How the curriculum gets planned and how it's organized

Students, faculty, staff and academic deans are involved in making the decisions about which programs to offer and when to offer them.Planning for program and course offerings involved balancing student interest with the philosophy and goals of the college.

Faculty meet annually for a curriculum and design and planning retreat to share ideas for programs and to begin to identify potential teaching teams for program themes.

The planning units identified in the catalog serve as regular gathering places for faculty to continue curriculum planning. These groups meet to ensure appropriate course and program offerings in the subject areas they teach. For instance, in Expressive Arts the group makes sure that every year they offer entry-level programming in many areas of the arts and a series of intermediate and advanced-level offerings, as well as contributions to the essential interdisciplinary first-year programs.

The catalog is recreation each year to allow faculty to design new programs reflecting current themes and interests. The curriculum, however, remains flexible-to respond to to student needs and interests and the hiring of new faculty. This results in updates to the catalog at various times each year. The most up to date information is always available on the online catalog (www.evergreeen.edu/catalog) where changes are posted.

Students influence the curriculum by selecting individual projects within programs, helping to choose readings or speakers for future quarters or planning the direction and shape of their program. Students also do their own curriculum planning by making use of the individualized study modes-individual contracts and internships.