The 1143 Task Force recommendations were adopted by the Board of Governors. While a mandatory orientation class was not included in the recommendations, the task force recognized the importance of orientation on student success. Campuses were encouraged to develop their own orientation courses in support of student success.
Whereas, Many students enter California community colleges with limited knowledge and preparation not only in academic areas but also in terms of time management, study skills, and other areas that impact academic performance, and these students would therefore benefit from student success courses that would help them to develop such skills;
Whereas, The associate degrees for transfer created under Senate Bill (SB) 1440 (Padilla, 2010) do not allow for additional requirements beyond the established general education transfer plans and major or area of emphasis requirements, and therefore colleges currently cannot require student success courses as an aspect of the transfer degrees;
Whereas, Discussions at the state level, including those of the Chancellor’s Office Student Success Task Force in response to SB 1143 (Liu, 2010), have acknowledged the importance of student success courses and have even suggested the possibility that such courses should be a requirement for students; and
Whereas, Development of a position on the issue of mandatory student success courses should be driven by faculty rather than non-faculty;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges explore the potential positive and negative impacts of making student success courses (i.e., those that facilitate the development of skills that foster student success, such as time management and study skills) a mandatory aspect of community college education in California, conduct a survey of local senates, and, based on these findings, permit the Executive Committee to either support or oppose the addition of a student success course to associate degrees for transfer should such a change become a proposal from the Chancellor’s Office Student Success Task Force prior to the Fall 2011 Plenary Session.
MSC Disposition: Local Senates