1.1 Academic Senate Regulations and COCI Procedures
1.1.1 Berkeley Division By-law 33: Committee on Courses of Instruction | 1.1.2 Standing Order of the Regents 105.2 (b)

The Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCI) meets biweekly during the academic year to consider course proposals, variance requests, and matters pertaining to courses of instruction.

Academic Senate regulations are the rules that govern courses of instruction for the University of California as a whole, and UC Berkeley in particular. COCI recommends that all staff in academic units have a working knowledge of both Systemwide and Berkeley Division Academic Senate regulations. These can be found online at http://academic-senate.berkeley.edu/resources/manual.html and http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/manual/.

Please note: The procedures and policies contained in this handbook consist of the Committee’s most recent interpretations of Systemwide and Berkeley Division Academic Senate regulations. These procedures and policies do not supersede Academic Senate regulations or the Standing Order of the Regents.

1.1.1 Berkeley Division By-law 33: Committee on Courses of Instruction

A. Membership
This Committee consists of at least twelve Senate members, at least one of whom shall also be a member of the Committee on Courses of Instruction and Academic Programs of the College of Letters and Science, the Secretary of the Division as an ex-officio member, three student members, and the Registrar, ex officio, as a non-voting member.

B. Term of Office
The term of office of the Committee begins on Monday of the third week of instruction in the Fall term.

C. Duties

• Reviews, coordinates, and takes final action on all matters relating to courses of instruction, including approval of new courses; modification, withdrawal, conduct, credit valuation, and classification of existing courses; and consults with and advises departments and individual members of the Division on courses of instruction.
• Gives full consideration to the views and conclusions of appropriate departments, departmental committees and representatives, and faculty members when matters related to their courses of instruction come before the Committee.
• Neither advises on, nor has any jurisdiction over, courses in the School of Law.
• Acts on behalf of the Division in reviewing recommendations from the colleges, schools, and Graduate Council concerning the award of degrees, certificates, and honors (See By-law 100).
• Reviews and takes final action on requests for exceptions to Division Regulations governing courses of instruction and the awarding of degrees, certificates, and honors. (Am. 4.27.06)

For questions about Senate Regulations governing courses or COCI procedures please contact Sumei Quiggle at sumei@berkeley.edu or 642-7212, or Lili Vicente Goldsmith at lvicente@berkeley.edu or 642-4340.

1.1.2 Standing Order of the Regents 105.2 (b)

The Academic Senate shall authorize and supervise all courses and curricula offered under the sole or joint jurisdiction of departments, colleges, schools, graduate division, or other University academic agencies approved by the Board, except that the Senate shall have no authority over courses in the Hastings College of Law, San Francisco Art Institute, in professional schools offering work at the graduate level only, or over non-degree courses in the University Extension. No change in the curriculum of a college or professional school shall be made by the Academic Senate until such change shall have been submitted to the formal consideration of the faculty concerned.

1.2 The Responsibilities of COCI and of Academic Units

Berkeley Division By-law 33 states that COCI is to give “full consideration to the views and conclusions of appropriate departments, departmental committees and representatives, and faculty members when matters related to their courses of instruction come before the Committee.” This recognizes COCI’s relation to academic departments and the importance of maintaining a clear and integral balance between the specific competence of departments and academic units in their own disciplines and areas of study, and the responsibility of the faculty as a whole (delegated, in these instances, to COCI) to guarantee consistency and fairness.

Berkeley is an academic community, and our students take courses across the disciplines. On the one hand, the faculty as a whole has the responsibility of ensuring that courses are conducted fairly and effectively, that University rubrics like credit units and breadth requirements are treated consistently, that requests for exceptions and variances are evaluated fairly, and so on. The Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate has charged COCI with this responsibility. On the other hand, academic units represent professional bodies in their disciplines, and as such are uniquely suited to decide on the appropriateness of specific topics and approaches. Questions of appropriate depth and breadth, necessary prerequisite training and knowledge, and appropriate standards of evaluation all belong to these units. COCI understands, and this document reaffirms, that its authority to take final action on all matters relating to instruction and assessment is to be understood in the context of academic units’ disciplinary competence.

1.3 Variances

Berkeley Division By-law 33 grants COCI authority to grant exceptions (i.e., variances) to Berkeley Division regulations governing courses of instruction and the granting of degrees, certificates, and honors. In exercising this authority appropriately and consistently, COCI adopted implementing procedures that are included in the Variances section of this handbook. The relevant regulations are also included as needed in reference to the procedures.

Note to students: Variance requests submitted to COCI should be endorsed by your affiliated department or college. When submitting a variance request to COCI, please work in coordination with your departmental/college adviser throughout the process.

Note to advisers: Please refer to the Regulations of the Academic Senate as well as this COCI Handbook when submitting variance requests to COCI.

Please direct questions regarding variance requests to Lili Vicente Goldsmith at lvicente@berkeley.edu or 642-4340.