Curriculum Committee 2018-2019 Committee Purpose Roles COR Standards Curriculum Review Process Faculty Reviewer Steps

Curriculum Committee Purpose Title 5 § 55002 provides curriculum committees the authority / responsibility for recommending to the governing board in areas regarding curriculum, including new or modified course approval, grading policies, prerequisites, and others. Curriculum is a key part of the 10+1 for Academic Senates. The purpose of the CC is to assist the faculty of Napa Valley College in the establishment and maintenance of curriculum to ensure it meets state regulatory standards, serves the students of Napa Valley College in pursuing academic and career goals, and maintains a standard of excellence.

Curriculum Committee Activities Makes recommendations to the Academic Senate for the approval of the following (both credit and noncredit): Creation of new courses and programs. Modifications to existing courses and programs. Archiving and unarchiving of courses and programs. Designation and review of prerequisites/corequisites to courses. Assigns courses to General Education categories. Determines whether Distance Education courses’ Course Outlines of Record (CORs) meet the local and legal standards for online adaptation. 

Roles of Curriculum Committee Members: VOTING: Faculty Co-Chair (nonvoting except to break a tie) Faculty Representatives Articulation Officer Librarian/Learning Resource Specialist Curriculum Analyst (Classified Representative) Student Representative 2 Deans (selected by VPAA from among the Dean of Instruction, the Dean of Noncredit, and the CTE Dean) NONVOTING: Administrative Co-Chair (Vice President of Academic Affairs) Academic Deans

The Purpose of the Course Outline of Record (COR) The COR is a legal contract among faculty, college, and student. The COR describes the required minimum objectives, content, methods of instruction, methods of evaluation, etc. End users of the document include NVC faculty developing course syllabi as well as articulation officers and faculty from other institutions in the assigned and other disciplines to determine the content of courses and programs. Students may also use the document to determine whether they should take a class or pursue a degree.

Curriculum Review Standards Faculty Author Submits a clean, complete COR Academic Deans Need, Scope, Feasibility, Compliance, Resources Needed Technical & Documentation Review (Curriculum Analyst) Completeness and compliance of COR and accompanying documentation Faculty Review Integration of COR: alignment of outcomes, objectives, and content Clarity especially of the Description, the most public part of the COR Appropriateness in terms of the type of course: degree-applicable credit course, nondegree credit course, or noncredit course (see next slide) Completeness Parts of the COR Description Student Learning Outcomes Objectives Content Methods of Instruction Methods of Evaluation Assignments Textbooks

Standards of Approval for Courses Degree applicable, nondegree applicable, and noncredit have different standards of approval. When going through the Curriculum Approval Process, courses must meet the appropriate standard. Degree-Applicable Credit Grading Policy – Course culminates in a formal grade based on measurable performance of course objectives. Units – Minimum of 3 hours of coursework per unit per week. Intensity – Independent, outside of class study time is required. Prerequisites/corequisites – Determined and reviewed through a process too lengthy to type here. Difficulty – Critical thinking and understanding of concepts determined to be at the college level is required. Level – Skills and vocabulary are learned that are deemed appropriate for a college course. Nondegree Credit  Noncredit Subject matter and methods of instruction attendance are deemed appropriate.

Curriculum Review Process Overview The creation/modification/archiving of courses and programs occurs through the Curriculum Approval Process. While the procedures are not identical for each action, the procedures loosely fit the following mold. The general expectation is that each step, after initial submission, will be completed within 5 days. If, at any step, changes are requested, the COR is returned to the originator (author) to make the changes, consult with his/her division chair/dean as needed, and resubmit the COR with the changes deemed appropriate/necessary.

The Curriculum Review Process Step 1 – Faculty author proposes/modifies/archives a course or program. Step 2 – Division Chair/Dean reviews proposal for accuracy of data/scheduling elements (units/hours, TOP/SAM code, double-coding status, repeatability/grading option, etc.) and division level considerations (discipline faculty approval, budget/facilities/personnel, learning resources needed, including those requested from library/learning specialist). Step 3 – Technical Review: Curriculum Analyst reviews proposal to ensure statutory/regulatory compliance (Title 5, Chancellor’s Office). Step 4 -- Curriculum Committee Faculty Co-Chair reviews proposal and assigns to Faculty Reviewer. Step 5– Faculty Reviewer reviews proposal for integration (alignment of content, objectives, and outcomes), completeness, and significant grammar errors (those that impede clarity) especially in the public sections of the document.

The Curriculum Review Process Continued Step 6 – Articulation Officer reviews proposal for adherence to articulation guidelines (CSU GE, IGETC, C-ID and transfer issues) and submits locally approved proposal for articulation. Step 7 – Proposal is submitted to full Curriculum Committee to approve recommendation to Academic Senate. Step 8 – Proposal is submitted to the Academic Senate with recommendation for approval. Step 9 – Proposal is submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval. Step 10 – Proposal is submitted to the Chancellor’s Office for charter (assignment of Course Control Number).

Using CurriCUNET Training Workshop I will be scheduling a workshop (or workshops) for new Curriculum Committee members (continuing CC members are also welcome) to go over how to review CORs as a faculty reviewer inside CurricUNET.