Discover Unique Courses: DeCal
Meditation and Mindfulness DeCal
Among the many opportunities to learn about topics related to Psychology we invite you to to explore DeCals that can help you discover new interests and passions. Take a DeCal and learn in a different setting than traditional classes while also connecting with others in our community and network. If you feel motivated, you can even develop and/or teach your own DeCal. Read more about that in the second section below.
Take a DeCal
DeCal courses are offered in Fall and Spring of each academic year. Most, though not all, courses are listed in the official DeCal website, and you can filter by the semester, what day of the week you prefer, the time of the class, and how recent the class has been posted. You can also find class information in the Schedule of Classes. Psychology DeCal courses are listed as Psych 198.
When taking a DeCal, have the following in mind:
- Most Fall classes are updated in mid-August; most Spring classes are updated in mid-January.
- To enroll in a DeCal, be sure to check the information for the class! Each one has a different process; some of them may give you the access code to enroll, others may have specific applications to enroll in the course.
- Student facilitators are the go-to person if you have any questions about the class. If you cannot find the email of the facilitator on the course listing page, contact the DeCal team through the Google Form on their ‘FAQ’ page.
- DeCals are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only, but they are real classes and will contribute to your minimum units required for graduation.
- DeCals have limited seating, so make sure to check early in the semester for the classes you are interested in.
Contact your major advisor if you have any questions regarding your schedule, major requirements, unit limits, or prerequisites for your major.
Facilitate a DeCal Course
Facilitating a DeCal course is a great opportunity to connect with others that may share similar interests and to immerse yourself in a specific topic as a teacher and not just a researcher.
Sanjeev - Charisma DeCal
Why facilitate a DeCal course?
Facilitating a DeCal course offers students the opportunity to teach a topic in which they have training and about which they feel passionate. Students may propose a course, and if the proposal is approved, they will facilitate and run a semester-long class. What better way to culminate your time at Cal than by developing your very own course?
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When is the deadline?
Deadline to submit course proposal packets for DeCal courses to be offered in the upcoming Spring semester: October 1 (or the following business day if the date falls on a weekend)
Deadline to submit course proposal packets for DeCal courses to be offered in the upcoming Fall semester: April 15 (or the following business day if the date falls on a weekend)
All Psychology DeCal course proposal packets must be submitted via email to psychsso@berkeley.edu, complete and signed by the faculty sponsor. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered.
Prior to submitting the packet, all new DeCal courses must have a lead student facilitator meet with Kait Lopes, Undergraduate Major Advisor, to review the draft proposal packet at least 2 weeks prior to the deadline.
Training Requirement - All first-time student-facilitators, even for continuing DeCal courses, must undergo training prior to submitting the DeCal proposal packet. The Student Learning Center’s Undergraduate Course Facilitator Training and Resources unit (UCFTR) offers a number of Facilitation & Collaborative Learning Strategies Workshops each semester to support students. For more information please refer to: https://slc.berkeley.edu/programs/undergraduate-course-facilitator-training-and-resources-ucftr/formats-service#training-workshops
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What should be included in the proposal packet?
Submit a complete course proposal packet, including the following component in the order below:
1. Course Proposal Form, signed by your faculty sponsor. Please download the current version of the form here. Previous versions of this form will not be accepted. The instructions allow that facilitators may address their responses to the four questions in the form either in the syllabus or on a separate sheet of paper. The Department of Psychology requires that the responses be incorporated into the syllabus. (You will find in the sample syllabus below that a good syllabus should already include the information covered by these questions.)
2. Unit Value Worksheet. This worksheet is attached in the Course Proposal Form packet template.
3. Fully developed syllabus. A sample of what to include in your syllabus is available on the teaching.berkeley.edu website.
4. Faculty Sponsor Letter of Support. Please review the requirements for this letter on the Academic Senate website.
All of the listed components are required. Incomplete proposals will be automatically rejected.
Additional Forms Not Included the Proposal Packet
1. Psychology DeCal Schedule Request Form. Facilitators will receive a request to complete this form by email from the Department Scheduler. The form will specify scheduling and enrollment requirements and any related restrictions. Note that you may receive this request before the course is officially approved by the Academic Senate, but scheduling of the classes will begin only after approval is granted. Regardless, you must complete the online form by the stated deadline.
2. Affiliate Appointment Request Form. Each facilitator will receive a DocuSign form by email from the UMA. Please complete it as soon as you can.
3. Psych 197 Application (OPTIONAL). Facilitators who would like to earn units for their work of facilitating the class, can submit this form after the course is officially approved by the Academic Senate and 2 days before the Add/ Drop Deadlines. Submissions prior to the approval of DeCal courses will be automatically rejected. Each facilitator must submit their own application in order to receive units. Facilitators who do not submit the Psych 197 application will not automatically receive enrollment information; sharing of enrollment information is strictly prohibited.
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Process of Course Approval, Class Scheduling, and Enrollment Management
1. Submit the complete course proposal packet to the designated Undergraduate Major Advisor (UMA) for review. The UMA will request revisions via email if needed. If no revisions are needed, the UMA will submit proposals to the Department Chair for review and signature.
2. The UMA will submit all departmentally-approved course proposal packets to the Academic Senate, Committee on Courses of Instruction for official approval. COCI typically completes review and approval by the first day of the semester. If additional revisions are needed, student facilitators will hear from the COCI Analyst directly and are required to cc' the UMA on all replies. If facilitators do not hear from COCI by the first day of the semester, the course is approved and will proceed to scheduling.
