Developing a Course
Basic Information
DeCal classes are student-run or service-oriented classes that are generally offered as Special Studies 98/198 classes on a Pass/NotPass basis at the University of California, Berkeley. These courses encompass a wide range of subjects and, in general, are a more fun, creative, and engaging alternative to traditional lecture classes.
The Program for Democratic Education at Cal is a student-run organization that offers outreach and publicity services to student-facilitators and is not responsible for the administrative and academic aspects of DeCal courses like settling disputes between students and facilitators, submitting grades, or reserving classes.
Facilitators: All undergraduate and graduate students can fill out a Special Studies Course Proposal to initiate a DeCal course. At the discretion of the sponsoring department and faculty member, alumni and community members may co-facilitate a class with a currently-enrolled UC Berkeley student. During any given semester, there is an average of over 125 courses, with 150 course facilitators and over 4,000 students participating in the DeCal Program. Classes taught in the past include community service, ethnic/cultural studies, literature, media and its impact on society, and current world events.
Academic Credits: Most students can take a maximum of four (4) units 97/197 or 98/198 credit in a semester, and a maximum of sixteen (16) units can count toward graduation. In order to graduate, one cannot take more than 1/3 classes Pass/NotPass.
Student-facilitators cannot enroll in their own DeCals for academic credit, but they may sign up for a separate independent studies course, such as 99 or 199, with their faculty sponsors.
Does my DeCal need to relate to my sponsoring department?
The answer to that question depends on the department regulations. Many departments include DeCals from different disciplines. For example, the Education Department sponsors a wide-range of DeCals every semester. Some departments, however, require DeCals to be relevant to their majors. For example, the Political Science Department does not sponsor activity-based courses. Only courses of academic nature receive sponsorship and must be taught from a political science perspective. You will need to contact your sponsoring departments. Their contact information is listed in Department Policies and Contacts.
What is the difference between a Special Studies 98 and 198? How come sometimes I can’t facilitate one or the other?
As a facilitator, you will be asked this question all the time. Most departments allow lower-division students to take Special Studies 98 and upper-division students to take 198. However, some departments only offer one or the other. For example, the History Department offers only History 98. The Philosophy Department, on the other hand, offers only Philosophy 198. Departments set their own preferences as dictated by their administrative styles. You should contact prospective sponsoring departments for their policies on special studies course offering.
P/NP courses in general do not make a significant impact on students’ transcripts. When graduate schools assess academic performances, a lower-division Special Studies P/NP course is not that much different from an upper-division Special Studies P/NP, especially when the course only counts for one or two units. However, some students may keep asking you why they are not receiving upper-division units when they have received them before in other DeCals. Our recommendation is to be patient with them.
What can I do to prepare myself to facilitate a course?
As a joint collaboration of the DeCal Board and the Undergraduate Course Facilitator Training and Resources, the Schwag Packet is a heavy but helpful resource that focuses on the techniques of facilitating. This packet helps facilitators understand the underpinning of classroom dynamics and suggests some techniques, affirmed by education researchers and scholars, that facilitators can use to forge close connections with their students and encourage student participation, thus eliminating “dead air,” a common occurrence for many first-time facilitators. It is a very useful tool for DeCal facilitation, and we recommend looking through it.
How do I design my course?
We cannot give you a set guideline to develop your course because each facilitator thinks differently, thus the hundreds of differently designed DeCals. Facilitators’ personal enthusiasm and passion for the subject determine the course’s final product. That’s one of the reasons that DeCals are so attractive (to say nothing of that last unit they provide many students each semester).
However, there is a way to put your ideas, as scattered and undeveloped as they may be, within the context of a course facilitation. A visit to the Undergraduate Course Facilitator Training & Resources office can be extremely helpful. UCFTR specifically offers the Craft of Facilitating every semester, Education 97/197, section 12, to help facilitators formulate their ideas.
Startup workshops provide a quick alternative to developing your course. For more information, please check StartUp Workshops.
If you are ready to start a course, follow the Seven Steps, which outlines the major steps to starting a course. However, department rules may require additional/different processes that differ from the Seven Steps prescribed by the DeCal Board.
Updated October 1st, 2007.