The Senate has six representatives who sit on the OEI Steering Committee.
Whereas, The 2013-2014 Budget Act enacted the Governor’s Online Education initiative to expand access to online education in the California Community College System and allocated $16.9 million for that purpose and furthermore the Chancellor’s Office established the California Community College Online Education Initiative program to realize this legislation through the creation of the Online Course Exchange (“Exchange”) operated through the California Virtual Campus, with the development contract for the Exchange awarded to a district or consortium of colleges and/or districts through a competitive grant process1;
Whereas, The Exchange promises to allow students to enroll in high quality online courses from colleges across the state through the centralized California Virtual Campus, with potential for great benefit and opportunities for our students by providing additional access to courses needed for transfer and degree completion;
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is the collective faculty voice on academic and professional matters statewide and has long provided leadership for faculty on distance education matters through its position papers, resolutions, Rostrum articles and presentations; and
Whereas, The Chancellor’s Office request for application process proposes the establishment of governance and advisory bodies for the Exchange that may make recommendations regarding the work of the Exchange related to academic and professional matters, including but not limited to:
- The development of specifications for a statewide course management system (CMS) for the Exchange
- Minimum quality standards for courses selected for the Exchange
- Minimum educational and training qualifications for faculty who will teach online courses on the Exchange
- Minimum level of preparation required of students who will take online courses on the Exchange;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges remind the Chancellor’s Office that faculty primacy in academic and professional matters applies to the development of the Online Course Exchange; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge the Chancellor’s Office to include the Academic Senate as the central and vital participant in all governance, advisory and steering bodies that would guide the establishment and continuing work of the Online Course Exchange.
MSC
1. Chancellor’s Office request for Application (RFA) released to the field on September 13, 2013