The header is the top-most section of the Lumen Program form. It appears in a grey box. Following are the questions/fields in this section, details on each field, and tips and guidance for completing the question/field. The questions/fields are listed in the order they appear on the form. Each will display, be hidden, or be disabled depending on the nature of the proposal. 

Is this a Template?

• Proposal Type: New or Change
• Required Field: No
• Question Type: Multiple choice, single answer
  • Yes
  • No

UW-Madison is not using the template functionality, so the answer to this question should always be "No."

Name of the school or college academic planner who you consulted with on this proposal.

• Proposal Type: New or Change
• Required Field: No
• Question Type: Dropdown List
• Help Button Text (?): Consultation is required for new programs and recommended for program change proposals. Your school/college contact can answer some questions and make sure your planning is aligned with school/college policy and practice. 

The dropdown list includes all of the identified school/college academic planners. Select the individual with whom you consulted on the proposal. If more than one planner was consulted, use the green plus button to add another row to add the additional planner. 

Proposal Abstract/Summary

• Proposal Type: New or Change
• Required Field: Yes
• Question Type: Text Entry
  • Maximum Words Allowed: 250
• Help Button Text (?): Provide a summary or abstract of the action(s) being proposed. When a plan (parent) proposal is being submitted to accompany the subplan (named option, child) proposal, the abstract on the parent proposal should include: 1) the notation that the plan proposal is being sent in accompaniment, 2) the name(s) of the subplan (named option) being submitted, and 3) a brief summary of the changes being proposed to the named option(s). 

Type of Approval

• Proposal Type: New or Change
• Required Field: No
• Question Type: Dropdown List
  • Administrative 
  • Governance Approval Needed
  • Obsolete Course Process
  • Obsolete Course Waiver

If approved, what term should the proposed change start? (usually the next fall term)

• Proposal Type: Change
• Required Field: Yes
• Question Type: Dropdown List
  • Combination of term and year, followed by the SIS term code (e.g., Fall 2022 [1232])

Options here are combinations of terms (i.e., fall or spring) and years (e.g., 2020) followed by the Student Information System (SIS) four-digit term code. For example, “Fall 2022 (1232).” This field sets the Effective Date, which is the semester and year that a new program and/or changes to an existing program will go into effect. The effective date cannot be a current term and it is typically not Summer (see note below). The Effective Date is used for SIS and informs when the changes will be made in Guide and in the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS). A few additional notes: 

• Relative to Guide, the information provided in this field informs the first Guide edition in which the change will publish to Guide. Fall publishes in June, Spring in October, and Summer in January. Both the Spring/October and Summer/January editions are considered mid-cycle updates to Guide. 
• In most cases, Fall is the preferred Effective Date. This aligns with the start of the academic year and is the term most programs enroll new students. The Summer term is not an option in the drop-down because it is very rare that a new program or program changes go into effect with the Summer Term. If there is a reason a program prefers a Summer Effective Date (e.g., if the program employs the Summer cohort start), please consult with the Academic Planners in APIR to discuss.
• If a program is submitting a subplan (e.g., named option) proposal with an accompanying plan (i.e., parent) proposal, the Effective Date on both the plan and subplan proposals should be the same. 
• While programs complete this field when initially submitting a proposal, it is possible the Academic Planners in DAPIR will update this date to align with policy and timelines once the proposal has been approved. The date in this field will ultimately be set to match the SIS Effective Date in the “For Administrative Use” section of the form. 

Is the change being proposed only a curricular change that would impact fewer than 50% of the credits in the program (i.e., plan or subplan) under consideration?

• Proposal Type: Change
• Required Field: Yes
• Question Type: Multiple choice, single answer
  • Yes
  • No
• Help Button Text (?): Curricular changes (i.e., changes to the courses) that impact 50% or more of credits in a program and/or other changes to the program (e.g., program state, mode of delivery, tuition structure, program learning outcomes, number of credits required, etc.) should get the No response, which will allow the proposer to request and expand upon these more significant changes within the form. For assistance responding to this question, consult the Lumen Program: Header Section KB.

The answer to this question (i.e., Yes or No) drives much of the functionality of the Lumen Program smart form. 

