1. Curriculum Basics for New Curriculum Chairs
Diana E. Hurlbut, Irvine Valley College
Ginni May, ASCCC Executive Committee
Toni Parsons, San Diego Mesa College
Tiffany Tran, Irvine Valley College
Curriculum Institute 2016
Double Tree Hilton Anaheim, July 7-9

2. Outcomes In this interactive session, attendees will:
Be provided an overview of the responsibilities of a curriculum chair;
Learn ways to work with curriculum committee members and others on campus that are valuable to the smooth flow of the curriculum process;
Engage in discussion on how to manage time and workload.

3. Introductions all around…
Who are you?
How many of you are new Curriculum Chairs; Curriculum Specialists; Articulation Officers; Deans; CIO/VPI?
How many of you are new to the Curriculum Committee?
Anything you REALLY want to be sure to get from this session?

4. Acronyms…LOL!
ASCCC – Academic Senate for California Community Colleges
CCCCO – California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (or CO – Chancellor’s Office)
CIO – Chief Instructional Officer (often the VPI)
VPI – Vice President of Instruction (Your college may have a different title)
COR – Course Outline of Record

5. LET’S START WITH THE CURRICULUM CHAIR

6. Curriculum Chair
There are many structures for college Curriculum Committees:
Faculty Curriculum Chair – at some colleges this may also be a senate officer
Co-Chair structure with Faculty and Administrator
Co-Chair structure with two Faculty
Curriculum Chair and Vice Curriculum Chair
Others?
The faculty in this position often receives some reassigned time, but it varies by college

7. Curriculum Chair just has to worry about the COR, right??
Hah! If ONLY it could be that simple…
Being the Chair of the Curriculum Committee is one of the most important faculty leadership roles on a college campus.
BTW, what is the COR?
A: Course Outline of Record

8. Curriculum Chair Responsibilities…
Often include:
Responsibility for leading the Curriculum Committee
Communication and Coordination with:
All faculty,
Articulation officer/specialist,
Admissions and Records,
Curriculum support staff,
Academic Senate,
CIO and/or Curriculum Dean,
CCCCO,
ASCCC,
And the local governing board on all curricular issues affecting your college (Board of Trustees).

9. Best advice for new(er) Chairs:
The most important thing that you always need to remember is slow down and take a deep breath.
Best statement to use when you don’t know the answer: “Let me get back to you on that…”

10. Curriculum and the Law

11. It starts with the California Education Code
California Education Code – It’s the Law California Code of Regulations Title 5 – Interprets Education Code and has the force of law, often referred to as Title 5 Regulations or just Title 5 Program and Course Approval Handbook (PCAH) – Establishes specific regulations and guidelines for implementing Title 5 Chancellor’s Office Guidelines: Course Repetition and Requisites.

12. Remember: The Faculty have the Authority and Expertise over Curriculum!
Authority over the curriculum is codified in California Education Code and further refined in Title 5 Regulations.
Along with the authority, there is a responsibility: work with other faculty, administrators, and staff.
Administration has “right of assignment” over courses and programs.

13. TITLE 5 REGULATIONS: Details the implementation of California Education Code
§53200: Defines the academic senate and its role. §55002: Standards and Criteria for Courses and Classes; details the Curriculum Committee oversight responsibilities

14. Title 5 §53200 Academic Senate and its role
The Academic Senate means an organization whose primary function is to make recommendations with respect to academic and professional matters.

15. Academic and professional matters mean the following policy development matters:
Curriculum, including establish prerequisites and placing courses within disciplines.
Degree and certificate requirements.
Grading policies.
Educational program development.
Standards or policies regarding student preparation and success.

16. Title 5 §53200 continued
College governance structures, as related to faculty roles.
Faculty roles and involvement in accreditation processes, including self-study and annual reports.
Policies for faculty professional development activities.
Processes for program review.
Processes for institutional planning and budget development, and
Other academic and professional matters as mutually agreed upon between the governing board and the academic senate.

17. How might this information be useful to you?
Feel free to call out a couple of ideas

18. Next piece of the Law that you should know about: Title 5 §55002 Standard and Criteria for Courses and Classes

19. Associate Degree Credit Course
An associate degree credit course is a course which has been designated as appropriate to the associate degree in accordance with the requirements of Title 5 § , and which has been recommended by the college and/or district curriculum committee and approved by the district governing board as a collegiate course meeting the needs of the students eligible for admission.

