Curriculum

This paper responds to Resolution 9.05 Fall 2007, calling for an update of the Academic Senate’s 1996 paper Program Review: Developing a Faculty Driven Process in the light of recent accreditation changes and other emerging issues. This paper has been written to expand on the best elements of the 1996 paper and to stand on its own without requiring that readers also review the earlier paper. Program review has evolved substantially since the development of that paper. Individuals and institutions engage in program review for a variety of reasons.

This paper considers noncredit instruction in the California Community College System. Noncredit students pay no enrollment fees and normally receive no college credit or official course grades. State apportionment funding is provided for noncredit instruction in specified areas (see Appendix A). The paper identifies three related concepts: a state need for increased levels of education that noncredit instruction is well placed to supply, several changes that begin to facilitate that response, and additional changes that are needed to ensure success.

Curriculum is at the core of any educational endeavor, and the course outline of record plays a central role both internal and external to the California Community College System. This update to the original Academic Senate paper Components of a Model Course Outline of Record also incorporates material from the previously published Academic Senate papers Stylistic Considerations in Writing Course Outlines of Record and Good Practices for Course Approvals.

When the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges compiled best practices for serving basic skills students in 2002-2003, assessment practices were notably absent. In this paper, problems with current assessment and placement practices with regards to basic skills are explored. The paper begins with a review of the matriculation process and the most appropriate assessment instruments for use in placing basic skills students into courses.

Most first-time community college students are not prepared to succeed in college-level courses without one or more courses in basic skills to develop necessary reading, writing, and mathematics skills. The mission to provide basic skills is directed at a vast number of students who enter our community colleges today. To serve these students as well as we can, we must encourage faculty, administrators, and others in decision-making positions to employ effective practices so that under-prepared students may complete transfer and occupational programs within a reasonable timeframe.

In 1996, the California Community College Board of Governors (BOG) issued a policy statement identifying information competency as a priority. Recognizing information competency as an academic and professional matter, in May 1999 the Chancellor delegated the issue of information competency as a graduation requirement to the Academic Senate for its recommendations.

The 1998 basic skills survey of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges' Basic Skills Ad Hoc Committee found among the colleges much variation in practices but many similar problems developing strong basic skills instruction. Some common challenges facing basic skills instructors include classes that are too large, lack of adequate funding, ineffective assessment tools, inadequate research, lack of qualified reading instructors, problems coordinating programs, and insufficient faculty development opportunities.

This proposal is intended to provide the California Community College system with a means by which to better serve student needs and enhance the ability of the CHANCELLOR'S Office to record and report the many different certificates that are now awarded by local community colleges. The proposal seeks to provide for certificates that have a high degree of credibility with employers so that they will be helpful to students seeking employment.

This paper recommends good practices for writing each of the sections of the course outline of record. Sections covered are Catalog Description, Class Schedule Description, Need/Justification, Objectives/Student Outcomes, Prerequisite Skills, Course Content, Assignments, Methods of Instruction and Evaluation, and Texts and Instructional Materials. The focus of the recommendations is to provide course outlines which are thorough and comprehensive of the Title 5 standards as well as providing complete descriptions of actual classroom practices which are sufficient for articulation.

The paper, developed by the Academic Senate Educational Policies Committee, reviews the current regulation and statute, role of local academic senates, effects on students, the need to balance the college curriculum, educational and budget planning issues, collective bargaining concerns, and considerations when developing a local model.