Distance Education Review of New Distance Education Modalities

Fall
2005
Resolution Number
09.05
R
Contact
Assigned to
Technology Committee
Category
Curriculum
Status
Completed
Summary
Encourage and provide guidance to local curriculum committees to establish clear local guidelines that are consistent with existing regulations and designed to ensure that different course modalities are separately reviewed and independent-study courses are designated as such.
Status Report

Ongoing.

Whereas, The existing distance education guidelines refer generally to "regular effective contact between instructor and students," and no clear definition of "regular effective contact" is provided;

Whereas, Title 5 55211b recognizes that how "regular effective contact" is achieved is an academic and professional matter;

Whereas, The existing Distance Education Guidelines state that "it is important that districts document how regular effective contact is achieved" and "a natural place for this to occur is during the separate course approval process" and distance education courses are no longer automatically categorized as independent study in Title 5 Regulations, yet a course that is offered at a distance may in fact be independent study; and

Whereas, A course that requires instructor-student contact only at the middle and/or end of the course is not compliant with the required "regular effective contact" component of distance education but is more correctly described as independent study;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges encourage and provide guidance to local curriculum committees to establish clear local guidelines that are consistent with existing regulations and designed to ensure that different course modalities are separately reviewed and independent-study courses are designated as such. MSR Disposition: Executive Committee to clarify wording and bring back to the Spring 2006 Plenary Session.