What is the curriculum change proposal form template?
Curriculum committees review a lot of paperwork, and much of it arrives in different templates: a memo for one course, a spreadsheet for another, a syllabus with no rationale. A shared form makes proposals easier to compare and quicker to approve.
This template adapts to what's being proposed. A change to an existing course asks what's changing and for the current and proposed wording side by side; withdrawing a course asks how current students will be taught out and skips the design questions. New and changed courses go on to the catalogue description, learning outcomes, prerequisites, delivery mode and assessment. The last page covers staffing, resources and costs, impact on other courses, who was consulted, the start term, supporting documents and the head of department's sign-off.
Each proposal is saved as a signed PDF in your FileIt vault, ready for the committee's agenda.
- Best for
- University and college curriculum committees, secondary school departments
- Filled in by
- The faculty member or teacher proposing the course
- Time to complete
- About 20-30 minutes
- Includes
- Change, new and withdrawal paths, outcomes and assessment mapping, consultation, head of department signature
Who uses a curriculum change proposal form?
- A lecturer proposes a new final-year elective
- A department changes a course's assessment from exam to coursework
- A programme lead withdraws a course with low enrolment
- A school adds a new GCSE or AP option
- A committee collects all proposals for the annual review
- A department records consultation with an accrediting body
Questions on this curriculum change proposal form
28 questions over 3 pages · includes signature, file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages.
1 The proposal
- Proposer*
- Email*
- Department or school*
- What are you proposing?* A new course · A change to an existing course · Withdrawing a course · A new or changed programme
- Course code
- Course title*
- Level* Introductory or first year · Intermediate · Advanced or final year · Postgraduate · Secondary school
- Credits*
- What is changing?* asked only when it applies Title · Description or content · Learning outcomes · Assessment · Credits or contact hours · Prerequisites · Delivery mode · Course code
- Current version and proposed version* asked only when it applies
- How will students currently on the course be taught out?* asked only when it applies
2 Rationale & design
- Rationale*
- Course description (as it would appear in the catalogue)* asked only when it applies
- Learning outcomes* asked only when it applies
- Prerequisites asked only when it applies
- Delivery mode* asked only when it applies In person · Online · Blended · Work-based
- Assessment* asked only when it applies
3 Resources & approval
- Who will teach it?* asked only when it applies
- Does it need new staff or extra teaching hours?*
- Resources needed Library materials · Software or licences · Lab or specialist rooms · Equipment · Field trips · None beyond current resources
- Resource details and estimated cost
- Impact on other courses, programmes or departments*
- Who has been consulted?* Students · Department colleagues · Other affected departments · Library · External examiner · Employers or industry · Accrediting body
- Proposed start term*
- Draft syllabus or supporting documents
- Head of department*
- Head of department supports the proposal*
- Head of department's signature*
The curriculum change proposal form, page by page
1 The proposal
The proposer, email and department, what's being proposed, course code, title, level and credits. A change to an existing course asks what's changing and for the current and proposed versions. Withdrawing a course asks how current students will be taught out.
2 Rationale & design
A required rationale with the evidence behind it. For anything other than a withdrawal, the catalogue description, learning outcomes, prerequisites, delivery mode and assessment with weightings and the outcomes each one tests.
3 Resources & approval
Who will teach it (not asked for withdrawals), whether new staff or hours are needed, resources and their estimated cost, impact on other courses, who's been consulted, the proposed start term and optional supporting documents. The head of department gives their name, whether they support it, and signs.
Make the template yours
- Replace the level options with your own framework levels
- Add a question for your quality code or accreditation mapping
- Add a library or IT sign-off for resource-heavy proposals
- Set a close date before each committee meeting
- Route proposals to a folder per academic year
- Link your committee's guidance on writing learning outcomes
Tips for a better curriculum change proposal form
- Ask proposers to consult affected departments before submitting
- Check the assessment covers every learning outcome
- Keep committee decisions in the same vault folder as the proposal
- Use the Responses table to build the meeting agenda
- Give proposers the committee's dates when you share the form
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Each proposal is saved as a signed PDF in your vault with supporting documents attached, and the committee secretary is emailed. The proposer gets a copy.
The Responses table lists every proposal by department and type, and you can export a CSV for the agenda.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Curriculum change proposal form: frequently asked questions
Is this curriculum change proposal template free?
Yes. It's one of the Forms app's starter templates, available on every FileIt account, including the free plan.
Can it handle withdrawing a course?
Yes. Choosing a withdrawal asks how current students will be taught out and skips the course design questions.
Does the form show the old and new versions?
For a change to an existing course it asks for the current and proposed versions side by side in one answer.
Who signs the proposal?
The head of department signs on the last page and says whether they support it.
Can we attach a draft syllabus?
Yes. Up to five PDF, Word or Excel files.
Do proposers need a FileIt account?
No. They fill it in from a link.