How Parker University Cut Catalog Publishing by 75% and Made Syllabi Accreditation-Ready

The Challenge

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Building the Catalog by Hand Took Two Months Every Cycle

Before Coursedog, Parker University staff created and managed the catalog manually. The team coordinated a 300-page document, sent each section to the appropriate department, and compiled every change by hand. That work stretched across a two-month cycle of reviewing, revising, and approving content before they could publish a single page. With changes scattered across documents and compiled manually, approved edits didn't always make it into the final version, leaving no single, reliable source of truth.

“When we were comparing Coursedog with other vendors, the different products that integrated with the catalog really resonated with us. We were thinking, how can we create something that is comprehensive and consistent across the board in each of the areas that we need, like curriculum, scheduling, catalog and syllabi?” - Andi Repp, Senior Director and Registrar

Students Struggled to Find Answers in a 300-Page PDF

With Parker’s old catalog, students had to scroll through a 300-page PDF or rely on control/command+F to search for keywords. As a result, students often couldn’t find the information they needed or simply gave up. Staff frequently received emails and phone calls with questions about information that was already in the catalog, but difficult for students to locate.

“Students didn’t look at the catalog, they didn’t take the time to do it. With Coursedog, our catalog is so much more intuitive and user friendly. Our students can easily go and look for their answers.” - Andi Repp, Senior Director and Registrar

Scattered Syllabi Made Accreditation Prep Stressful and Manual

Before Coursedog, each syllabus lived as a PDF on an individual's computer, which made them hard to track down and even harder to keep consistent. Faculty and staff could not easily find what was in each syllabus or confirm that policies and data were entered the same way from course to course. That made accreditation preparation especially stressful. Staff had to dig through the LMS to confirm a syllabus existed for a given course, then double-check each one for the right information.

“Our syllabi were all PDFs sitting on individual computers, so tracking them down and making sure they were compliant was a challenge. We had no way to ensure the syllabi were consistent with our institutional policies and that the data was entered correctly. The time spent prepping for an accreditation review was always stressful and labor-intensive, most times diverting our time away from other efforts on campus.” - Linda Jena, Pedagogy Resource Specialist

The Solution

Catalog Publishing Dropped From Two Months to Two Weeks and Improve Data Governance

Parker now creates the catalog in two weeks instead of two months, a 75% time savings, by notifying content owners when a section is due for revision and approving each one through a workflow. That gives Parker back six weeks each cycle, allowing staff to spend less time compiling changes and more time supporting students and faculty. With an integrated catalog, curriculum, scheduling, and syllabus platform, Parker stopped maintaining the same course data in multiple places. Because the curriculum system pulls directly from the SIS, course descriptions and active-course lists in the catalog now reflect what's actually approved. Routing every change through a single approval workflow means the published catalog stays in sync with the SIS, and staff no longer spend the cycle hunting down which system has the right version.

“When the curriculum council disbursed word documents with approved course descriptions or changes, they didn't always get updated in every place. Now the Coursedog curriculum pulls directly out of our SIS, and it's the one place I need to update. Changes go through a workflow, so approved changes are correct in the SIS and the catalog.” - Andi Repp, Senior Director and Registrar

Reusable Templates Cut Syllabus Creation Time in Half

With Coursedog, creating a new syllabus takes half the time it once did, and faculty no longer need repeated reminders to submit content. Policies and other key information come pre-populated, and faculty can duplicate a previous syllabus, update the dates and instructor name, and finish in minutes. Students get complete, consistent syllabi on day one, and the institution maintains the standardized policy language accreditors expect every term.

“Creating a new syllabus takes 50% less time with Coursedog. We're not chasing professors for content anymore, faculty can copy last semester's syllabus and just update the dates. It's literally a breeze to fill out now. It’s easier to keep track of syllabi over time. All of the syllabi are now in one place, and we can control how long they’re retained and when to delete them.” - Linda Jena, Pedagogy Resource Specialist

Centralized Syllabi Stay Consistent and Accreditation-Ready

Now, every syllabus lives in Coursedog, so staff can find what they need with a click and compare documents side by side. Syllabus templates require the right information up front and send a syllabus back when something is missing. That means documents are already in compliance before they are submitted, giving staff more confidence when preparing for accreditation reviews.

“Syllabus management has made a huge difference in accountability. I know the documents are already in compliance. The templates force the right information in and send one back if something's missing, so we don't have to double-check before accreditation submissions. They also keep every syllabus uniform, which is exactly what reviewers look for. We don't even check the LMS anymore to see if a course has a syllabus. Everything's in Coursedog, and we can find what we need with just a click.” - Linda Jena, Pedagogy Resource Specialist

Looking Ahead

With catalog, curriculum, and syllabus now running on one connected platform, Parker has turned a set of manual, disconnected processes into something consistently governed, and easier to manage. As the university looks ahead, that single source of truth gives staff and faculty more time back while helping Parker maintain the consistency, accuracy, and accountability needed to support students and prepare for future accreditation cycles.

"Over the next one to two years, our priority is to continue refining our syllabus management processes and procedures while expanding our use of Coursedog Curriculum. We plan to implement additional features, such as course mapping and degree mapping, to strengthen curriculum management, improve operational efficiency, and create a better user experience. Looking ahead, the greatest opportunity for academic operations at Parker is in fully leveraging the platform to support our curriculum governance process. By enhancing how we manage academic policy revisions and curriculum proposals, we can create a more streamlined, transparent, and collaborative process across the institution." - Andi Repp, Senior Director and Registrar

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