Whereas a defining and important feature of LWYL courses is that they are fundamentally different in both form and content from typical courses at Cornell;

Whereas by all accounts, the LWYL courses achieve important goals, are integral to the North and West Campus living-learning communities, and are a great supplement to the formal curriculum of our undergraduate colleges;

Whereas currently, LWYL instructors must seek approval from their home departments/colleges, and the approval process can be clumsy and prolonged because the LWYL courses are outside the formal curriculum and the content of the courses often is unrelated to the subject matter of the departments;

Whereas students report that listing of LWYL courses by departments/colleges is confusing and misleading and makes the courses hard to find for students interested in the true, not labeled, subject matter of the LWYL course;

Whereas to sustain the initiative, maintain its vitality, and potentially grow it in size, it is necessary to make it less cumbersome for faculty to teach LWYL courses and easier for students to learn of them;

Whereas a centralized approval process and unique university course subject code would accomplish these needs by decreasing administrative impediments for instructors (as well as departments/colleges) and increasing visibility of the courses to students;

Whereas a centralized approval process and subject code would not negatively impact departments, colleges, or faculty and they would not affect the colleges’ and departments’ prerogatives over curricula or teaching arrangements with faculty;

Therefore be it resolved that the recommendations set forth in the proposal “To Create a University-wide Course Approval Process and Subject Code for Learning Where You Live Courses” be adopted;

Be it further resolved that pursuant to the proposal, a university-wide course review and approval process will be established with a university-wide LWYL Curriculum Committee whose members will be appointed by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education reflecting the criteria set forth in the proposal; if a LWYL course is approved, the Director of Faculty LivingLearning Programs would work with the instructor and the appropriate House Professor-Dean (for courses to be taught in a West Campus residence) or Faculty-in-Residence (for courses to be taught in a North Campus residence);

Be it further resolved that also pursuant to the proposal, LWYL courses will be accorded a university-wide subject code, such as UNILWYL.

This resolution supports Learning Where You Live (LWYL), an academic living-learning initiative comprised of undergraduate courses taught chiefly on North and West campus. Typically, the LWYL courses are small, carry only one-credit, and are taught on an S/U basis. They are designed to eliminate the formal barriers of the traditional classroom, foster a sense of “home” and social belonging, encourage sustained interaction between students and faculty, provide students with opportunities to explore topics outside of their intended fields of study, and promote active participation of students in their learning experience.

Currently, LWYL courses are reviewed and approved by the instructors’ departments/colleges and given department subject codes. Yet, most often, the content of the LWYL courses differs widely from the subject matter of the departments. Due to this misalignment, the course review and approval process is confusing for LWYL faculty and departments/colleges. The misalignment is baffling to students and, likely, decreases enrollment.

Proposal

Original resolution

Final Resolution