Curriculum

Whereas, College writing courses are skill-building courses that require sufficient time for reading, critical reflection, instructor assessment, and instructor-student communication;

Whereas, The trend to offer community college writing courses in ever-shorter terms has been judged by English faculty, as expressed through the English Council for California Two-Year Colleges, to create pressures on students and instructors that inhibit effective student learning;

Whereas, There is a trend to offer courses in an abbreviated format using a variety of delivery methods;

Whereas, Title 5 Regulations have established the primacy of faculty in making decisions regarding curriculum; and

Whereas, Maintaining the integrity of courses is vested in local curriculum committees;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate reaffirm the role of faculty, through its curriculum committees, in developing and modifying all courses;

Whereas, There is interest among many California community college faculty to raise the level of mastery of English composition and mathematics skills required by Title 5 Regulations to transfer-level courses in those disciplines; and

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has endorsed the position that transfer-level English and mathematics be required of students who are granted an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree (1983);

Whereas, AA/AS degrees indicate completion of two years of college-level study;

Whereas, Current Title 5 Regulations require English one level below transfer-level English to be sufficient for AA/AS degrees; and

Whereas, All AA/AS degree holders benefit from a rigorous curriculum that prepares them for transfer to a four-year university or a career in an increasingly complex work environment;

Whereas, In 1986, the Academic Senate of California Community Colleges passed a resolution to raise the minimum mathematics requirement to intermediate algebra;

Whereas, The American Mathematical Association of Two-year Colleges (AMATYC) has stated that the AA/AS degree should include at least one college level mathematics course;

Whereas, The California Mathematics Council for Community Colleges supports the AMATYC recommendation; and

Whereas, For many students the AA/AS degree is a terminal degree enabling employment in vocations with educational needs that do not include transfer level mathematics;

Whereas, The rigor of the mathematics requirement should be based on a level of mathematical sophistication appropriate for the AA/AS degree, not based on bachelor's degree requirements;

Whereas, Increasing the mathematics requirement may present unnecessary and inappropriate barriers for students in achieving an AA/AS degree; and

Whereas, In 1995 the Board of Governors in "The New Basic Agenda: Policy Directions for Student Success: states that as our society moves from an "industrial-based to a knowledge-based society," students must be taught information retrieval skills that will prepare them for successful college, vocational, and lifelong learning experiences;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate adopt the paper Information Competency: Challenges and Strategies for Development. MSC Disposition: Local Senates

Whereas, It has been projected that California will suffer a shortfall of 25,000 Registered Nurses by 2006, and a national sample survey indicates that in 1996, California had only 566 Registered Nurses per 100,000 population, the lowest proportion in the country; and

Whereas, The current lack of financial support to Associate Degree programs makes it difficult for colleges to provide programs for persons who wish to complete an Associate Degree in nursing or continue their education towards a baccalaureate degree in nursing;

Whereas, Learning communities are a proven strategy to increase student retention and success; and

Whereas, Learning communities require support for faculty in order to create and sustain smaller, linked classes and the faculty development necessary to design new collaborative and integrated curriculum;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate research the variations, benefits, and elements of successful learning communities and present them in a breakout session; and