By responding Yes (i.e., the proposal constitutes a less-than-50% change to the curriculum [i.e., courses]), fewer subsequent questions will be asked, and the proposal will likely be administratively approved by Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research and the Graduate School (as applicable, for graduate-level program changes). 

Curricular changes that impact 50% or more of credits in a program and/or other changes to the program (e.g., program state, mode of delivery, tuition structure, program learning outcomes, number of credits required, etc.) should get the No response, which will trigger the appropriate questions to be available in the form and allow the proposer to request and expand upon these more significant changes within the form.

A No response indicates a substantial curricular change (i.e., 50% or greater) and/or a notable change to the program structure beyond the curricular change. Examples of program changes that require the response of No/>50% include:

• Program State: Proposals to suspend admissions and/or discontinue, or reactivate a program
• Mode of Delivery: Proposals to change the mode of delivery (e.g., from face-to-face to distance)
• Consortial/Collaborative Agreements: Proposals to add or remove the program from a consortial or collaborative agreement
• Additional Location: Proposals to add or remove a geographic location associated with the program
• Tuition Structure: Proposals that adjust the revenue/131 status or a program, and/or that change the tuition structure or per-credit tuition amount
• Financial Aid Edibility (for Capstone Certificates only): Proposals that change the federal financial aid eligibility for a Capstone program
• Total Credits: Proposals that change the total credits required for a program
• Program Learning Outcomes: Proposals that change the Program Learning Outcomes
• Admissions/How To Get In Requirements: Proposals that modify admission requirements and/or instructions for how to get in to the extent that there are implications beyond the program itself. Examples include changing to/from a limited enrollment program (undergraduate) and adding/removing a course prerequisite as a criteria for admission when that course is taught outside the department.
• Related Programs: Proposals that change the majors and/or certificates that can/not be earned in combination with the program. This is a question on the Lumen Program form (in the Related Programs section). 

Determining if a curricular change is greater-than or less-than 50% can be a less exact calculation in responding to this question. Following is some general guidance for determining if your proposed curricular change is greater-than or less-than 50%:

• Following are examples of curricular changes that are equal-to or greater-than 50% and thus should get the No/>50% response:
  • Change in total required credits for a degree/major, named option, or certificate
  • Change to a degree requirement, such as the minimum cumulative grade point average
  • Adding or removing the doctoral minor requirement
  • Course additions/deletions that amount to 50% or more of the total credits and/or major coursework credits. For example: 
    • Capstone Certificate A is 18 total credits comprised of six 3-credit core courses. If the program is changing three of the six core courses (i.e., 9 credits), that is 50% or more of the total credits (18 credits).
    • Undergraduate Major B is 120 total credits, 30 of which required credits in the major. The requirements for those 30 major credits feature various required areas of coursework (e.g., seminar) with course lists for each. If the program is making changes to the overall 30-credit course list that totals 15 or more credits, that is 50% or more of the major coursework. 
• Following are examples of less-than 50% changes that should get the Yes/<50% response:
  • Minor changes to the admission requirements and/or instructions for how to get in for which there are no implications beyond the program itself. Examples include adding or removing the requirement for the GRE, changing the minimum GPA, etc. 
  • Elective course additions/deletions that impact less than 50% of the program credits 
  • Course additions/deletions that amount to less than 50% of the total credits and/or major coursework credits. For example: 
    • Certificate B is 18 total credits comprised of six courses—four 3-credit core courses and two additional breadth courses. If the program is changing two of the four core courses (i.e., 6 credits), that is less-than 50% of the total credits (18 credits).
    • M.S. Degree A is 30 total credits comprised of three required courses totaling 8 credits, one additional 3-credit course selected from a list of six options, and 9 additional credits. If the program wants to change one of the required courses or one of the courses in the select-from list, that is less than 50% of the total credits.

Another consideration is when a change proposal is being submitted for a named option (i.e., subplan) and the associated degree/major (i.e., plan or parent) proposal must be submitted in conjunction.

• If the change is being made only to the named option, regardless of if it is a greater-than or less-than 50% change to the named option, and the degree/major itself is not changing, please respond Yes/<50% to this question on the degree/major (i.e., plan or parent) proposal.
• If in addition to the change(s) on the named option, changes are also being made to the degree/major itself, please assess the changes being made to the degree/major and respond to the </>50% question accordingly.