Effective Practices for Educational Program Development

Spring
2018
Topic
Curriculum
Committee
Educational Policies Committee

The most important components of an academic institution are the educational programs it offers. California Education Code and accreditation standards emphasize the essential nature of a college’s educational programs to that college’s existence, and often a college’s programs reflect the individual personality of the college and the uniqueness of the community it serves. In California Education Code §66050 and §66010.4(a), the legislature delegates to public institutions of higher education the responsibility to provide educational programs that are appropriate and valuable to the communities they serve in order to advance California’s economic growth and global competitiveness through education, training, and services. Furthermore, the regional accreditor of the California community colleges, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), requires that the educational programs offered by a college are consistent with the college’s mission (Eligibility Requirement 9, Standards II.A.1, II.A.6).   These statements indicate the importance of educational programs to a college’s core mission of providing viable and relevant programs of study to a community in order to support the community’s economic and cultural growth.