Managing Low Enrolling Courses at IUPUI

In 1999, the IU Board of Trustees directed each campus to establish a minimum class size and a mechanism for enforcing this standard. This request emerged from a concern that in some cases full-time faculty were teaching very small sections and not meeting expectations for appropriate faculty effort vis-à-vis a teaching load. The policy became effective with the Spring 2000 semester.

IUPUI chose to use ten enrollments as the minimum for undergraduate courses numbered 000-499 and six enrollments for graduate courses numbered 500 and above. Labs, independent studies, clinicals, and all courses taught by associate/adjunct faculty are excluded from the minima. Jointly offered courses offered at the same time and place, as often happens in studio courses, are exempted provided their combined enrollments are at or above the appropriate minimum.

Schools retain the right to employ higher minima than used by the campus.

The Registrar is authorized to cancel any course not meeting the minima if she or he determines that the schools have not provided sufficient justification for carrying a low-enrolling course. Schools have the right to appeal the Registrar’s decision to cancel a course to the Dean of the Faculties.

• The Office of the Registrar runs a list just before the start of the semester of those non-exempted courses where enrollments do not meet the minima and distributes it to the schools.
• Schools are asked to review the list and identify any courses that should be exempted from review due to instruction type (lab, independent study, clinicals, joint offering) or part-time faculty status. In such cases the schools shall notify the Office of the Registrar of any necessary changes in how the courses are coded. In addition, the schools should inform the Office of the Registrar of any courses that have been cancelled.
• Schools should review courses remaining on the list and specify why they should be allowed to continue for the semester if their enrollments do not meet the minima.
  Examples of this rationale include
• New or experimental courses
• Courses required for the major that are offered no more than once in an academic year
• Courses in programs with semester-fixed offerings (such as some health programs) where the cohort is smaller than the minima
• Courses are being taught by a full-time faculty member but not counted as part of his or her course load
• The Registrar will review the responses from the school.
• If the Registrar determines sufficient justification was provided, the course may continue.
• If the Registrar determines that a school has not provided sufficient justification for carrying a low-enrolling course, she or he is authorized to cancel the course. The Registrar will consult with the school before taking this step. Schools have the right to appeal the Registrar’s decision to cancel a course to the Dean of the Faculties.
• The Registrar will review the list of approved low-enrolling courses on a regular basis to ensure schools continue to honor the spirit as well as the letter of the policy. Any concerns will be first be brought to the schools and, if necessary, to the Dean of the Faculties.

31 October 2006