Metro State’s new online College Catalog is now up and running.

Available at http://www.mscd.edu/academic/catalog/, the Catalog offers many benefits, according to Interim Provost Linda Curran.

For instance, Jan. 15 is the new deadline for submission of curriculum proposals to the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee in order to be guaranteed inclusion in the next academic year’s catalog. “The deadline was Nov. 1, so most curriculum revisions and new curriculum never made it through the process in the same academic year they were approved,” Curran says.

Another benefit is that there is a key-word search that’s designed to be user-intuitive and user-friendly. “No more frustrating searches!” Curran exclaims.

In addition, the process of updating the curriculum in the publication will be greatly streamlined, according to Eriks Humeyumptewa, coordinator of academic policy oversight, who managed the yearlong conversion project. The system is designed so that departmental staff designated at the editor or reviewer level will be able to make their own changes in curriculum (those approved by the Curriculum Committee), rather than having to submit their changes to Humeyumptewa’s office.

“It’s going to save time and money,” he says.

A schedule of training sessions is being planned for October before mid-terms for the deans, department chairs and the staff who handle the curriculum. “We want end-users to not only be trained in how to use it, but to be comfortable using it as well,” Humeyumptewa says.

“Stylistically it looks different, but I think faculty will find it very intuitive to use and students should have no problem with it. Plus, the system has a lot of untapped potential that we’ll be able to take advantage of down the road,” he adds.

For content and technical questions, contact Linda Sivertson in Academic Affairs, lsivert1@mscd.edu.