Reduce Course Enrollment Maximums as Needed to Satisfy New State Directives

Spring
2018
Resolution Number
17.03
 
Assigned to
Curriculum Committee
Category
Local Senates
Status
Completed
Status Report

Covered at South Curriculum Regional Fall 2018. Continued discussions occured at the 2019 Curriculum Institute. 

Whereas, The AB 705 (Irwin, 2017) requirement that community colleges maximize the probability that students complete transfer-level English and math courses by the end of their first year has resulted in several reforms to address developmental education needs of many students who will be placed in these courses;

Whereas, Active learning practices for developmental education documented by the Research and Planning Group in Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in California Community Colleges (2007) [1] anticipated greater one-on-one interaction between faculty and students within the classroom;

Whereas, Publicly available data on college websites and other sites, such as collegetuitioncompare.com, collegesimply.com, and cappex.com, show that colleges with smaller class sizes tend to have better graduation, transfer, and retention rates; and

Whereas, The role of administrators outlined in the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges’ paper Setting Course Enrollment Maximums: Process, Roles, and Principles (2012) [2] includes ensuring fiscal viability under enrollment-based funding but does not account for new state directives such as AB 705 (Irwin, 2017) and the Vision for Success; [3]

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges encourage local senates, in collaboration with collective bargaining agents, to advocate for reducing course enrollment maximums for courses with enrollment maximums exceeding discipline faculty recommendations for what is needed to maximize the probability of satisfying new state directives, such as AB 705 (Irwin, 2017) and the Vision for Success.

Acclamation

1. ttps://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED496117.pdf

2. https://www.asccc.org/sites/default/files/ClassCapsS12.pdf

3. http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/Portals/0/Reports/vision-f…