Navigating the Proposal Process

Faculty have an idea for a new Ecampus online or hybrid program — either an extension of an existing campus-based program, or a totally new program.

Faculty reach out to Ecampus for an initial conversation about program ideas. Often, faculty are invited to meet with the Ecampus program intake team. For full degree and certificate programs, Ecampus may conduct additional market and financial analysis to gauge demand and long-term sustainability of the program.

Faculty submit program proposal materials to Ecampus in time for the next quarterly program review deadline.

Ecampus reviews all program proposals thoroughly and decides which to accept for development and delivery.

If accepted, Ecampus creates an MOU between Ecampus and the academic college. The MOU includes roles and responsibilities, course development schedules, curriculum details and funding information (if applicable). The MOU is signed by all relevant parties.

Faculty move forward with filing a program proposal in the Curriculum Inventory Management tool for the new Ecampus program. Note that the agreement between Ecampus and the college is separate from the curricular approval. Both are required. Ecampus monitors, but does not manage, the curricular review process.

• Programs that are not already offered on campus undergo the most extensive curricular review, which can take 18-24 months to complete.
• Proposals that do not require program or curricular changes to an existing campus program move through curricular review relatively quickly (typically six months or fewer). Proposals that also include larger programmatic changes to the existing campus program can take at least six months depending on how close the proposal is submitted to the annual catalog date of June 1.
• In general, we advise units wait to initiate their CIM program proposal until the program has been accepted by Ecampus for intake. We will not approve programs that are in the CIM review process if they haven’t already been accepted for online delivery and do not have a signed MOU in place.

Contact the curriculum management office for more information about annual catalog deadlines and how to access CIM to submit program proposals.

The program proposal proceeds through the various phases of curricular review, including (among many) the approval from Ecampus and the Curriculum Council.

The program completes all elements of the curricular review and is formally approved by OSU to be delivered by Ecampus.

The program is formally launched by Ecampus once it is added to the OSU academic catalog at the appropriate effective term and added to the OSU application and Ecampus website.