It starts with an idea.
Imagine you are a UC Berkeley student navigating through the conventional preparations for the upcoming semester.
Among classes, clubs, and more, there is one more thing on your plate: a student-taught class, better known as a DeCal. Perhaps you’re starting a completely new one, or taking over as instructor for an already-existing class. Whatever the case, it’s your first time as the instructor, and a first glance at the requirements is overwhelming enough to make you want to close your computer: training, proposals, syllabi, letters of support, and many, many more. Where do you even start?
In this article, I will break down the lesser-known and nitty-gritty parts of the DeCal process, which consists of preparing to propose it to the academic senate, and preparing to teach it. It’s easy to see the end result of the course, but not so much all the closed-door work that went behind getting to that first day of lecture in the first place. As I take over the Prog Rock DeCal and go through the process myself for the first time, I hope this can serve as advice for those also currently in the proposal process, as well as students who may consider teaching a DeCal in the future!
Here’s the pitch:
The first thing you need is an idea, either a whole new one or your own spin on an already-existing DeCal. The fun part is having your interests and passions influence what the course ends up being about!
Once you have that, you need to find a department to sponsor your DeCal, as well as a professor in that department who will be your official advisor, and write a letter of support as part of your class proposal submission to the Academic Senate. Once again, this is easier if you’re taking over a DeCal, as you can just meet up with the outgoing student instructor and the professor who already sponsors the class. If you are creating a new DeCal, this will take some asking around, and having preexisting connections with these professors and departments will be very helpful in this case. It doesn’t have to be the department that consists of your major and minor (as in my case!), but they might have certain instructor requirements, such as classes taken in the department. These will naturally vary depending on the department, so make sure you do research and get an idea of what the expectations are! Additionally, you will likely need to meet with an academic advisor within the department, who can go over deadlines, requirements, and expectations regarding DeCal proposals.
Training time!
If you’re a first-time facilitator, UCFTR training is mandatory in order to submit a DeCal course proposal. There are multiple seminars to choose from, including Facilitation Habits That Enhance Student Learning and Three Pillars of a Student-Centered Syllabus. These are held both in-person and on Zoom and will start in late June ahead of the July 14 course proposal deadline for fall semester 2026 DeCals. For other questions about DeCal preparation, you can also explore consultations and drop-ins hosted by the UCFTR team. There is also a very handy FAQ page you can check out!
“Dear sir or madam, will you read my syllabus?”
After training, it’s time to do the majority of the work: the course proposal. The department deadlines will often be quite earlier than the mid-July academic senate deadline in order to give time for letters of support or anything the department chair needs to sign off. For instance, my deadline was May 1 to submit my DeCal proposal to the music department. This proposal consists of many components, the most important being the syllabus. This should outline weekly agendas, any readings and other material, exams, grading weighting systems, course policies, provisional class day and time, and any other necessary information. Along with the syllabus, there are sections for advisors/department chairs to fill out, including a calculation of total class time so that the unit amount can be properly calculated and other logistical details. Upon reading, I’m sure you’re thinking that it sounds like a lot, and it is. I’m just lucky that my friend, who started the DeCal I’m taking over, already had two semesters’ worth of very thorough syllabi and course proposals for me to refer to.
An example of what a DeCal syllabus looks like. This is part of the one I used for my Fall 2026 course proposal, using formats from the DeCal’s founding instructor!
“Excellent argument! Approved!”
As mentioned, you will need a faculty letter of support, usually from the person advising your DeCal! Already being in a class taught by this professor helps, as they can attest to the effectiveness of your learning, research, and leadership skills. In the time between the department deadline and academic senate deadline, you will get feedback from the department and letters of support. Additionally, there will be a few pages of checklists that the advisors and department chair will need to fill out in order to make sure the DeCal satisfies departmental requirements and expectations.
Once you get those updated forms back, you attach them to your preexisting proposal form, along with your syllabus and other components, and submit it via Google form to the academic senate by the stated deadline. Be prepared to get feedback even if the DeCal is accepted. They may have questions, especially if it’s a first-time DeCal, in order to know what to expect.
“Yes! Now what do I do?”
