CourseLeaf Course Approval Form: DES is Live!

We are pleased to announce that the CourseLeaf course approval form for the Division of Extended Studies (DES) went live on September 29th, 2025. The new form replaces the systems previously used by Division of Extended Studies (DES) for course approvals. It streamlines the creation and review of course approval requests for new courses and changes to existing courses.

Quick Overview

You may recall reading about the CourseLeaf course approval form going live on August 27, 2025 for main campus in the August article CourseLeaf Course Approval Form: It’s Live! In case you missed it, the new form replaces the legacy eCourse system that General Campus has used for course approvals and replaces the paper approvals used by Health Sciences. It streamlines the creation and review of course approval requests for new courses and changes to existing courses.

Provisioned users can access CourseLeaf at curriculum.ucsd.edu and log in using their single sign on (SSO) credentials to begin submitting course requests. Please refer to the CourseLeaf DES Two-Pager  for more information about access or if you have any trouble logging into the system.

Preparing for the Change

The DES release date was delayed to allow the project team time to address issues identified during final testing and readiness checks. None of these issues were dealbreakers, but needed to be resolved before launch. In preparation for go-live, the project team:

• Presented at various DES meetings including the Academic Services Meetings (General Updates), DES CourseLeaf Advisory Group Meetings and held Cutover Meetings.
• Created a CourseLeaf DES Two-Pager.
• Provisioned access to approvers from DES.
• Created training for the new form that is now available on the Blink training page. 

Transition Considerations

We recognize the pause in course approval requests for Spring 2026 and beyond placed added pressure on academic teams, and we are pleased that DES can begin submitting course change proposal forms in CourseLeaf for all courses that were ready by the July 11th deadline, as well as all new course requests. Academic Services will begin administratively adding "Nice List" courses into the system, and "Naughty List" will be added as they are fully approved. In the meantime, if you require changes on a "Nice List" course before it has been entered into the system, please reach out to Academic Services to expedite that process.

Our project team is committed to helping our DES colleagues navigate the transition to CourseLeaf. This is something new and there will be a learning curve. We also anticipate some bumps during rollout, as is the case with most new systems. We are committed to refining the tool over time, and your feedback is essential. If you encounter issues, please let us know – that’s the most helpful way to support improvement.

Should you have any inquiries or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to email courseleaf@ucsd.edu. There are multiple ways to share feedback and get assistance, which are summarized in the CourseLeaf DES Two-Pager. Please bookmark this document for easy access.

Next Steps

Following the system go live for main campus and DES, the implementation team will closely monitor system performance, address any identified issues, and collect feedback for continuous improvement. 

Following this release, the CourseLeaf team will continue Phase 1 with the implementation of the program approvals. Phase 2 will focus on catalog management (after the new Triton Student System (TSS) goes live) and Phase 3 will introduce program review and assessment.

Stay Informed and Connected

We recommend you check out the top three resources: 

• Training Blink page: Start here to learn more about how to use CourseLeaf and the course approval form. Tip: This training is designed to be used alongside CourseLeaf as your guide while completing each section.
• CourseLeaf DES Two-Pager: One stop shop for relevant information, resources, frequently asked questions, training info and where to go for assistance. Tip: Bookmark and reference when you need to know where to go for assistance.
• Review and bookmark the CourseLeaf Project website for the latest information and updates. 

Remember to email your questions and concerns to courseleaf@ucsd.edu and a team member will respond via SNOW ticket. 

One University, One Student IT Ecosystem

CourseLeaf will serve all areas of the university, bringing the School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Division of Extended Studies onto the same system with the rest of campus. The course approval form is the first phase release to accomplish our strategic vision of One University, One Student IT Ecosystem. You can read more in the CourseLeaf course approval form campus announcement sent in October 2025. We look forward to continuing that unifying work through the next releases of the CourseLeaf Project.