Eshelman School of Pharmacy: Course Section Guidelines

This policy provides clear and consistent guidance on when to create new course sections versus new courses, helping ensure instructional quality while balancing administrative feasibility, faculty workload, and financial sustainability. It establishes decision rules and roles to promote alignment across programs and avoid unnecessary administrative complexity.

Unit Policy

Title

Eshelman School of Pharmacy: Course Section Policy

Introduction

Purpose

This document provides clear and consistent guidance on when to create new course sections versus new courses, helping ensure instructional quality while balancing administrative feasibility, faculty workload, and financial sustainability. It establishes decision rules and roles to promote alignment across programs and avoid unnecessary administrative complexity.

Scope

This guidance applies to Course Directors, program leadership, curricular oversight committees, the Office of the University Registrar, and related administrative offices involved in course, section, scheduling, and enrollment decisions.

Guidelines

Types of Course Sections

Underlying Assumptions for Multiple Sections of the Same Course

All sections of the same course are expected to maintain alignment on core academic elements. Specifically:

• Learning outcomes must be the same across all sections of a course.
• Core content and scope should be equivalent, even if examples, sequencing, or emphasis differ.
• Assessment intent and rigor should be comparable across sections, though specific assessment formats or pedagogical approaches may vary (e.g., different instructors, instructional strategies, or delivery modalities).

Variations in pedagogy, instructional style, scheduling, delivery format, or assessment methods are permissible within sections as long as they do not alter the course learning outcomes or overall expectations for student performance.

If learning outcomes, core content, or assessment expectations differ in a way that changes the academic nature of the experience, a new course (not merely a new section) should be proposed.

When to Create a New Section

Administrative Section

Create only when necessary for:

• Segmentation by program (PharmD, MPS, PhD, Minor, MS).
• Course evaluations that must be separated by group.
• Grading differences among programs.
• Enrollment management, such as reserved seats by program or cohort or enrollment cap.

Decision Rule: Create only if these distinctions significantly impact course administration, reporting, or grading.

Decision Ownership: Course Director proposes; Registrar and relevant Program Dean confirm necessity based on administrative or curricular impact.

Independent Section

Create when:

• Classroom capacity limits a single offering.
• Different instructional approaches are needed (e.g., lab vs. lecture).
• Scheduling conflicts require separate times.
• Different instructors or delivery formats (in-person, online).

Decision Rule: Create only if instructional logistics, pedagogy, and/or room capacity make a single section impractical.

Decision Ownership: Course Director proposes; Registrar confirms feasibility and relevant Program Dean approves creation.

Based on the average program tuition revenue per student and the marginal instructional cost of running an additional section, a new independent section becomes financially viable at approximately 10–15 additional students.

When to Create a New Course

Create a new course (not just a section) if:

• The subject matter or learning objectives differ significantly.
• Separate courses are needed for students to enroll (e.g., pharm sci minors enrolling in PhD coursework)

Decision Rule: Create a new course only when the content, learning outcomes, or assessment methods differ in a way that justifies a distinct syllabus, catalog listing, or curricular sequence. Administrative differences alone do not warrant a new course.

Decision Ownership: Course Director proposes; Curricular Oversight Committee (GEC, CAC, or relevant undergraduate/graduate committee) reviews and approves; Registrar implements upon approval.

A new course will require separate approval and a separate syllabus.

Note: Office of University Registrar recommends creating new courses only when the material differs substantially, not merely for administrative convenience.

Enrollment Caps

Determined by the Course Director, considering:

• Room capacity
• Course type and delivery method
• Pedagogical needs

Curricular Oversight and Sustainability Review

The Curricular Oversight Committee (e.g., GEC, CAC, or relevant program-level committee) guided by data from the Office of Organization Effectiveness (OE) provides ongoing oversight of enrollment trends to support instructional quality and program sustainability.

The committee will:

• Monitor persistently low enrollment in courses or sections to assess instructional efficiency, faculty workload, and long-term sustainability.
• Review sustained high enrollment that may exceed pedagogical or logistical capacity to determine whether adjustments (e.g., enrollment caps, instructional support, or additional sections) are warranted.
• Provide recommendations to Course Directors and program leadership when enrollment patterns suggest the need for curricular modification, consolidation, or expansion.

Guiding Principle

Enrollment alone should not drive section creation or elimination. Decisions should balance instructional quality, faculty workload, administrative feasibility, and financial sustainability at the program level.

Administrative Considerations

Creating sections adds incremental workload, so minimize new sections unless justified.

Pros and Cons of Course Sections

Course Section Creation Workflow

Step 1 — Determine if Content Differs

If the course involves substantially new content, learning objectives, or assessments
Then → Create a New Course

Requires approval through GEC or CAC

Submit: syllabus, course description, title, credit hours, prerequisites, grading basis, and enrollment cap.

Step 2 — Determine if Administrative Separation is Needed

If the course content is the same but…

• There are multiple programs or degree levels (PharmD, MS, MPS, PhD, Minor)
• You need to separate course evaluations by group
• You require distinct grading scales (e.g., P/F vs. letter grade)
• You need reserved enrollment caps by student group

Then → Create an Administrative Section

Same meeting time, room, and instructor; minimal instructional difference

Submit: course number, term, program restriction, and enrollment cap.

Step 3 — Determine if Logistical or Instructional Changes Exist

If the course content is the same but…

• Students must meet at different times or locations, or
• There are different delivery methods (in-person, hybrid, online), or
• There are different instructors, or
• There are capacity limitations (room or instructor load)

Then → Create an Independent Course Section

Each section is a separate instance of the same course with its own logistics.

Step 4 — Determine if No Change Is Needed

If none of the above apply and the class can be managed in one Canvas site and grading structure
Then → Use Existing Section

Avoid unnecessary administrative sections to reduce complexity.

Contact Information

Primary Contact

Name: Mary McClurg, Executive Vice Dean

Email: mroth@unc.edu