Whereas, The version of the Distance Education Guidelines currently in use was approved in 2008, and for at least the last four years the Chancellor’s Office Distance Education and Educational Technology Advisory Committee (DEETAC), composed of stakeholders including representatives of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, California Community Colleges Distance Education Coordinators, Chief Instructional Officers, and Chief Executive Officers, has updated the guidelines with the intent of releasing these updates to the field, and, as evidenced by Resolution 9.06 S19 calling on the ASCCC to endorse draft distance education definitions in the Distance Education Guidelines and partner with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and partner organizations to disseminate the definitions, expected a timely release of the guidelines;
Whereas, In fall of 2019 DEETAC was charged by the Chancellor’s Office with updating the Distance Education Guidelines by removing any effective practices that were not mandated in Title 5, and this update, along with the creation of a compendium of effective practices, was completed by a DEETAC workgroup composed of multiple constituencies in September 2020;
Whereas, The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) relies only on the federal definitions of distance education for their standards and policies, and while California community colleges may be in compliance with the Title 5 requirements, they may not be in compliance with the federal regulations and ACCJC requirements, necessitating that the Distance Education Guidelines be a document providing guidance on state- and federal-related distance education statutes; and
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges provides assistance to local academic senates and curriculum committees to support colleges in maintaining compliance with all state, accreditation, and federal distance education requirements;
Resolved, That Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to release the Distance Education Guidelines and related Compendium of Effective Distance Education Practices and, if necessary, pursue other opportunities to release the compendium to colleges if a timely release will not happen in any other way.
MSC