20. Curriculum Committee (Title 5, §55002)
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.

21. Standards for Approval (Title 5, §55002)
The college and/or district curriculum committee shall recommend approval of the course for associate degree credit if it meets the standards as outlined in this section.
Similar language appears in paragraph (b) for non-degree applicable credit courses and in paragraph (c) for noncredit courses.

22. Is that it? What else guides/advises your courses?
You are guided by the law
You are guided by your college’s mission
You are guided by your district policy and regs
You are guided by C-ID course outlines
You are guided by articulation agreements
You are guided by Community Business advisory agreements (for CTE)
You are guided by California State Colleges and how they structure their courses/degrees
You are guided by UC California and how ‘they’ structure their courses/degrees
Whew!

23. Any questions?

24. lets review some basics about the COR

25. Helpful COR published guidelines #1

26. Helpful COR published guidelines #2 Nicknames: the Mustard Book (cathch up…) Or

27. Types of courses: Credit
Generates apportionment; student fees apply
Degree applicable and non-degree applicable (developmental/basic skills)
Unit bearing
Not designated as repeatable (except in limited circumstances)
Approval: Curriculum Committee, Board, Chancellor’s Office

28. Types of courses: Noncredit
Generates apportionment – two levels (noncredit and enhanced noncredit); no student fees
Enhanced noncredit = College Preparation and Career Development (CDCP)
Certificates of completion and competency
No units
Designated as repeatable
Limited to 10 different categories
Approval: Curriculum Committee, Board, Chancellor’s Office

29. Types of courses: Not-for-credit Contract Education
Does not earn apportionment
Cannot be supported by general funds, (i.e. must be self-supporting)
Subject to local approval process
Contract Education
Education/training paid for by a business or organization and restricted in enrollment.
Credit and Not-for-credit may be offered through Contract Education

30. The Course Outline of Record
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

31. Importance of the COR
The COR establishes the content and rigor of a course and ensures consistency for students across all section offerings
Provides evidence of meeting Chancellor’s Office and Title 5 requirements
Distinguishes a course from other courses
Supports program review process
Assists accrediting agency review
Ensures quality and consistency of course delivery for faculty
The COR serves as the basis for articulation agreements and course identification number (C-ID) designation
Provides data for Management Information Systems (MIS) and apportionment
Establishes CSU-GE and IGETC status
CORs are used to construct new or revised instructional programs
Ensures instructional integrity

32. WHAT is C-ID and how does it impact the Local COR?
C-ID is a supra-numbering system that has been developed to facilitate transfer and articulation between community colleges and articulation with California’s higher educational institutions.
C-ID descriptors contain many elements from COR, but describe minimum requirements and are not intended to supplant or dictate local curriculum

33. C-ID and Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADTs)
The ADT is a degree that guarantees a student the ability to transfer to a California State University
Inclusion of some courses in ADT requires submission for C-ID review and designation.
Other courses are included through standard articulation mechanisms.

34. Great References for the Basic Elements of a COR
Title 5 requirements (sec )
Title 5
Chancellor’s Office Data Elements
Title 5 Standards for Approval (COR as a whole)
§ Publication of Course Standards
Discipline Assignment(s)

35. Essential Elements of the COR – Credit
Course Number and Title
Catalog Description
Prerequisites /Corequisites/ Advisories
Units
Total Contact Hours
Course Content
Objectives/Outcomes
Instructional Methods
Methods of Assessment
Grading criteria (letter grade, P/NP)
Outside of Class Assignments
Required and Recommended Textbooks
Repeatability Options
Open Entry/Open Exit
Justification of Need
CCCCO Data Elements (e.g. TOP and SAM Codes, CB codes)
Discipline Assignment(s)

36. Essential Elements of the COR – Noncredit
Course Prefix, 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
Open Entry/Open Exit 36

37. Additional COR Items to Consider
Why you might want it
Student Learning Outcomes
ACCJC Standard II.A.3
College Level Reading and Writing Assignments
Insufficient detail might lead to a request for syllabi
Transfer/GE Information/C-ID
It can be helpful to have this info on the COR
Supplemental Instruction
Could SI be part of your course?
TBA Hours
Include TBA regulations?
Enrollment limits
Instructional quality, external accreditation requirements

