Wheeler
North, Aviation, San
Diego Miramar College,
Chair
Berta Cuaron,
Vice President
of Instruction, Palomar
College, CCCCIO Representative
Karen Daar,
Anthropology,
East Los Angeles College
Greg Granderson,
Counseling,
Santa Rosa Junior College
Michelle Grimes-Hillman,
Psychology,
Mount San Antonio College
Michael Heumann,
English, Distance
Education Coordinator,
Imperial Valley College
Karen Kunimura,
Physical Education,
Sacramento
City College
Pat Mosteller,
Older Adult
Learning, San Diego
Continuing Education
Student Representatives,
Student Senate
for California Community
Colleges
Table of Contents
Abstract
Introduction
How to Use
This Paper
Planning the
Course Outline
of Record
Initial Considerations
Writing an
Integrated
Course Outline
Resources For
the Developer
Components
of A Course
Outline of Record
Elements That
Apply to All
Credit and
Noncredit Courses
Need/Justification/Goals
Chancellor’s Office
Data Elements
Title 5—Standards
For Approval
Discipline
Assignment
Elements That
Apply to Credit
Courses
Units
Contact Hours
Prerequisite
Skills and
Limitations
on Enrollment
Catalog Description
Objectives
Content
Methods of
Instruction
Methods of
Evaluation
Assignments
Required Texts
and Other Instructional
Materials
Elements That
Apply to Noncredit
Courses
Contact Hours
Catalog Description
Objectives
Content
Methods of
Instruction
Methods of
Evaluation
Assignments
and/Or Other
Activities
Relevent Course
Outline Elements
Modality of
Instruction
Course Calendar
and Class Size
Other Local
Elements
General Curriculum
Considerations
Local Processes
and Autonomy
Course and
Program Approval
Program Review
and Revising
the Course
Outline
Changes Which
Trigger Course
Outline Review
California’s Education
Segments, Roles
and Students
CSU/GE Breadth
and IGETC
Contract Education
and Community
Service Offerings
Curriculum is at the
core of any educational
endeavor, and the course
outline of record plays
a central role both
internal and external
to the California Community
College System. This
update to the original
Academic Senate paper
Components of a Model
Course Outline of Record
also incorporates material
from the previously
published Academic Senate
papers Stylistic Considerations
in Writing Course Outlines
of Record and Good Practices
for Course Approvals.
In spite of
the fact that internal
and external standards
for courses regularly
evolve, this paper offers
the curriculum developer
a clear framework for
the writing of a course
outline of record. The
paper begins with a
broad overview of the
development process
and then moves to an
element by element explanation
of the course outline
of record itself. For
each element, stylistic
and practical considerations
are provided along with
the appropriate citations
where such inclusion
helps to clarify the
regulatory intent to
ensure quality. The
paper also includes
discussion of related
topics such as discipline
assignment and the potential
effects of compressed
calendars.
The paper concludes
with curricular considerations
beyond the course outline
of record, a detailed
glossary of terms, and
a list of useful references.
Introduction
The course outline
has evolved
considerably from its
origins as a list of
topics covered in a
course. Today, the course
outline of record is
a document with defined
legal standing and plays
a central role in the
curriculum of the California
community colleges.
The course outline has
both internal and external
influences.
Standards
for the course
outline of record appear
in Title 5 Regulation
(see Appendix 2), in
the Chancellor’s
Office Program
and Course Approval
Handbook, and in the
Accrediting Commission
for Community
and Junior Colleges
(ACCJC) accreditation
standards.
System-wide intersegmental
general education agreements
with the California
State University
and the University of
California (CSU-GE and
IGETC) may also place
requirements upon the
course outline such
as specific content
or currency of learning
materials.
Course outlines
of record are
also used as
the basis for
articulation agreements,
providing a document
with which to determine
how community college
courses will be counted
upon transfer to baccalaureate
granting institutions.
Course outlines are
reviewed as part of
a college’s
Program Review process,
a process of central
importance to accrediting
agencies. For colleges
to maintain their delegated
authority to review
and approve new and
revised courses, they
must certify that their
local approval standards
meet the comprehensive
guidelines produced
by the Chancellor’s
Office. The quality
described in a course
outline of record is
evidence of meeting
these guidelines.
The course
outline of
record plays
a particularly important
role in the California
community colleges because
it clearly lays out
the expected content
and learning objectives
for a course
for use by any faculty
member who
teaches the course.
Course outlines provide
a type of quality control
since it is not uncommon
for community college
courses to be taught
by several, and sometimes
dozens, of faculty members.
In order to ensure that
core components
are covered
in all sections of a
course, the California
Community College System
relies on the course
outline of record to
specify those elements
that will be covered
by all faculty who teach
the course.
While the standards
for a course
outline of
record have been revised
many times and are subject
to ongoing revision,
numerous resolutions
have directed the Academic
Senate for California
Community Colleges to
provide guidance in
the development of course
outlines. This paper
is part of the effort
to provide that guidance
so that faculty might
have reasonable assurance
that the requirements
for a course
outline, both
internal and external
to their college, are
met. This paper is an
update of the original
1995 document, and to
better meet the typical
user’s needs,
this revision has incorporated
the relevant portions
of two additional Academic
Senate papers, Stylistic
Considerations in Writing
Course Outlines of Record
(1998), and Good Practices
for Course Approvals
(1998).
It is important
to note that
this paper does NOT
discuss the inclusion
of student learning
outcomes in the course
outline of record. While
currently there is no
consensus about this
matter across the state,
the issues surrounding
this discussion are
extremely complex and
merit significant comprehensive
research that is beyond
the scope of this paper.
In a survey conducted
by the Academic Senate
in 2007, 50%
of the colleges responding
have chosen
to include learning
outcomes in the course
outline of record and
the other half of the
colleges have chosen
to not do so. Therefore,
this paper will not
use the term “outcome” or “SLO”;
some colleges may find
that this paper’s
definition
of course objectives
is similar
to their definition
of outcomes. The Academic
Senate is collecting
research on the pros
and cons of including
student learning outcomes
in the course outline
and will report back
on its findings.
We also recommend
that this paper
be used in
the context
of two additional documents,
The Curriculum Committee:
Role, Structure,
Duties, and Standards
of Good Practice (ASCCC,
1996) and the current
edition of the Chancellor’s
Office Program and Course
Approval Handbook. The
purpose of these documents
is to support the development
of a course outline
of record in light of
the role of local curriculum
committees and governing
boards in approving
them, and the role of
the Chancellor’s
Office in approving
certificates
and programs
to ensure compliance.
While this
paper offers
a model for
the course
outline of
record, the purpose
of this paper is not
to force standardization
of curriculum
but rather
to assist faculty
in presenting
their courses in a format
which will
accurately reflect the
quality of instruction
they are providing.
While the course outline
of record is a blueprint
of what instructional
elements must
be included,
teaching should
always be a
dynamic and adaptive
process, constantly
adjusting to accommodate
the ever-changing diverse
learning needs of students
in the California community
colleges. The model
presented is intended
to clearly demonstrate
that the course will
stand up to the scrutiny
of the Chancellor’s
Office, transfer
institutions, industry
and other external entities.
