Ian
Walton, Chair, Mission College
Pat James-Hanz, Mt. San Jacinto College
Wheeler North, San Diego Miramar College
Michelle Pilati, Rio Hondo College
Table of Contents
Abstract
Introduction
Summary of material in other Academic Senate
technology papers
Technology and a Philosophy of Education
Regulatory Framework
Title 5 Regulations
Chancellor s Office Guidelines
Scheduling and Apportionment
Accreditation and USDE Guidelines
College Structure
The Curriculum Committee
Interactions with the Tasks of Other Committees
Student Services
Effective Practices for Support of Faculty and
Students in Courses
using Technology
Outsourcing
Evaluation
Professional Matters
Workload Issues
Professional Development and Effective Practices
Recommendations
Bibliography
Appendices
A. Title 5 Language on Distance Education
B. Title 5 Language on Apportionment (2004)
C. New Title 5 Language on Apportionment (Summer
2008)
Abstract
This position paper of the Academic Senate for
California Community Colleges (ASCCC) examines
issues of educational technology that involve
policy and implementation matters important to
local academic senates. In particular it includes
current information regarding separate curriculum
review and instructor-student contact. In general,
this paper summarizes and updates three earlier
ASCCC papers on technology in education. It suggests
a variety of effective practices in educational
technology and considers appropriate college
governance structures that will facilitate planning.
A suitable structure will result in decisions
that are based on the educational needs of the
student rather than the technological convenience
of the college. Many of the effective practices
require related professional development activities.
Recommendations to local academic senates are
included.
Introduction
The academic senates of the California community
colleges both statewide and local - have
played a vital role in the introduction and successful
implementation of educational technology in the
past fifteen years. By engaging both state level
policies and local implementation processes,
faculty have worked to ensure that students receive
the maximum educational benefit of educational
technology in a wide variety of ways.
The purpose of this position paper is to update
portions of the Academic Senate for California
Community Colleges three early papers
on the successful integration of technology,
curriculum, and teaching, namely Curriculum Committee
Review of Distance Learning Courses and Sections
(1995), Guidelines for Good Practice: Technology
Mediated Instruction (1997) and Guidelines for
Good Practice: Effective Instructor-Student Contact
in Distance Learning (1999).
Much has changed in the way California community
colleges have used educational technology during
the last fifteen years. In the early 1990s, only
transferable credit courses could be offered
by distance education, and personal contact between
instructor and students was required; most distance
education was delivered by television or video
(often referred to as telecourses );
and all distance education courses were classified
in Title 5 Regulations as independent study.
Today, noncredit and nontransferable distance
education courses are permitted, regulations
require regular, effective instructor-student
contact, and the Internet is widely used
to deliver content and to facilitate contact
in both completely online classes and hybrid
classes. Distance education in Title 5 has been
reclassified by removing it from an independent
study subchapter and placing it with regular
programs and courses. Parallel changes in regulations
concerning the apportionment funding mechanisms
for distance education are as yet unresolved,
with possible further changes in Title 5 anticipated
in Summer 2008.
Rather than update the original Academic Senate
documents which contain much overlapping, chronological
material, this paper will frame the subject matter
from the point of view of a local academic senate
overseeing the design and approval of curriculum
and programs that employ technology. It will
include information on recently amended Title
5 Regulations, ongoing improvements in instructional
practices, and the mandated provision of appropriate
support services for faculty and students. What
policies and structures does a college need in
order to provide the best possible experience
for the student using technology inside or outside
the classroom? And how can the local academic
senate help to ensure this successful experience?
There remain four other Academic Senate papers
in the technology area which are not part of
this update. They should still be consulted as
appropriate.
Academic Freedom, Privacy, Copyright and Fair
Use in a Technological World (1999) and Technology
in Education: A Summary of Practical Policy and
Workload Language (2000) examine the theory,
and then the practical policy or contract language
that should ensure academic freedom in a digital
environment. Guidelines on Minimum Standards
for College Technology (2000) looks at broad
functional standards, and The Impact of Technology
on Student Access and Success in the California
Community Colleges (2003) explores data and solutions
relating to the digital divide.
