Step 1- Review all pre-proposal required and recommended readings 

Step 2- Collect relevant information:

• Verbal approval from your DEO or direct supervisor to submit a FYS proposal (they will also sign off on your proposal in workflow).
• A copy of your syllabus (see the syllabus section of the FYS policies page); a draft version is acceptable but all instructors will be asked to submit a final syllabus in mid-August. 
• CV or resume: Primary instructor's current CV or resume and co-instructor's CV or resume, if relevant.
• Decide the day/time your seminar will meet (review the Standardized Time-Block Model), if your proposal is accepted.
• Know which of the 4 Pillars of a First-Year Seminar your seminar is tied to, have your MyUI course description written and ready to include on the submission form, and be prepared to provide a short justification for your course and what makes it appropriate for a First-Year Seminar. Keep in mind that, at the University of Iowa, "First-Year Seminar" and "College Transition Course" or "First Year Experience Course" or other similar terms are not synonymous. First-Year Seminars focus on exploring a single, specific academic topic, allowing for in-depth analysis and critical thinking around that subject matter.

Step 3- Complete and submit the proposal form in workflow

Click (link for fall 2026 coming in fall 2025) to access the proposal form within the UI workflow system.

Step 4- Let your DEO or direct supervisor know they need to approve the form in workflow by 11:59pm on January 2026 date tba

This includes the co-instructor, if there is one, as well.

Step 5 (recommended)- Let your HR representative, departmental administrator, and person who schedules your courses (if you're in an academic unit) know that you have submitted a FYS proposal.

Some of these folks will also automatically have "View Only" access to your proposal form in workflow, based on MAUI role assignments. Please remind them: DO NOT schedule your course until proposal decisions have been communicated, which will be emailed to instructors in mid-February. 

Step 6- Look for notification about your proposal to come in mid-February. 

If approved, you will be asked to forward important information to the person in your department who schedules courses. Please be prepared to do this immediately so they can begin this process asap.

• The First-Year Seminar proposal form is submitted via workflow. The primary instructor's (and co-instructor, if applicable) DEO or direct supervisor is required to approve the form in workflow by the proposal due date. Instructors (both primary and co-instructor) are encouraged to notify their DEO or direct supervisor upon submission of their form so they know to be watching for it. In addition, please budget your time accordingly to allow time for the form to get through workflow by the due date. 
  
  Key departmental staff are automatically added to the workflow, based on their MAUI roles as determined by the primary instructor's home department, with "view only" access. This is done as an fyi for those who need First-Year Seminar proposal information (department administrator, HR unit rep, and course schedulers ). View only roles do not need to do anything further with the form and should NOT schedule your seminar yet. You may add additional workflow stops as needed. 
   
• Unless other arrangements have been made directly with a specific academic unit, instructors who cannot offer their course through their home academic unit (instructional staff, adjunct faculty, departments that do not offer undergraduate courses, etc.) will have their course scheduled in University College.
   
• Merit and SEIU staff, undergraduate/grad TA's and research assistants, grad/professional students, post-baccalaureate research interns, and non UI-employed/affiliated community members are NOT eligible to teach a First-Year Seminar. Appropriate credentials and prior relevant collegiate teaching experience is expected.
   
• Proposal decisions will be communicated to instructors by late February or early March.
   
• Effective Fall 2020, all First-Year Seminar instructors are expected to attend an information session during each spring semester (after proposals have been approved) as well as an enrichment session at the start of each fall semester. These sessions create opportunities to share relevant information with and among all instructors and contribute to a more meaningful and consistent First-Year Seminar experience. 

• Seminars selected to be offered as an Honors Seminar will be scheduled by and offered through the instructor's home department; instructors will be compensated via their home college compensation policy. If the seminar will also be offered as a research-focused seminar, see below.
  
  Seminars selected as Research-Focused Seminars (both Honors AND non-Honors), will be scheduled in University College in Undergraduate Research Studies (URES). As such, all URES instructors will be compensated by University College directly and per the University College compensation policy; compensation is via a teaching stipend ($2,500 minus tax/fringe).
   
• Decisions on Honors and/or Research-Focused Seminar designations are made separately and acceptance of one request for consideration does not guarantee the other.