Once your DeCal accepted, congratulations! Luckily, things get a bit easier from here, with a longer timeframe, especially if you’re preparing for a fall semester DeCal.
Once you’ve submitted your proposal form to the sponsoring department, things will slow down a bit between then and the academic senate’s final decision. As you wait for feedback, whether it be from the department or academic senate, that lull of activity is an ideal time to start compiling class resources such as slides, assignments, and course readings. As any professor will tell you, creating these from scratch for a whole semester’s worth of material takes a lot of time, and it’s something you’ll want to have mostly finished so that you aren’t spending too much time during the semester on these things. Again, I have to express my gratitude for the fact that my predecessor and founding instructor for the DeCal was gracious enough to share her previous slides with me, so that I have existing lecture material to work with for most of the curriculum. Of course, this doesn’t mean to just copy and paste what’s already there. Everyone has different teaching styles, so make sure to edit according to your lecturing traits and your presentation techniques!
Me working on one of the weekly lecture slides for Prog Rock. I find the Google Slides feature of slide notes especially useful for keeping track of what I want to say beyond the text that’s on the screen.
And, we’re live!
Besides the class material, you’ll have to put the class up on the DeCal portal once it’s accepted, which is a process the senate and academic advisors will walk you through once the class is finalized. If you’re just becoming an instructor, lucky you, since the DeCal portal was recently overhauled and is now brand spanking new! Registration options will vary, usually by demand, but most DeCals will have a Google form, and all of them have their syllabus attached to their respective pages for viewers to download. Some DeCals will offer the enrollment code on their page and work on a first-come, first-served basis, while DeCals with more interest will have application forms. My advice is to use your best judgment based on expected interest and classroom capacity!
Speaking of which, you can also have an interest form or a section of your Google Form. In the Prog Rock Decal, for instance, the past instructor would use an interest form to ask interested students what their favorite prog bands are, and if there was a common name, she’d try to include it in the curriculum.
An example of a DeCal class page, complete with enrollment information, forms, due dates, a syllabus, and course times! In the background is a section of the catalog. Along with classes in the middle, you can see dropdown options for semesters and specific categories on the left.
Tell your friends!
Once you’ve gone through all required steps and the start of the semester approaches, the last thing you have to do is spread the word! As the first day nears, lots of students will be looking for a low-unit class to, among other reasons, reach the unit minimum. A lot of students will also look to DeCals as a fun option that’s still educational and serves to teach students in an environment that’s not as intensive as your average three to four-unit lecture.
You can tell your friends and classmates, put something on your social media, hang posters on campus, and table! All optional activities, of course, but they will help build interest and attention, especially if it’s a first-time DeCal!
Godspeed, you new instructor!
Given the time-consuming tasks like creating syllabi, researching course readings to use, and coming up with themes and ideas, having a DeCal as an extra added component in the busy schedule of a UC Berkeley student is no small task, and you should be proud, even if it’s something you’re only considering as of now!
The awesome thing about teaching DeCals is that it provides a fun environment where you’re a student teaching other students, and the leadership opportunity looks great on resumes! Whether you’re a student or instructor, you get to learn/teach about a subject that may not be conventionally focused on in fully-fledged courses taught by hired professors. As a result, UC Berkeley contains a fascinating plethora of DeCal courses, like classes on Taylor Swift, an intro to baking, cult classic cinema, and speed cubing, just to name a few!
The fall semester catalog of classes isn’t out, but in the meantime, you can peruse the spring semester catalog to see which classes you might be interested in. If you’re a prospective student, happy searching, and if you’re a prospective instructor, best of luck in the application process. You got this! No matter what your role is, getting involved in the overall DeCal system and trying it out for at least one semester is an integral academic experience that I’d highly recommend to each and every student here at UC Berkeley!
Nolan Zils, Class of 2027, is majoring in media studies and minoring in journalism and creative writing. Cover photo by Nolan Zils.
Want more?
- Read firsthand DeCal experiences from student instructors!
- Still figuring out your fall schedule? Here are some tips on how to choose classes!
- Have more questions about DeCals? Peruse Lucas’ DeCal Deep Dive article!