Whereas, The course outline of record is at the center of local curricular process, its required elements have been outlined in California Code of Regulations Title 5 § 55002, and the application of those requirements is detailed in the Program and Course Approval Handbook; and
Whereas, There is a lack of system guidance on the definition and appropriate practice of cross-listing sufficient to guide colleges on course development and submission;
Resolution 16.01 in Fall 2019 called for publishing resources for learning assistance with a focus on the role of tutoring and learning center faculty.
Whereas, The field of learning assistance has evolved since the last Academic Senate resolutions in 2008 (10.01 F08) and 2011 (10.12 S11) that addressed minimum qualifications and a 2011 article about separating learning assistance and tutoring;
Whereas, In Fall 2019, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges adopted Resolution 16.01 Develop Standards of Practice Resource for Learning Assistance and Tutoring in the California Community Colleges, including the Role of Learning Skills Coordinators or Instructors, and Tutoring Coordinators [1], which recognized the evolution of the field of learning assistance since prior learning assistance center and tutoring resolutions; and
Whereas, California Code of Regulations Title 5 §55009 established that the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office “shall prepare and maintain a handbook detailing requirements for district baccalaureate degree pilot programs established pursuant to California Education Code Section 78041,” and that the handbook “shall include, but not be limited to, requirements related to admissions, curriculum, student services, and financial aid,” much of which are academic and professional matters; and
Whereas, The Course Outline of Record (COR) is at the center of local curricular process [1]; its required elements have been outlined in California Code of Regulations Title 5 including Section 55002 and the application of those requirements is detailed in the Program for Course and Approval Handbook (PCAH);
Whereas the elements of the COR need to be integrated so each reinforces the purpose of the other elements and obvious relationships should be built between course objectives, methods of instruction, assignments, and methods of evaluation;
Whereas, The 7th Edition of the Program and Course Approval Handbook eliminated the category of non-substantive revisions to programs, thus treating any revision, no matter how minor, as a substantive revision;
Whereas, Minor changes to a single course—e.g., title change or unit count—or program may trigger changes to dozens of programs, each program’s re-application consisting of three to five documents, including the following:
Whereas, The process of aligning individual courses with the California Virtual Campus Course Design Rubric through the @One Course Design Academy1 or a certified local peer online course review2 requires time and resources and is duplicative in instances in which faculty use the same Canvas shell and have already undergone the extensive professional development required to align at least one of their courses with the rubric and attain a quality-reviewed badge on CVC.edu;
Whereas, The completion of an ethnic studies course—i.e., African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Latina/o American Studies, or Native American Studies— becomes a graduation requirement for all California State University baccalaureate degrees starting in Fall 2021 due to the passage of AB1460 (Weber 2019);
Whereas, California community colleges are modifying and developing curriculum to address AB 1460 (Weber 2019) in accordance with the California State University definition of ethnic studies and to maximize and frame curriculum for student success through an equity-minded lens in support of the Chancellor’s Vision for Success and Call to Action;
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges paper Anti-Racism Education in California Community Colleges: Acknowledging Historical Context and Assessing and Addressing Effective Anti-Racism Practices for Faculty Professional Development recommends that local academic senates “enact culturally responsive curricular redesign within disciplines, courses, and programs and with curriculum committees”;