Know your rights and responsibilities!

Participating in an off-campus, non-clinical activity this semester? Make sure you've signed our Student Acknowledgement of Protocols for VCU Experiential Learning Activities (Non-Clinical)

  1. VCU REAL
  2. For faculty/staff
  3. REAL Curriculum Committee

REAL Curriculum Committee

The REAL Curriculum Committee is responsible for issues that affect REAL curricular and co-curricular opportunities at VCU, including REAL classification. The REAL Curriculum Committee meets at least monthly during the academic year; reviews proposals for new REAL courses, curricula and opportunities; and approves the REAL classification of academic and co-curricular programs.

The REAL Curriculum Committee:

  • Works to ensure alignment among experiential learning opportunities across the university
  • Generates recommendations on strategy and refinement of the curricular and co-curricular dimensions of REAL such that they remain consonant with the VCU mission
  • Informs data collection and metrics to be used for measuring experiential learning across the university
  • Recommends modifications of REAL designation criteria and processes in response to ongoing assessment of student learning and programmatic outcomes

Composition and criteria for membership

REAL Curriculum Committee members are selected from membership of the REAL Council. The REAL Curriculum Committee is composed of at least 6 standing members, at least 75% of whom should have faculty status. All committee members will meet the UUCC criteria for membership.

Ad-hoc committee members from content experts will be appointed at the discretion of the committee chairs.

REAL Curriculum Committee members serve two-year renewable terms.

Classification process and operational rules

  • Each course or co-curricular experience will be assigned to two committee members who will review and level the proposal. If additional information is needed the committee members will contact the person who made the submission for further clarification.
  • Courses and experiences at level 4 undergo a higher level of scrutiny with two primary reviewers and two secondary reviewers for each of these proposals.
  • Each proposal will be voted on by the committee
  • A vote will be initiated if the committee has quorum representation (50% plus 1)
  • A simple majority vote will be used
  • We adopt Robert's Rules of Order as needed

REAL Curriculum Committee meeting schedule

REAL classification for courses

REAL Curriculum Committee Calendar

Based on national research, VCU now classifies experiential learning activities across four levels (see guiding principles for classification). You must apply and have your level approved by the REAL Curriculum Committee before your course can be officially assigned a REAL classification.

Please note that courses must also proceed through the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UUCC) using the CIM workflow in order to have their REAL classification formally reported and entered into Banner and displayed in eServices.

The dates below reflect Fall 2023 the review cycles for course changes to appear in the Fall 2024 Bulletin. We remind all applicants that once the RCC has approved your course changes, the course must then move through the full CIM review process.

Course classification materials submitted by: Will be reviewed and discussed at the RCC Course Classification subcommittee meeting on:
Fall 2023
09/05 09/12
09/19 09/26
10/03 10/10
10/17 10/24
10/31 11/14
11/21 11/28
Spring 2024
01/09 01/16
01/23 01/30
02/06 02/13
02/20 02/27
03/12 03/19
03/26 04/02
04/09 04/16