Committee recommends that this be declared completed. Owing to the many recent activities to raise awareness of noncredit, and Title 5 changes such as "pass/no pass", opinion in the field - as expressed at recent regional workshops - seems to have moved to retention of the current name.
Whereas, The use of the name "noncredit" for community college adult education was originally chosen to distinguish it from credit instruction as an alternative educational delivery system in the community colleges, as well as distinguish it from adult education in the K-12 educational system;
Whereas, The term "noncredit" only describes one aspect of noncredit instruction, namely that no credit is given for such courses, and does not represent the wide spectrum of noncredit programs and services that support student success;
Whereas, The term "noncredit" is considered pejorative by many, as it identifies a whole educational system by something that it is NOT, and not by what it IS; and
Whereas, Participants in the Noncredit Alignment Project agreed that a name change for noncredit instruction is needed;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for 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; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges present promising choices for a new name for noncredit instruction to the body at a future plenary session for further discussion and action.
MSC Disposition: Local Senates