these goals and objectives of the Core in mind. That is, it will help students see some common themes and threads across their varied paths through the Core. The schedule for assessment may be found at this link.
   
   
   

3. Compose a Sample Syllabus with the Desired Core Designation (and its LGOs) on the Syllabus: Attaching a syllabus composed with the desired Core designation in mind will often help the CCC see more concretely how and where the learning goals of the Core will be addressed (and assessed) in a given class. This is especially true of existing courses that are seeking a new Core designation. In those cases, a newer syllabus typically helps the CCC more than an old syllabus. Though both (older or newer) are acceptable in an application, an older syllabus that is not composed with the desired Core designation in mind may leave the CCC with questions we'd like to be answered before accepting, or rejecting, the application.

   1. Please note: one is not specifically bound to teach to the syllabus that one submits to the CCC in order for a class to retain Core credit. We recognize the need to review and refresh course materials and plans. That said, we do want to know that each instructor whose course is approved makes a good faith effort to cover and assess material that is relevant to the Core's learning goals and objectives.
      
      
      

4. Feel Free to Ask the CCC About the Application and Process: The CCC is happy to answer instructors' questions about the application itself and the process. While we can't answer questions that will guarantee a particular course will meet our satisfaction, we are certainly able to offer guidance as to what kinds of information would be helpful for us to see on an application and what kinds of information need not be on there or is less important. A list of the membership of the current CCC may be found at this link.
   
   
   

5. Remember the Deadlines for Applications are Early: The CCC reviews courses for new Core designations about a whole semester before the new designation would be effective. This is because the schedules for each semester are due very early in each previous semester (e.g., the Fall schedule is due early in the previous Spring; the Spring schedule is due early in the previous Fall) and the CCC needs time to review these courses and, if needed, ask questions for instructors and have them answered before the schedule is published. Typically, the deadlines for submitting applications for applications for new Core designations is the first week of September for the following Spring and the first week of February for the following Fall. The Core Curriculum Committee Director will notify faculty about the precise deadline for a given semester over e-mail.

Directions for Applying for New Core Designations

1. Log into my.canisius.edu

2. Click on "Academic Services,” then “Courseleaf"

3. Click on "CIM for Courses"

4. Search for the course by typing in its 3-4 letter department code (e.g., ENG, PHI, SPMT) and its number (e.g., 112, 252, 340).

5. Once the course appears in the list, select it by clicking on it. The current course information will populate below.

6. Click on the green "Edit Course" button. A new window should open. 

7. In the new window, fill out the "Executive Summary of Changes," then scroll down to the "Core Curriculum" section. Where it asks, "Are you adding, removing, or changing the Core designation for this course?" click "Yes."

8. After filling out the "Executive Summary of Core Changes," select the new Core designation(s) (Field and/or Attribute and/or Skill ... or Core Capstone (by itself)) that you are seeking.

9. For each application you're filling out, you'll be asked where and how the learning goals and objectives of the designation will be covered. You'll also be asked to upload a sample syllabus at the bottom of the page, using the green "Attach Syllabus" button.

10. Once you're sure you're finished, please click "Start Workflow." Once the workflow has started, please inform all the individuals in the workflow up to, but not necessarily including, the Core Curriculum Committee, that you have a course seeking new Core designation. This will help expedite the process by alerting approvers to the need to review the application themselves.

Directions for Requesting Deactivation of Existing Core Designations

1. Follow steps 1-7 in the list immediately above.

2. In the "Executive Summary of Core Changes," name the Core designations you wish to remove from the course. 

3. Once you're sure you're finished, please click "Start Workflow." Once the workflow has started, please inform all the individuals in the workflow up to, but not necessarily including, the Core Curriculum Committee, that you are seeking a deactivation from some Core designation.

Created by: Stephen Chanderbhan

Edited on: 2025-08-08