CourseLeaf Updates & FAQs

RIT is partnering with CourseLeaf to help transform our curriculum lifecycle management processes. The CourseLeaf implementation will occur in two phases over the next two to three years. View the CourseLeaf announcement from Dr. Christine Licata, Vice Provost.

For more information about this partnership and what it means for RIT, navigate through the Frequently Asked Questions below.

What is CourseLeaf?

CourseLeaf is an academic operations platform utilized by more than 500 higher education institutions around the world for curriculum and course workflow management. RIT has recently entered into a partnership with Leepfrog Technologies, the creators of CourseLeaf, to implement the CourseLeaf CAT and CourseLeaf CIM software solutions.

What is CourseLeaf CAT (Phase I)?

CourseLeaf CAT is a web-based system designed to help institutions of higher education streamline how they develop, review, edit, approve, and publish their course catalogs and bulletins. Once implemented, CAT will house these processes within one centralized system, moving relevant users through clearly defined workflows in an automated manner and then ultimately enabling the export of the final Bulletin and Course Catalog to web, mobile and print (PDF) platforms. CourseLeaf CAT will also integrate with RIT's Student Information System (SIS) and our Programs of Study website, providing comprehensive, consistent, and accurate information.

What is CourseLeaf CIM (Phase II)?

CourseLeaf CIM is a web-based curriculum management system designed to house the overall governance process for the curriculum development lifecycle. CIM is designed to help institutions of higher education streamline processes related to proposing, editing, reviewing, and approving both new and existing programs and courses. This software utilizes dynamic forms and workflows to allow users to enter and edit information and to view tracked changes along the way, minimizing the need to manually cross-check documents to identify changes. Course and program approvals and updates in CIM then feed to the Student Information System, Bulletin, and Course Catalog via CAT.

What is the Purpose of the CourseLeaf Implementation Project?

One key dimension of RIT's strategic plan centers around innovating across the university. RIT is committed to strengthening the foundational administrative practices that are critical to managing new and existing programs and courses.

The implementation of CourseLeaf CAT and CourseLeaf CIM will allow us to increase RIT's organizational efficiency and effectiveness with sustainable practices for academic program and curriculum management. Specifically, this software will enable us to do the following:

Ensure information about RIT programs and courses is comprehensive, consistent, and accurate across multiple platforms.
Establish CAT and CIM as the centralized, up-to-date "source of truth" system for all curricular content.
Create and view at-a-glance status reports to understand where program and course proposals are in the review and approval process.
Consolidate RIT's Bulletin and Course Catalog into one comprehensive publication, generated via a simple export from CAT without the need for exchanging multiple proofs and InDesign files.
Integrate RIT's Bulletin and Catalog with the Student Information System and the Programs of Study, reducing errors and rework.
Define and enact streamlined, end-to-end workflows for all internal curricular actions, reduce manual processes, and eliminate duplicative information.
Utilize systemitized, transparent processes for program and course approvals from the department level through to relevant curricular committees, RIT governance bodies, and NYSED (if applicable).
Empower users to work within one centralized system to complete assigned tasks, when notified via automated workflow prompts.
House and track updates related to course outline data.
Provide a "course ecosystem" view to display all occurences of a given course across departments and programs and highlight how changes to a course would potentially impact these other instances.

What are the Implementation Phases?

PHASE I. CAT IMPLEMENTATION

During Phase I, the core CourseLeaf implementation team at RIT will be working with the vendor to ensure that the new system is configured to align with RIT's needs for producing a newly combined Bulletin and Course Catalog that fully integrates with our Student Information System and Programs of Study. The specifications will largely be based on the forms and documentation we use in our current processes, but selected fields and/or views may be customized to address needs identified during the discovery and approval process.

The implementation team will ensure that existing bulletin and catalog content has migrated into the platform correctly, that necessary edits are made based on updated curriculum tables received in the traditional manner, and that all approvals are secured before go-live. For collaborators in the Colleges, this first year will not impact existing processes; the 2025-2026 Bulletin and Course Catalog will simply be produced using a new platform.

At the same time these steps are being taken for CAT, the Academic Program and Curriculum Management team will begin documenting and visually mapping out all of the "current state" workflows for curricular actions. These will serve as baseline to refer back to as we begin having broader conversations about streamlining and optimizing workflows for CIM.

PHASE II. CIM IMPLEMENTATION

As we move into the second phase of implementation, work will continue to unfold as follows:

In-depth discussions will take place about the more comprehensive end-to-end workflows needed for CIM. The Academic Program and Curriculum Management team, RIT's broader CourseLeaf implementation team, and key contributors in the Colleges will engage in these discussions. The CIM workflows will ultimately aim to capture all of the activity that takes place from the time programs and courses are first discussed and proposed to the time they are final, approved, and published. Throughout these CIM workflow discussions, "current state" and desired "future state" workflows will be compared to arrive at finalized workflows that are streamlined and value-adding for end users. While our processes will remain intact in terms of policies and required information, the way we gather and disseminate this information will change with the use of CIM. Once CourseLeaf has built out CIM to accommodate our agreed upon workflows, user testing will commence, system refinement will continue with CourseLeaf, and documentation and training resources will begin to be developed.
The centralized CAT workflow handled by RIT's implementation team in the first year will ultimately become more decentralized, with select users in the Colleges having the ability to use the system to enter, review, and approve relevant content. The processes will still largely be reflective of current ways of working specifically as they relate to gathering and publishing content for the Bulletin and Course Catalog, but the process will take place within the CourseLeaf system as opposed to being facilitated through the exchange of documents and spreadsheets. Users will be assigned to specific roles and granted corresponding permissions within the system so that they are able to complete, edit and/or review program and course content when prompted to do so via email notifications. Training and documentation will be developed to support users as they navigate the new system, and forthcoming Bulletin and Course Catalogs will be produced by way of this new, decentralized process in CAT.
CourseLeaf CIM will be built out and fully integrated with CAT in such a way that the workflows in each module will seamlessly interact with each other and the content housed within each module will continue to synchronize with and align to RIT's Student Information System and Programs of Study. After this integration is complete, users will have access to documentation and training that will explain how to utilize CourseLeaf for all curriculular actions.

Who is Involved in the CourseLeaf Core Implementation Team?

RIT has established a core implementation team, with key collaborators from the the Office of the Provost, the Registrar's Office, Marketing and Communications, and Information Technology Services.

Will CourseLeaf be Replacing the myCourses Platform?

No, myCourses will remain in use as a Learning Managment System at RIT, where instructors and students can continue to communicate and share course materials. CourseLeaf will be used to house the Bulletin and Course Catalog as well as the workflows associated with proposing and revising curriculum.

How will Implementation Updates be Communicated?

This page will continue to be a resource for ongoing updates as RIT's internal project team progresses through the implementation process with CourseLeaf. Campuswide email communication will also provide overarching status updates to RIT faculty, staff, and students, as appropriate. Relevant presentations and discussions will take place during the ICC, Grad Council, Faculty Senate, General Education Committee and Student Government meetings. Detailed email communications will also be sent to Deans, Associate Deans, Department Chairs and Heads, Directors, and Scheduling Officers at specific points in the implementation process with need-to-know information regarding updates to curricular processes.