38. Any questions?

39. Courses and Programs
Courses are linked together to offer the student a certificate or a degree.

40. Types of courses/programs
Credit
Noncredit
Not-for-credit
(Training)
Degree
10 instructional categories permitted
Fee-Based (Community Service/Education)
Certificate
>18 units
12-18 units
<18 units
Articulation
College Preparation and Career Development funded at a higher rate
ADT/C-ID
Contract Education
Credit – degrees and certificates of achievement
Generates apportionment; student fees apply
Degree applicable and non-degree applicable (developmental/basic skills)
Unit bearing
Not designated repeatable (except in limited circumstances)
Approval: Curriculum Committee, Board, Chancellor’s Office 40

41. Programs Associate degrees (minimum of 60 units)
At least 18 units in a major or area of emphasis
General education
Chancellor’s Office approved

42. Programs (cont.)
Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT) (Minimum of 60 units and no more than 60 units required)
At least 18 units in a major
General education limited to a CSU Breadth or IGETC pattern
Chancellor’s Office approved 42

43. Programs (cont.) Certificates of Achievement (12 or more units)
18 or more related units must be Chancellor’s Office approved, noted on transcript
12 – 17.5 units may be Chancellor’s Office approved, but it is not required (although it is recommended)*
*Certificates noted on students’ transcript must be approved by the Chancellor’s Office. 43

44. Programs (cont.)
Local certificates - some colleges call these skills certificates but the names vary.
Credit Certificates:
Fewer than 18 related units
Not Chancellor approved
Is not noted on student’s transcript
Noncredit Certificates:
Certificates of Completion (noncredit)
Certificates of Competency (noncredit) for employment 44

45. How might you use non-credit to help with the issue of repeatability?
Questions?
How might you use non-credit to help with the issue of repeatability?

46. Approval Criteria The following are required of all programs:
Program Goals and Objectives
Catalog Description
Program Requirements/Course Sequence
Master Planning
Enrollment and Completer Projections
Place of program in curriculum/similar programs
Similar programs at other colleges 46

47. Approval Criteria - CTE
Labor Market Information Data and Analysis
Advisory Committee Recommendation
Regional Consortium Endorsement
When appropriate, approval of licensing board (i.e. Nursing)
Division of Apprenticeship Standards(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. 47

48. 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 48

49. 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.
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50. Questions?

51. The important people and governing bodies that help with curriculum at a community college

52. WHAT IS THE CURRICULUM CHAIR’S RELATIONSHIP TO THE CIO/VPI
WHAT IS THE CURRICULUM CHAIR’S RELATIONSHIP TO THE CIO/VPI? WHAT SHOULD IT BE?

53. CIO Roles vary by College…
May Co-Chair Curriuculum Committee with Facutly member
May serve as curriculum Committee member
Other?

54. Curriculum Chair: Working With Your CIO
The curriculum chair ideally should schedule regular meetings with your CIO.
Discuss important issues outside of the Curriculum Committee meetings.
It is completely unproductive for the CIO and the Curriculum Chair to be disagreeing with each other during a committee meeting.

55. Working With Your CIO
This does not mean that you will always agree with your CIO or that they just get their way.
Curriculum is a primary advice issue and belongs to the faculty.
You need to develop a good working relationship with your CIO so that they will understand where you are coming from, when there is room for compromise, and when they will need to defer to the faculty.
The CIO manual can be found at the CIO web site.

56. Maybe you are just getting to know your CIO and still want the latest information quickly without worrying about politics
The Chancellor’s office web site : you can find the CIO news on the left side of the web page and it will look like this:

57. Working With the Articulation Officer
Your Articulation Officer (AO) is an incredible resource of information for you and the curriculum committee.
If they aren’t already a member of your committee, they probably should be.
Role of the AO:
Does your AO give reports at your meetings?
How might you work with the AO to encourage faculty to make changes to their courses to improve your college’s articulation agreements?
Articulation Officer web site

58. You Can’t Survive Without Your Support Staff: The Curriculum Specialist (or are you in this role?)
Strong support from the staff in your curriculum office is vital.
Curriculum staff have many responsibilities including (but not limited to):
submitting changes to CCCCO;
inputting changes into your student enrollment system;
prepare submissions for the governing board; and
production of your college catalog.
Establish an effective working relationship. How?
The instructions your Curriculum Specialist uses to upload information into state Chancellor’s curriculum inventory.

59. The Curriculum Inventory
This site is the main place that the Curriculum Specialist will work with but YOU can use it too for the Chancellor’s Data Mart.

