Non Credit Ad Hoc Committee

Committee Charge
The Academic Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Noncredit will serve as a resource to the President and Executive Committee on issues related to instruction, counseling, student services, and program development in noncredit and the role of faculty in noncredit instruction as related to governance and local participation in academic and professional activities.

Membership
Richard Mahon, Chair, Humanities, Riverside City College
Joe Denhart, Noncredit and Life Skills, Glendale College
Gregory Keech, ESL (credit/noncredit), City College of San Francisco
Esther Matthew, CE, San Diego
Sara McKinnon, ESL and Basic Skills, College of Marin
Andrea Sibley-Smith, DSPS, North Orange County CCD, Noncredit

The Senate’s primary document on noncredit is “The Role of Noncredit in the California Community Colleges” The Academic Senate adopted this paper at its fall 2006 plenary session. Its previous adopted document (now quite out of date) on the issue was Leon P. Baradat’s “Report on the Credit/Noncredit Policy,” adopted by the Senate at its fall 1980 Plenary Session (Leon Baradat served as president of the Senate in 1978-79).

Those interested in Academic Senate resolutions regarding noncredit instruction can search all resolutions via the “Resolutions” tab on the Academic Senate home page.

The “Noncredit Alignment Project” was a 2005-06 grant-funded initiative undertaken by the Chancellor’s Office as a part of the development of the system strategic plan. The project’s goal was to articulate the ways in which closer alignment of noncredit and credit programs, especially in noncredit career-technical and basic skills programs, can provide educational opportunity to students for whom no other educational opportunities are available. Multiple documents were assembled together under the title “A Learner-Centered Curriculum for All Students: The Report of the Noncredit Alignment Project, October 2006.”

This document has three sections: the first is a review of the data about noncredit instruction as well as recommendations to provide a framework to strengthen noncredit instruction, to build system awareness and capacity, and to promote the alignment and integration of noncredit with credit where appropriate. The second is “Noncredit at a Glance (pdf),” which provides expanded curriculum and course approval guidelines for the field about each of the nine noncredit instructional and funding areas; the third is an “Annotated Review of the Literature (pdf)” on noncredit instruction. The Board of Governors has received two reports on the progress of this initiative (“Noncredit Instruction—A Portal to the Future (Word)” in January 2005 and “The Report of the Noncredit Alignment Project: A Learner-Centered Curriculum for All Students (pdf)” in November 2006).

Goal 1: The Academic Senate will increase and make more visible our service to local senates Outcomes: Increased visibility of the Academic Senate and local academic senate to all faculty on the 109 California Community Colleges Objectives:
1.1	Examine and improve services to member senates	Res. No.	Status and Priority
1.2	Increase personal contacts with each campus
1.3	Reach out to new faculty and new faculty leaders
1.4	Affirm the importance of strong local senates
Goal 2: Strengthen our Leadership in Academic and Professional Matters on behalf of the Faculty of California's Community Colleges Outcomes: Increased external recognition Objectives:
2.1	Serve faculty who serve students	Res. No.	Status and Priority
	Seek to better integrate the concerns and viewpoints of noncredit faculty and programs into ASCCC discussions and work through involvement of noncredit faculty in its committees and appointments.	The Role of Noncredit in the California Community Colleges adopted recommendations	Ongoing. High The ASCCC has just begun this effort. There were noncredit faculty members of the Curriculum Committee, Development of a noncredit faculty listserve and website are being explored. Further efforts need to be made in this area.
	Work with System Office on a plan to increase the number of full-time noncredit faculty in the system and the employment of full-time noncredit faculty in all noncredit programs.	The Role of Noncredit in the California Community Colleges adopted recommendations	In Progress. High The committee will discuss what information is needed to support System efforts in this area. A resolution recommending the use of some noncredit enhanced funding to hire additional full time faculty is anticipated for fall plenary.
	Promote articulation between credit and noncredit that creates pathways to credit instruction.	The Role of Noncredit in the California Community Colleges adopted recommendations	Ongoing. High Such information was included in the ASCCC paper and the report of the Noncredit Alignment Task Force. The committee should work with the Basic Skills Initiative in this area as well. The committee will also organize breakouts at ASCCC sessions that support best practices in credit/noncredit collaboration.
	Address noncredit quality standards issues such as FT:PT ratio, class size, repeatability, Adult HS programs.	Exec 02-07	In Progress. High The committee began this discussion, but it needs to continue to support efforts to increase funding for noncredit. The committee will submit a resolution calling for an additional paper to expand on the findings of “The Role of Noncredit in California Community Colleges.”
	Work with noncredit faculty and program coordinators and others involved in noncredit instruction to determine possibilities for a new name for noncredit instruction.	S07 13.03	In Progress. Medium Committee will use a listserve dialog to explore this item.
	Urge local governing boards, administrators and local senates to offer early outreach to high school seniors by providing information about college financial aid options and other student support services. Study the possible impact that the mandate for California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) has on general enrollment, student access, demand for basic skills and the impact on student equity in California community colleges.	S06 13.04	Ongoing. Low New resolution passed Spring 2006. Committee members met with CalPass representatives and worked with other exec members to determine how best to discover the impact of the CAHSEE on basic skills, access, and equity. Current data reporting methods make this task impossible to accomplish. If the requirement for the CAHSEE for CC Adult High School Diplomas in the CCs reappears, this issue needs to be revisited.
	Work with the System Office to revisit the issue of scheduling patterns available for noncredit courses and pursue Title 5 changes to make scheduling patterns for attendance counting options the same for credit and noncredit courses.	F06 5.02	In Progress. Medium Committee to work with SACC and Title 5 committee to clarify and address issue.
2.2	Generate resources for local faculty
	Advocate for increases in noncredit funding to expand support for instruction in all approved noncredit areas.	The Role of Noncredit in the California Community Colleges adopted recommendations	Ongoing. High The committee should continue to monitor System efforts to increase funding for noncredit and address issues that are related to such efforts.
	Provide feedback on integration of noncredit in revisions to the Program and Course Approval Handbook.	Exec 02-07	Ongoing. High The noncredit sections of the PCAH are being strengthened. The committee should be ready to provide feedback on the proposed changes.
Goal 3: The Academic Senate will provide leadership and professional development opportunities to faculty and other constituent groups Outcomes: Increased number of informed faculty Objectives:
3.1	Enhance professional development opportunities	Res. No.	Status and Priority
3.2	Increase professional development funding
Goal 4: The Academic Senate will maintain effective and efficient processes and procedures necessary for carrying out its policies and responsibilities Outcomes: Increased internal efficiency Objectives:
4.1	Provide fair, accurate, and reliable financial information to interested individuals and organizations	Res. No.	Status and Priority
4.2	Provide efficient use of all available economic resources
4.3	Provide fair oversight of awards that recognize faculty
4.4	Maintain historical information on Senate activities