June

Julie’s Inbox

Q; I have a question regarding the relationship between hours and units. My question is specifically about lecture only courses. We have some lecture courses on campus which meet for more hours than would match the specific formula stated in the Program and Course Approval Handbook (PCAH). This variation to the formula seems allowable under the current state requirements if the out-of-class requirements are proportionally reduced. Am I correct in thinking this? And is there any sort of standard practice for indicating this variance on the COR?

Sincerely U2Hrs

Dear U2Hrs,

It’s Time to Integrate All Faculty Minimum Qualifications into the Disciplines List

As part of the Community College Reform Act (AB 1725) in 1988, the Disciplines List was established to replace the system of credentials that was in effect in Education Code. With this change, faculty, through the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, became responsible for recommending to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges the minimum qualifications for hiring faculty.

Call Me Maybe? : When to Contact the Chancellor’s Office and How to Find Information on Your Own

An important role of the California Community Colleges’ Chancellor’s Office is to support local colleges in various ways. The Chancellor’s Office (CO) is the official voice in terms of interpreting and implementing Title 5 and Education Code at the local level, but the CO also often provides details on following procedures and helps to disseminate important information. For these reasons, local colleges often call the Chancellor’s Office for guidance or assistance, and the CO staff understands the importance of responding as quickly and effectively as possible to such inquiries.

Embracing and Implementing New K-12 Standards in English, Mathematics and Science

In the last Rostrum, we introduced the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Mathematics and English Language Arts, as well as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), including proposed definitions of college-content readiness in those subjects. That article discussed the development process and current implementation timeline for California.

Beyond the Classroom: Fostering Local and Statewide Engagement in Our Faculty

The title of this article alludes to another Rostrum piece written in 2010 entitled “Beyond the Classroom: Fostering Civic Engagement in Our Students.” The previous article demonstrated that faculty aspire for civic engagement from students. We want our students to develop a sense of being part of a larger community, and we want them to contribute to, actively participate in, and take responsibility for their local and global community. We also seek to cultivate skills that will prepare students for productive citizenship and a strong sense of civic engagement.

Improving Major Preparationfor Transfer

The Intersegmental Committee of Academic Senates (ICAS) has been working for the last two years on a project to improve the lower division major preparation of students transferring to UC and CSU. The collaboration of the UC, CSU, and community colleges academic senates in ICAS has created a fledgling project called the Intersegmental Major Preparation Articulated Curriculum (IMPAC) based on the principle that direct, face-to-face meetings of discipline faculty are the best means of increasing articulation.

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