Purpose

As is the practice in many colleges and universities, Lindenwood University cross-lists a selected set of courses as available for either undergraduate or graduate credit. Selected programs at the university have been doing this for a number of years, and it seems incumbent upon the university to have a clear academic policy for this.

Courses may be cross-listed when combining sections of courses into a single course is desirable or required to facilitate a single rich educational experience. Due to the tight communication between the student information system (Anthology) and the learning management system (Canvas), cross-listing also ensures a single course shell for ease of management; Canvas shells cannot be merged unless cross-listed first in Anthology.

Scope

This policy applies to courses cross-listed within the same academic level, either undergraduate-to-undergraduate or graduate-to-graduate. For information about cross-listing undergraduate courses with graduate courses, please refer to the Cross-Listing of Graduate and Undergraduate Courses policy.

Policy

1. A typical example of cases where the cross-listing may apply across undergraduate departments includes the following. Cross-listed courses:
   • Must function as one cohesive course,
     • Be cross-listed with like courses. They:
       • May have different prefixes (two-to-five-letter department abbreviation) based on the offering department,
       • Must have the same course title, course number, course section number, course credit hour, course description, course grading method, GE designation (if applicable), modality (online, on-ground, hybrid, or HyFlex), term including term length, and primary instructor.
     • Course content – educational resources, learning activities, and assessments – must be the same between the cross-listed courses as identified in the course syllabus. The courses are considered academically equivalent, and students may receive credit for only one of the cross-listed courses.
       Example of a typically cross-listed course with differing prefixes:
       CCJ 32200 – Social Deviance
       SOC 32200 – Social Deviance
2. The following example illustrates typical cases where the cross-listing may apply across undergraduate levels for registration control. In general, only like courses may have sections cross-listed. Cross listed courses/sections:
   • Must function as one cohesive course.
   • Must have the same department prefix (two-to-five-letter department abbreviation), may have different course titles, may have different undergraduate level course numbers, must have the same modality (online, on-ground, hybrid, or HyFlex), term including term length, and primary instructor. and primary instructor.
   • c. May have differing course content: Educational resources, learning activities, and assessments may be different depending on the undergraduate level between the cross-listed courses as identified in the course syllabus. The courses are not considered academically equivalent, and students may receive credit for one or all of the cross-listed courses.
     Example:
     DAN 10010 – Ballet I: Beginning Level
     DAN 10011 – Ballet I: Intermediate Level
     DAN 10012 – Ballet I: Advanced Level
3. To comply with FERPA regulations and best practices, the Office of the Registrar will evaluate cross-listing requests on a case-by-case basis and may deny the request to ensure academic integrity. Courses like independent study, thesis, internships, practica, and directed study are often excluded from cross-listing due to their individualized nature.
4. The total registration capacity of the cross-listed sections must not exceed the registration capacity of a single section. In cases where the courses differ, the higher maximum will be honored.
5. The cross-listed courses will function as one course community; students within the cross-listed courses are expected to interact with one another in the same course. If the student meets synchronously, all students will meet at the same time and in the same place (digital or physical). Consistent with FERPA best practices, students in an online course must consent to collaborate or interact with individuals enrolled in other online sections housed within the same Canvas shell.
6. Courses that are cross-listed will have the Canvas shells for each course section merged into one single Canvas shell.
7. New/Proposed cross-listed courses must be approved within Curriculum (curriculum management system) following established approval workflows. Syllabus and Course Rigor Form must clearly follow cross-listed course guidelines as stated in this document. These records will be shared with the Office of the Provost for final approval and archiving.
8. Removal of cross-listing should be rare and will need approval from the college’s designated point of contact. The Office of the Registrar will coordinate with the Learning Design Team to complete the request.
9. When approved, the Office of the Registrar will complete the cross-listing steps in Anthology or request a cross-listing reversal if needed. These steps should only be completed when the relevant courses are not in session to mitigate the risk of data loss.
10. A sampling of existing cross-listed courses, specifically those designated as cross-listed for purposes of managing registration control, will be reviewed annually by the Office of the Registrar and the academic colleges.
11. A thorough review of all cross-listed courses in a program will be conducted during that program’s (quinquennial) cyclical review. These records will be shared with the Office of the Provost for final approval and archiving.

Additional Cross-listing Policies and Processes for Cross-Listing Undergraduate and Graduate Courses

While stand alone graduate courses are generally best, courses may be cross-listed when a graduate program creates the demand for this action, generally when enrollment in the graduate program’s curricula is insufficient to offer coursework in the program at the graduate level alone. Courses may also be cross-listed when there are sound pedagogical reasons for doing so, e.g. when faculty expertise at the undergraduate level can be made available to graduate students by cross-listing, (or vice-versa), or when programmatic needs arise that make delivery of content area curricula most effective in a cross-listed content-level course. Careful attention to syllabi design and to differences in student learning outcomes between graduate and undergraduate students, as well as an appropriate review and approval for courses and program requirements will assure the integrity of cross- listed courses.

1. Only upper-division undergraduate courses (30000-49999) may be cross-listed with graduate courses.
2. Separate syllabi (undergraduate and graduate) will be designed for cross-listed courses.
3. Courses that are cross-listed will be calculated as a single course for faculty deployment purposes.
4. As a general principle, the graduate learning experience in a cross-listed course is marked by an emphasis on problem solving based on case studies and other relevant materials, a significant amount of reading and analyzing, a large amount of data analysis, the application of concepts within the field of study. (See Cross-listed Graduate and Undergraduate Course Differentiation guidance document).
5. The educational needs of one cohort should not supersede the needs of the other. For example, if the graduate cohort is smaller than the undergraduate cohort, the instructor must ensure they uphold the rigor and pacing of the graduate cohort.
6. All other policies and procedures related to cross-listing courses should be followed.

Please direct any questions about this policy to the Office of the Registrar.