Resources
DeCal Approval Process
Requirements (as of Spring 2018):
Here's what you'll need to have in order for your course to be considered for approval. Please see the Academic Senate's website for a full explanation of each element.
- Course Proposal Form (CPF) packet
- A fully developed syllabus
- Unit Value Worksheet (included in CPF packet)
- Faculty Sponsor Letter of Support (instructions included in CPF packet)
- For first-time facilitators: training through one of UCFTR's facilitation and collaborative learning workshops
Frequently Asked Questions
- Academic Senate FAQs for Student Facilitators
- Academic Senate FAQs for Faculty Sponsors
- DeCal Board FAQs for Student Facilitators
- UCFTR FAQs for Student Facilitators & Faculty Sponsors
Our Past Newsletters
Teaching Tools and Additional Resources
- Syllabus Template - A template provided by the Mellon Faculty Institute on Undergraduate Research to help you get started with your course syllabus. The template outlines important sections that your syllabus should include. Feel free to use the template; add your own content and modify it to suit your needs.
- Syllabus Checklist - A checklist to help you to make sure that your syllabus is complete.
- Center for Teaching and Learning Resources - A collection of useful ideas and materials to help you design, teach and evaluate your class. Though not specifically chosen for peer facilitators, many of the resources here will be applicable or adaptable to your own course goals.
- COCI Memo on Student Groups and Student-Facilitated Courses Is your course connected to an existing student group? Find out what you need to know about maintaining distinctions between the two.
- Checklist for Scheduling Conflicts with Academic Requirements - A useful document for handling scheduling conflicts between academic requirements and extra-curricular activities.
- Risk Services information, including Waiver of Liability Forms - This page explains when Waiver forms may be required, and how they should be used.
- bCourses for DeCals ETS Handout - Step-by-step instructions for setting up your bCourses site.
Important Campus Policies
Berkeley Center for Teaching & Learning Page of Campus Policies
Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination
- Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
- Summary of Responsible Employee obligation set forth in UC SVSH Policy
- Important facts about professors, supervisors and other "responsible employees"
- Policy on Student Conduct and Discipline
- Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Student Adjudication Framework
- Student Adjudication Model - Process Flow Charts
- University Nondiscrimination Policy - Students
- University Nondiscrimination Policies - Employment
- Conflicts of Interest Arising Out of Consensual Relationships
- Interim Sexual Violence and Harassment Policy
- Code of Student Conduct
- Faculty Code of Conduct
- Investigation and Adjudication Procedures for Senate and Non-Senate Faculty
Important Deadlines
Academic Senate Course Proposal Deadline
Course proposals are always due to the Academic Senate one month before the last day of instruction in the preceding semester (or summer). The deadline to submit your Course Proposal Form to facilitate a Fall 2025 DeCal will be mid-July 2025. Learn more about Student-Facilitated Courses by visiting the Academic Senate website.
Note: Sponsoring departments may have earlier deadlines, so be sure to check with yours. Visit our Department Contact page for information on department-specific deadlines and resources.
Deadline to Complete Training with UCFTR
Starting in Spring 2018, all students seeking to facilitate a student-initiated course for the first time must complete training as required by the Academic Senate. The deadline to attend one of our facilitation and collaborative learning workshops to fulfill this requirement is the same day as the Course Proposal Form deadline. If you plan to propose a Fall semester DeCal by the Senate's summer deadline, we strongly recommend completing training before the preceding Spring semester ends, as summer offerings are often limited.
Add/Drop Deadline
For Spring 2025, the Registrar's deadline to drop non-EDD (Early Drop Deadline) courses is 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time) on February 12, 2025.