Curriculum Basics and CTE: Spotlight on Getting It Approved the First Time CCCAOE Fall 2014 Breakout Session 1A 2:15-3:30PM Pacific Salon 1 Presenters: Michelle Grimes-Hillman, Wheeler North, Kim Schenk
Session Learning Outcomes You will be able to: 1. Describe the types of courses and programs available to address student needs. 2. Describe the characteristics of a well-written course outline. 3. Discuss the possible relationship of course and program SLOs to the COR. 4. List the steps to submit a program to the Chancellor s Office for approval.
Training versus Instruction Training Learning experiences that confer a specific set of performance skills. Instruction Learning experiences that confer a specific set of performance skills that intentionally coordinate within a greater context or sequence of other learning. Course An organized pattern of instruction that usually intersects a variety of academic goals.
Types of courses/programs Credit Noncredit Not-for-credit (Training) Degree Certificate >18 units 12-18 units <18 units Articulation ADT/CID 10 instructional categories permitted College Preparation and Career Development funded at a higher rate Certificate Contract Education Fee-Based (Community Service/ Education)
Types of courses/programs Credit degrees and certificates of achievement Generates apportionment; student fees apply Degree applicable and non-degree applicable (developmental/basic skills) Unit bearing Not repeatable (go to the next session) Approval: Curriculum Committee, Board, Chancellor s Office Noncredit certificates of completion and competency Generates apportionment two levels (noncredit and enhanced noncredit); no student fees Enhanced noncredit = College Preparation and Career Development (CDCP) No units Repeatable Limited to 10 different categories Approval: Curriculum Committee, Board, Chancellor s Office
Types of courses/programs (con t) Not-for-credit Does not earn apportionment Cannot be supported by general funds, i.e. must be self-supporting Subject to local process Contract Education: Does not earn apportionment Education/training paid for by a business or organization and restricted in enrollment. Credit and Not-for-credit may be offered through Contract Education
Course/Program Approval Education Code Title 5 Program and Course Approval Handbook (PCAH) Course Outline of Record and Curriculum Reference Guide Every college/district has local process and deadlines for the development and revision of curriculum
Course Outline of Record For Credit and Noncredit Courses: The course outline of record (COR) is a legal document that must contain certain required elements that are outlined in 55002 of Title 5. The COR serves as a legal contract between the faculty, student, and the college All CORs must be approved by the local academic senate (curriculum committee) and the local governing board.
Importance of the COR The COR establishes the content and rigor of a course and ensures consistency for students across all section offerings. The COR serves as the basis for articulation agreements and course identification number (C-ID) approval. CORs are used to construct new or revised instructional programs
Required Elements of the COR - Credit Course Number and Title Catalog Description Prerequisites/Corequisites/ Recommended Preparation Units/Total Contact Hours TOP Code/SAM Code Course Content Objectives/Outcomes Instructional Methods Methods of Assessment Grading Criteria Assignments Required and Recommended Textbooks Repeatability Open Entry/Open Exit Justification of Need
Required Elements of the COR - Noncredit Course Number and Title Catalog Description Total Hours of Instruction TOP Code/SAM Code Total Contact Hours Noncredit Eligibility Category Materials Fees Special Characteristics Justification of Need Class Schedule Description Part of program/certificate
Other considerations Item Student Learning Outcomes College Level Reading and Writing Assignments Transfer/GE Information/ C-ID Supplemental Instruction TBA Hours External requirements Why you might want it Requested to be part of COR by ACCJC Insufficient detail might lead to a request for syllabi It can be helpful to have this info on the COR Could SI be part of your course? Ensure TBA regs are followed Student certification or licensure
Course Description Should describe the content of the course and indicate who the intended audience is (if there is one). This information is usually part of the catalog description. Does your college require the use of complete sentences or are fragments acceptable (Remember this is a public document)? What about special types of courses like TBA, Supplemental Instruction, Work Experience, etc? Do these courses need additional information? Your college may have different descriptions for the catalog and class schedules. If so, both should be part of the COR. (Short Schedule Description)
Units and Hours: the Carnegie Unit One credit hour of community college work (one unit of credit) requires a minimum of 48 hours of lecture, study, or laboratory work at colleges operating on the semester system or 33 hours of lecture, study or laboratory work at colleges operating on the quarter system. ( 55002.5) A course requiring 96 hours or more of lecture, study or laboratory work at colleges operating on the semester system or 66 hours or more of lecture, study, or laboratory work at colleges operating on the quarter system shall provide at least 2 units of credit. ( 55002.5)
Requisites Requisites and Advisories are described in 55003. Prerequisites and Co-requisites should be established based upon skills that a student MUST have to be successful in a course. You MUST have a challenge policy in place established by your local board and it should be described in your college catalog. Prerequisites and Co-requisites must be reviewed every 6 years (2 years for CTE)
Advisories A condition of enrollment that a student is advised, but not required, to meet before or in conjunction with enrollment in a course or educational program Typically these are courses that you feel will help the student be more successful but either there is no data available or content review is not appropriate to establish this as a prerequisite These must be reviewed ever 6 years just like prerequisite and co-requisites!
