September

Strong Workforce Funding: A $200M Infusion for CTE and the Academic Senate’s Role

In June 2016, Governor Brown signed SB 830, the budget trailer bill, establishing the Strong Workforce Program for the California Community Colleges that grants $200 million in ongoing funding to support and expand career technical education. This allocation will provide a welcome and much needed infusion of support for CTE and workforce programs at institutions around the state.  The funding will be divided between direct distribution to colleges and regional support, and academic senates should play an important role in ensuring that the funding is used effectively and appropriately.

Disenfranchised Students – Where are We Now?

Disenfranchised students make up a significant and increasing portion of the student populations on college campuses.  These individuals are disadvantaged by a wide range of difficulties:  some have learning disabilities but have not been tested because they are still waiting for an appointment, perhaps because they do not want to be labeled, they have no idea that they have a learning disability, or they do not know that services exist to help them.

Who Gets to Teach That Course? The Importance of Assigning Courses to Disciplines

Assigning courses to disciplines is designated as an academic and professional matter under the purview of academic senates in Title 5 §53200(c):  “(1) Curriculum, including establishing prerequisites and placing courses within disciplines.”   While the vast majority of courses at California community colleges were assigned to disciplines following the passage of AB 1725, changes to college curriculum and to the Disciplines List often necessitate the need for local senates to review the decisions they have made locally in this area.  However, misconceptions often arise regarding what it mea

An Update on the Baccalaureate Pilot Program and ACCJC

The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has been working for the last two years to support the pilot colleges implementing the CCC baccalaureate degrees authorized on September 28, 2014 when Governor Brown signed SB850 (Block, 2014) into law.  Progress was documented two Rostrum articles from 2015, “Defining the CCC Bachelor’s Degree[1]” and “Results of the Baccalaureate Degree Taskforce Survey to the Field[2]”. 

Effective Practices for Student Engagement in the Online Environment

Faculty have primacy in designing and implementing content for their courses regardless of modality of instruction, whether traditional face-to-face classroom setting or online through a Learning Management System (LMS). In recent years, distance education in California Community Colleges has received more resources and attention than ever before.  With the inception of the California Community Colleges Online Education Initiative (OEI), standards for online course design and professional development tools have been created, including a course design rubric.

Asserting the Academic Senate’s Voice: The Importance of Relationships and Education

In the May issue of the Rostrum, President David Morse and I wrote an article providing a progress report on the work of the Academic Senate, specifically focusing on a number of the goals outlined in the 2015-2018 ASCCC Strategic Plan. In reflecting on the past two years, we discussed the benefits of the organization’s commitment to establishing collegial and collaborative relationships with system and external partners as well as the value of these relationships as the Academic Senate advances the interests of the faculty in statewide initiatives, projects, and discourse.

Faculty Recognition: Acknowledging Your Own Faculty Is Part of Professional Development

Everyone likes to be acknowledged for his or her work, and recognizing what we do well is an important part of motivating all faculty. However, in today’s climate of competing priorities, faculty leaders can easily neglect to recognize our colleagues who are doing amazing work.  The ASCCC is committed to helping local senates uphold this pillar of professional development and recognize their faculty statewide. 

Each year the ASCCC offers three awards: 

Accessibility in Online Education

Beginning in 1999, when the Chancellor’s Office first created The California Virtual Campus to support development and delivery of online learning in California community colleges, community colleges have increasingly dedicated time and resources to online education.  Now, in the 25th year of the Americans with Disabilities Act, community colleges have an obligation to grapple with challenges regarding ways to deliver an accessible classroom environment to all students, including students with disabilities.  

Defining the CCC Baccalaureate Degree

On September 28, 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 850 (Block, 2015) authorizing the Board of Governors of the California’s Community Colleges (BOG), in consultation with representatives of the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC), to establish a statewide baccalaureate degree pilot program at no more than 15 California Community Colleges.

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