60. WHAT SHOULD THE CURRICULUM CHAIR CONSIDER WHEN WORKING WITH FACULTY?

61. Local Academic Senates
Remember that the Curriculum Committee acts under the authority granted to the academic senate and they need to stay in the loop even if they are not actively reviewing all of the items approved by curriculum.
Whether the Curriculum Chair is a voting member of your local academic senate or not, it is important that the Curriculum Chair attend all senate meetings.
You will explain upcoming issues that your local senate needs to be aware of.

62. Working With Faculty
Faculty tend to only look at their CORs when they are in curriculum review or want to create a new class.
Educate the faculty on effective curriculum practice.
Make yourself available to faculty to answer questions
When regulatory changes happen (like repeatability), you need to sit down with affected faculty and explain what is going on and why.

63. Technical Review
Establish a strong technical review process for effectiveness.
This committee can deal with looking at some of the things that tend to make CC meetings drag on: grammar, wording, codes, etc.
Chaired by the Curriculum Chair or Vice-chair.
Membership may include Curriculum Committee members.

64. The Curriculum Chair, the faculty and CTE
Career Technical Education (CTE)
The courses and the programs that should have been reviewed by/approved by:
an advisory board
regional consortium
The programs must include labor market information

65. The CTE faculty coordinator and you – or are you in this role too?
Do either of you attend your local business association curriculum meetings?
Do either of you attend your regional CTE meetings/institutes/leadership?
Do either of you know who your sector and district sector navigators are and what they can do for your faculty?
Doing What Matters web site

66. Student Learning Outcomes Coordinator
Working with your SLO coordinator to insure that you have met ACCJC guidelines regarding SLOs and the COR.
How do you include SLO’s into the COR?

67. Distance Education Coordinator
How do you evaluate DE for your COR?
Distance Education Tech Review

68. Other people Curriculum Chairs might consider to work with:
Librarian
IT support staff
Psycho analyst
Massage Therapist
Chocolate and Wine salesperson
Other??

69. Local Board of Trustees
Ideally they will adopt policies and procedures related to curriculum only if recommendations on those curriculum policies and procedures are made through collegial consultation with the local academic senate. Web site were BOT members get their training:

70. Working with your Deans: they can be your ally!
Dean of Academic Affairs
Dean of CTE
Dean of Non-credit/Not for credit/
A web site where Deans get their training and updates

71. Think about
How have the faculty on your campus chosen to organize the Curriculum Committee? Is it a shared governance committee or a committee of the senate?
Are members elected or appointed by department? Division? At large? The senate?
Does it include Counselors? Articulation Officer? Counseling? Librarians? Students?
What is the role of administration?
How does your local curriculum committee relate to interact with your senate?

72. Think about Who develops curriculum policy & procedures? Who approves?
What is your local curriculum approval process?
How and when do recommendations from your local curriculum committee go to your board? Who presents to the board?

73. ACTIVITY: Discuss your local structures
ACTIVITY: Discuss your local structures. Make a list of what you need to find out when you return to campus.

74. Will there be Conflict? Do ducks swim in water?

75. Managing Conflict Get comfortable with conflict.
Conflict can be productive or destructive, depending on how it is handled.
Listen first. “Listen” to both the content and emotional component of a message and honor both.
Often these conflicts have little to do with what is being discussed and is really about something else. No matter what this is happening, stay focused on the current issue.

76. Managing Conflict (2)
Remain impartial and remember that you are representing the faculty of your college not just one area.
You can’t make everyone happy. Work with all parties to try and reach a solution that meets as many interests as possible.
If conflicts happen during a meeting, take back the floor when the discussion gets off topic. Remember that you are in control of the meeting and you need to keep the discussion as civil as possible.

77. Useful Resources
Program and Course Approval Handbook (PCAH) Cooperative Work Experience Education Handbook COR Resource Guide Non Credit at Glance

78. Useful Resources Where is Title 5? http://ccr.oal.ca.gov
Click on Title 5
Click on Division 6. California Community Colleges
Click on Chapter 6. Curriculum and Instruction
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79. Useful Resources Prerequisites and Corequisites Guidelines
Repetition Guidelines
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80. Useful Resources Equivalence to Minimum Qualifications
TOP Manual
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81. Useful Resources Dual Enrollment Guide
Distance Education Unit:
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82. Useful Resources Minimum Qualifications Unit
Basic Skills and ESL Unit
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83. Useful Resources Non Credit Instruction
Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program
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