Course Content This is the meat and potatoes of your course. It needs to include all of the material that will be covered! Instructors have flexibility in how much time they spend on each item but they must cover them all. If time permits, you can cover additional material that is not listed but not at the expense of the content listed. If you are teaching the next course in a sequence, you can only assume that the content listed on the COR of the prerequisite course was covered, nothing more. Try to be as detailed as possible to help your adjunct faculty as well as anyone reviewing your COR.
Objectives These are a REQUIRED part of the COR (SLOs are not required by title 5). The objectives should indicate the skills or knowledge the student will acquire during the course. Courses must address critical thinking and the objectives are a good place to demonstrate that. Typically there will be three to ten objectives for a course. Objectives should be integrated with content (and methods of evaluation and instructional methods) as part of an Integrated COR
Other components of the COR Instructional Methods Appropriate to objectives Methods of Evaluation Evaluate critical thinking Assignments and/or Other Activities Clear communication of level of rigor Problem-solving, critical thinking Textbooks
So..what about SLOs? Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) are not a required component of the COR according to title 5. The ACCJC wants to see SLOs listed on the COR. Does this mean that you have to? If SLOs are part of your COR, do you need to go through the same approval process to change them that you would to change any other part of the COR?
Program Development Credit and noncredit program development is governed by instructions provided in the PCAH For CTE, special criteria apply Who? Faculty are always central to the Program Development Process (at some colleges, the lead faculty MUST be a full-timer). Supporting partners include: CTE Dean, SN/DSN, Research, IT, Library and Learning Resources
Program Development First Steps Does the regional supply and demand warrant additional programs? Is there room for noncredit programs, fee-based or contract training? Credit CTE Programs Noncredit Programs Not-for- Credit Programs Local Approval Local Approval Local Approval? Approval Processes Regional Consortium Approval Board Approval Board Approval Board Approval? State Approval State Approval
Labor Market Information Statistical projections of growth in specific jobs by county for the next 5 years EDD s Labor Market Information system data Centers of Excellence Environmental Scans and studies Recent employer surveys Minutes of industry advisory committee meetings Letters from employers Industry studies Job advertisements for positions ( Real time data ) Newspaper or magazine articles on industry or employment trends Regional economic studies Studies/data from licensing agencies, associations
Approval Criteria The following are required of all programs: 1. Program Goals and Objectives 2. Catalog Description 3. Program Requirements/Course Sequence 4. Master Planning 5. Enrollment and Completer Projections 6. Place of program in curriculum/similar programs 7. Similar programs at other colleges
Approval Criteria - CTE 1. LMI Data and Analysis 2. Advisory Committee Recommendation 3. Regional Consortium Endorsement 4. DAS Approval (Apprenticeship only) All courses must be up-to-date and will be selected from the course inventory as part of the program application.
Curriculum Inventory With the development of the Curriculum Inventory, submission of program applications became web-enabled Locally, colleges may still have a paper process to route a program through the college and district level approvals The PCAH gives explicit instructions regarding the information and supporting documentation that is required for program approval
Resources http://www.cccco.edu CCC: Program and Course Approval Handbook CCC: Distance Education Guidelines CCC: Guiding Principles and Assumptions for Credit Course Repetition and Withdrawal Examples http://www.ccccurriculum.info Curriculum FAQ Document The Course Outline of Record: A Curriculum Reference Guide Links to other curriculum resources http://curriculum.cccco.edu/