3. Facilitators will receive class schedule and room assignment from the Department Scheduler. You must check the Schedule of Classes to confirm the assignment.
4. Starting from when you submit the DocuSign Affiliate Appointment Request Form, it takes a minimum of 2 weeks for your appointment to become active. All facilitators need an active affiliate appointment in order to be added to the class as an "instructor" and create a bCourses site. If you need a copy of the class roster in the meantime, contact your faculty sponsor to request it. You may also ask your faculty sponsor to create the course site and give you access.
5. The UMA will send a copy of the officially approved course proposal packet to the facilitators. When you receive the approved Course Proposal Packet, submit to the DeCal website to publish and advertise your course.
6. When classes begin, manage enrollment in a timely manner and observe all add/ drop deadlines. You may not promise adding or dropping students after the add with a fee/ drop with a fee deadline.
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Policies & Requirements
Course Approval and Class Scheduling
Offerings of Psychology DeCal Courses are limited to a maximum 2 facilitators per section and 2 sections per class.
DeCal class enrollment are limited to 50 or less seats. All DeCal classes must start at 4pm or later.
Facilitation
Facilitators must satisfy all facilitation requirements and be listed in the Course Proposal Form. "Unofficial facilitators" are not allowed.
Facilitators may not enroll in the DeCal course they facilitate to receive credit. To receive credit for facilitation, submit the Psych 197 Application to apply for up to the same amount of Field Study units as the unit value of the DeCal course.
Sharing of the enrollment information is strictly prohibited. Each facilitator who would like to receive units must apply individually.
While we recognize that some DeCal courses may have a volunteer (e.g. a guest speaker), volunteers should not take on duties which are comparable to those of a facilitator's. Facilitators have a responsibility to clearly define the limited scope of a volunteer's involvement and communicate with volunteers that the latter will not receive units.
In principle, facilitators should not be changed once submitted to COCI. In the event that someone must be replaced, the absolute deadline is the last day before the start of the semester. Once classes start, a facilitator may drop but no new ones can be added. Any new facilitators to be added to a course must have already completed a UCFTR training in a prior term.
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FAQ
How do I obtain Department Chair's approval, and when?
You are only responsible for obtaining the faculty sponsor signature. Once the Student Services Office reviews proposal packets for completeness, we will submit all proposals to the Department Chair for review. Please do not submit directly to the Department Chair.How can I be sure that my class is in compliance with Academic Senate guidelines?
The department will forward all DeCal proposals to the Academic Senate on facilitators' behalf. If there are any issues with your course, you will work with the Psychology advisor to clear up any issues with your course.How many facilitators can we have for our DeCal?
Each DeCal may have one or two facilitators, one of whom must be indicated as the lead facilitator.
How many sections of the DeCal can we offer?
Generally speaking, we encourage facilitators to offer one section of their course. If there is sufficient demand and resources, you may offer a second section of your DeCal, but this must be indicated at the time you submit your proposal packet.
How can I be sure the room I am assigned is set-up with a projector or other technology or space needs?
When you fill out your Psychology DeCal Schedule Request Form you can make these requests. Please note that we do not have control over room scheduling and must work with the central campus scheduling team. This means we cannot accommodate every preference. In general, the larger the classroom requested, the less flexible the space and options are. For example, if you request movable seats, you will be limited to the size of the room available.How can I publish my DeCal course?
Once your course has been approved and cleared through the review process, you may request a copy of your approved course proposal form. To publish your course on the DeCal website, follow the steps outlined on the DeCal website here: https://decal.berkeley.edu/faqHow do I handle DeCal course enrollment and roster?
Course facilitators are responsible for ensuring accurate enrollment in consultation with the Department Scheduling Coordinator. We are not able to facilitate enrollment past the add/drop deadlines, so be sure to handle enrollment changes early in the term.
How large can my class be?
In the Psychology department we limit the class size for each DeCal at 50 students maximum.
Can I receive units for facilitating a DeCal course?
Yes. If you would like to receive Psych 197 units for facilitating a DeCal course, please submit a Psych 197 Application. This form must be received a minimum of two days before the add/drop deadline in order to allow our office time for processing.Facilitators can enroll in 197 units up to the unit value of the DeCal course they facilitate.
You may not receive Psych 199 units for facilitating a DeCal course. Psych 199 Applications submitted for this purpose will be denied. DeCal facilitators may not enroll in their own DeCal course to receive credit for facilitation.
Only official DeCal facilitators may receive Psych 197 units. Volunteers do not take on leadership or facilitation duties and may not receive units.
Who can be a student facilitator?
Only current, active students in good standing are eligible to facilitate a Psychology DeCal course.How can I set up a bCourses course site?
Once you are listed as the instructor for the course in CalCentral, you will then have access to set up a bCourse. Simply log in to bCourses and look for the "Create a Course" button on the right hand side of your dashboard. From there follow the prompts to set up your course site. Alternately, your faculty sponsor, will be able to set up the bCourses site and delegate access to you.Where can I get more information?
https://decal.berkeley.edu/
Lastly, a friendly word of reminder...
As a facilitator of a DeCal course, you will assume a lot of responsibilities resembling those of an instructor in order to create a positive experience for all participants. We strongly encourage you to review this webpage and links provided above, to maintain close contact with your faculty sponsor to ensure clear communication, and to seek help as needed. Happy DeCal facilitating!