Ensuring Proper Circulation and Setting Broken Bones: Curriculum/Senate

Relations and Intersegmental Issues

Richard Mahon and Michelle Pilati

Why are we here?

• What can you do to ensure a healthy Senate-Curriculum relationship?

• What do the various Title 5 changes mean for you?

• What intersegmental agreements do you and your senate need to know about?

• Questions/discussion

Senate-Curriculum Relations

• What is the relationship between your Senate and your Curriculum Committee?

• Is it stipulated in the constitution/bylaws of your Senate? In board policy?

Senate-Curriculum Relationship

What should it be?

Consider the fall 1996 adopted paper, “Curriculum Committee Role, Structure, Duties and Standards of Good Practice”:

“There is no single or monolithic list of ‘good practices’ in the process of curriculum renewal and development. Many effective practices exist that are appropriate within the unique setting of shared governance at each local college.”

Senate-Curriculum Relations Title 5, §55002. Standards and Criteria for Title 5, §55002. Standards and Criteria for

Courses & ClassesCourses & Classes

“Curriculum Committee. The college and/or district curriculum committee recommending the course shall be established by the mutual agreement of the college and/or district administration and the academic senate. The committee shall be either a committee of the academic senate or a committee that includes faculty and is otherwise comprised in a way that is mutually agreeable to the college and/or district administration and the academic senate.”

Senate-Curriculum Relations

“The curriculum committee is the vehicle on which the local academic senate relies to carry out its responsibility to develop curriculum recommendations for presentation to the local governing board.”

Governing boards must commit themselves to reach “mutual agreement” or “rely primarily” on the advice of their senates in several areas involving curriculum (Title 5 §53200, the “10 + 1”).

Senate-Curriculum RelationsStructure & Membership of the CCStructure & Membership of the CC

Must the CC be a subcommittee of the Senate?

No, but “.. the policies and procedures by which the committee will operate are determined by the academic senate, either solely or in partnership with the board. Because of this required senate oversight, there must be a direct link between the curriculum committee and the senate” (ASCCC 1996).

What is this link on your campus?

Senate-Curriculum RelationsLinking your Senate & CCLinking your Senate & CC

Chair may be a member of the senate. Chair may be an ex-officio senator. CC action may be regular senate agenda item. Does your senate have the authority to override

your CC? What role do district CCs have?

Senate-Curriculum RelationsMany Roads Lead to CC SolutionsMany Roads Lead to CC Solutions

Clear policies concerning curriculum can resolve problems before they arise:

Class size: Ed. Code allows for the CC to recommend class size. What policy is used on your campus? Why should the CC play a role?

Load Issues: Title 5 §55211 covers “regular effective contact” in Distance Education and the System Office Guidelines suggest that policy regarding REC be developed by the CC.

Other Examples?

Senate-Curriculum RelationsCarrying the Load: Doing the WorkCarrying the Load: Doing the Work

• Seek diversity of membership: classroom faculty, counselors, articulation officer, students…

• Know the law & regulations…

• Exercise your authority/do the work…

• Recognize when to be creative…

• Don’t take the easy way out…

• Send faculty to the Curriculum Institute (annually in July)

Title 5 Changes

• Stay tuned..

• If all proposed changes are passed, what will the local impact be?

• English/math graduation requirements**

Title 5 Changes

• Non-compliant degrees**

• Minimum grade of C

• Renaming of certificates

• New opportunities for majors

Intersegmental Agreements

• C-ID

• LDTP

• IGETC

What is C-ID?

• A proposal that improves upon CAN–a supra-numbering system–a response to mandates

and needs–course descriptors for use

by postsecondary institutions and CCC students

C-ID Today

Minimally funded at this time ($511,000)

Goals of C-ID

• Create a collaborative, intersegmental, organizational infrastructure

• Establish processes for descriptors and course qualification that rely on faculty expertise

Goals of C-ID

• Create and maintain internal and external web portals

• Develop sustainability***

LDTP

• Lower Division Transfer Pattern

• CSU Project (SB 1785 & MOU)

• Goal: to improve transfer into majors

LDTP

• Gives “highest priority” for admission

• Plan: to take effect Fall 2007

• June, 2007 LDTP Update

IGETC

• The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a series of courses prospective transfer students attending California community colleges may complete to satisfy the lower division breadth/general education requirements at both the University of California and the California State University. It was developed to simplify the transfer process for students.

• ICAS GE Task Force

ICAS

• The Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates (ICAS) was established in 1980 as a voluntary organization consisting of representatives of the Academic Senates of the three segments of public higher education in California. Each of the senates appoints five representatives to ICAS. The meetings of ICAS are financed by the segments, and deal with a variety of issues of mutual concern such as the Master Plan for Higher Education, transfer, articulation, general education, and educational quality and standards. The recommendations of ICAS are made to the Academic Senates of each of the segments. ICAS has only advisory powers to the senates; it has no direct way to implement higher education policy.

• Questions?

• Comments?