Reinstating Local Approval of Stand-Alone Courses

Fall
2014
Resolution Number
09.03
 
Assigned to
5C
Category
Curriculum
Status
Completed
Status Report

Stand alone course approval was returned to local colleges following Board of Governors meeting in July 2016. It will be part of the annual certification signed by the college CIO and curriculum chair. Certification training is regularly provided at the ASCCC Curriculum Institute.  

Whereas, Assembly Bill (AB) 1943 (Nava, 2006) amended California Education Code §§70901-70902 to allow California community college districts to offer credit courses that are not part of an approved educational program (stand-alone credit courses), requiring approval only by local curriculum committees and district governing boards and eliminating the requirement for approval by the Chancellor’s Office for the period Fall 2007 through December 31, 2012;

Whereas, The extension of local approval of credit stand-alone courses until January 1, 2014, authorized by AB 1029 (Lara, 2011) expired, removing the authority to approve credit stand-alone courses from local curriculum committees and governing boards and returning this authority to the Chancellor’s Office, which has created a backlog of curriculum review and approval; and

Whereas, The removal of approval authority for stand-alone courses from local curriculum committees and governing boards prevents colleges from responding to emerging community needs in a timely manner;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge the Chancellor’s Office to sponsor new legislation that would return stand–alone course approval authority to local curriculum committees and district governing boards; and

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges recommend to the Chancellor’s Office that guidelines that provide colleges with instructions and effective practices for local approval of stand-alone courses be developed in consultation with the System Advisory Committee on Curriculum and the Academic Senate.

MSC