2013 Spring Plenary Session

Event Dates

The Spring Plenary session will take place on April 18 - 20, 2013 at the Westin San Francisco airport. Early registration is open now through April 5, 2013.

Greetings! 

I’m particularly excited by our theme this time–“Rising to the Challenge: Responding to Disruptive Forces.” We wanted a positive tone to our theme but we also wanted to reflect the fact that, as so often is the case, we are dealing with multiple pressures and often pressures that effectively conflict. We’ve been feeling some of the identified “pressures” for quite some time and others are relatively new. The five “disruptive forces”, as identified by Jeff Selingo, Editor at Large at the Chronicle of Higher Education are:

  1. Completion
  2. Demographics – diversity, lack of preparation, swirling
  3. “Sea of red ink” – costs of education for families, lack of state funding
  4. Improved alternatives
  5. Value – what does a degree really mean? What is getting a degree going to mean for me?

We have already been focusing on completion and meeting the needs of our varied populations as we have worked towards implementing the Student Success Task Force recommendations. The issue of “improved alternatives” is one that has received far more attention than it probably deserves as the excitement around massive open online courses (“MOOC”s) has resulted in an over-emphasis on identifying alternative mechanisms for unit accumulation. And this creates concerns about the meaning of a degree as interest in “access” and efficiency have resulted in a focus on the awarding of units as opposed to the process of education. While credit by exam is an existing mechanism for awarding students course credit for having demonstrated achievement of a course’s objectives, is this an approach to “completion” that we can endorse and that students are seeking? If a student earns a college degree by only taking the minimum of 12 units of residency that are required in regulation, can we be confident that the student has achieved the outcomes we expect from our degree completers? We’re looking forward to discussing these issues and much more with you.

See you in San Francisco! 

Michelle Pilati, Ph.D. 
President 

Presentation Materials

Title Breakout Time
Are you ready for Adult Education? The Governor’s Budget and LAO Recommendations
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Regulations and Faculty Rights Regarding Student Dishonesty
Forging an Unbreakable Bond: Strengthening the Relationship between the Curriculum Committee and the Academic Senate
I'm New: Now, What the Heck Do I Do? Pointers for Plenary and Inclusiveness of Faculty at the State Level
Changes in K-12 Curriculum and Potential Impact on CCC Curriculum
Accreditation Hot Topics
Discipline List Process
How Conjoint Programs Can Meet the Challenge of Offering Courses and Programs
Senate-Union Relations-Responding Effectively to Challenges and Disruptive Forces
Education Plans for Enrollment—How do We Meet the New Enrollment Priorities Requirements
The "Awards" - Academic Senate Recognition of Programs and Faculty
Practical Leadership
What Exactly is Happening with the Implementation of the Student Success and Support Program
iLegislation: There’s A Bill For That
Faculty Qualifications, Equivalencies, and Assigning Courses to Disciplines
Curriculum: Caution Contents are Hot (and Under Pressure!)
Keynote_The Online Revolution-Learning Without Limits
Keynote: Bigger is Better? Using MOOC Technology in a Software Enginering Course
Responding to Disruptive Forces-MOOCs and Their Consequences
Here’s My Number, So Call Me Maybe: When to Contact the Chancellor’s Office and When Not To
The Scorecard, Disproportionate Impact, and Student Equity
Wait! We’re Applying for What-Local Grants Processes and Faculty Roles
Linking Assessment into Your Program Review and Planning and Budget Processes
Truths, Myths, and Assumptions-AB1725, Title 5, and Faculty Roles in Governance Past and Present
Model Curriculum (C-ID Phase Two)—Certificates (low and high unit) AS Degrees and Career Readiness

Resolutions