5.05     Class Size Guidelines (Pending Revision Summer and Fall 2009)

5.05.01            Minimum Class Size Guidelines

Effective with the beginning of the fall semester, 1977, the following general policy and guidelines will apply to all regular courses and sections of courses:

1.         Lower division courses with enrollments of 15 or less will not be offered.  Lower division courses are those numbered 100 through 299.

2.         Courses numbered 300-499 with enrollments of 10 or less and courses numbered 500 and above with enrollments of 5 or less will not be offered.

3.         The following types of courses are to be considered exceptional at this time and the small enrollment rule will not apply:

a.         Independent study and directed readings
b.         Internships
c.         Practicums
d.         Student Teaching
e.         Thesis
f.          Private instruction in Music

4.         The decision to cancel a course because of small enrollment will be made by the head of the department following consultation with the dean of the affected college.  A report of all classes canceled because of small sizes will be prepared by the department head and submitted to the dean for transmittal to the provost.

5.         A department head may request that an exception from the small class rule be made for a particular course.  Deans in making the decision to grant exceptions, should be guided by such factors as:

a.         Whether the course is a required course for majors

b.         The overall SCH productivity of the department

c.         The degree to which the course is a critical component in meeting a scheduled degree program offering, i.e. such as a course offered in an evening program on a planned schedule for degree attainment.

d.         The stage of development of the program.

6.         When an exception is considered, a written report of the decision of the dean to grant an exception and the rationale will be filed by the dean with the provost.

7.         Every effort should be made to come to as early a decision as possible regarding whether to offer or cancel a course because of small enrollment to reduce the problems stemming from cancellation.  However, in general, a decision to cancel can be justifiably made as late as the first day of regular class meetings.  In no case should an evening course be canceled until after all regular registration periods have been completed.

8.         These guidelines do not apply to continuing education, contract, or summer school courses where the guidelines already in existence will continue to be used.

A continuous review of small class enrollments will be conducted each year.  The present guidelines are liberal in terms of the class sizes expected, but may require adjustment upwards if circumstances warrant it.

5.05.02      Maximum Class Size Guidelines (Pending Revision Summer and Fall 2009)

“Requests to schedule courses with class size limits exceeding the parameters below must be reviewed and approved by the dean. 

All Freshmen Classes>35 up to 45

Sophomore or higher classes >45 up to 60

The dean will determine whether the larger class size will adversely affect instructional quality, student learning and retention.  The dean will consider such factors as course level, time the course is offered in the program, course content, and whether additional supplemental instruction (e.g. graduate assistants providing tutorials) is available to students.  Further, at the end of the semester the dean and department head will review faculty course evaluations, grade distributions and withdrawals to evaluate the performance of the class.  Any request to schedule a course with a class limit above 60 students (or above 45 for Freshman courses) requires review and approval by the provost.”