Columbia College

Academic Senate

Curriculum Committee Policies and Procedures

((Approved by Senate Council 9/30/05)

 

 

1.                  FUNCTION

 

The Curriculum Committee initiates action on and provides formal means to arrive at decisions on curriculum, related instructional matters, and academic policy.  The Committee is responsible for continuous review and revision of curriculum.

 

2.                  JURISDICTION

 

A.     The Curriculum Committee shall review and recommend appropriate action on each of the following.

1.      All proposals for new credit courses, including special topics.

2.      All proposals concerning other apportionment generating courses.

3.      All proposals for new programs (including both majors and certificates).

4.      All proposals to delete or reactivate courses or programs.

5.      All modifications in majors or certificates.

6.      All proposals for changes in course credit units or hours of instruction.

7.      All proposals for changes to graduation and CSU/UC general education breadth requirements.

8.      All proposals for prerequisites or changes in prerequisites.

9.      All changes in course descriptions.

10.  All distance learning offerings.

11.  Other proposals as agreed upon by the Committee.

 

B.     The following course modifications and proposals require administrative approval only and will be listed in the Curriculum Committee agenda as

Information Items

 

1.      All proposals concerning Community Service, fully fee-funded courses.

2.      All proposals concerning Contract Instruction (appropriate form will accompany proposal).

 

3.         COMPOSITION

 

A.     Members:

 

The committee shall be composed of seven voting members.  Voting members shall include seven faculty representing the following areas:

Arts & Sciences – 1 faculty member

Vocational Education – 1 faculty member

Learning Support Services – 1 faculty member

Articulation Officer

Three (3) Faculty at large

 

Non-voting members will include:          

Curriculum Committee Chair votes only in case of a tie

Vice President for Student Learning

Faculty Intern

 

B.     Resource/Liaison:

 

Director of Student Success/Matriculation or designee

Student (24 units minimum) appointed by the Student Senate

Dean of Learning Support Services

Dean of Instructional Services/ Arts and Sciences

Dean of Instructional Services / Vocational Education

 

C.     Chair:

 

The Committee shall be chaired by the Curriculum Committee Chair.  In the absence of the Curriculum Committee Chair, the designee of the Chair shall serve as the temporary Chair.

 

D.     Staff:

 

Support services from the Student Learning Office will be provided to the Curriculum Committee.

 

 

  1.             EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

 

A.      The executive committee of the Curriculum Committee shall consist of :

 

-         the Curriculum Committee Chair

-         the Articulation Officer

-         the designee of the Curriculum Committee Chair

-         the College Vice-President for Student Learning (or designee)

 

 

 

B.       The duties of the executive committee are to streamline and facilitate the process of curriculum development and maintenance.   More specifically, the executive committee shall:

 

-         interpret committee policies and procedures when appropriate.

-         act on behalf of the full committee under the emergency powers authority, or other specific authority granted by the full committee (for example, 70 and 170 courses).

-         verify follow up actions directed by the committee.

-         advise the curriculum committee chair concerning curriculum proposals, prior to the presentation of the proposal to the full committee.

-         recommend policies and procedures to the entire committee.

-         serve as a brainstorming group to find solutions to curriculum issues.

 

 

5.         SELECTION PROCESS

 

Faculty representatives to the Curriculum Committee shall be appointed by the Academic Senate President as outlined in the Academic Senate By-Laws.

 

6.         TERMS

 

Faculty members shall serve three year terms on a staggered basis.  A student representative may serve as liaison between the Curriculum Committee and Student Senate.

 

7.         RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CHAIR

            It shall be the responsibility of the Committee Chair:

 

A.     To propose an annual calendar and schedule of Committee meetings to the Executive Board.

B.     To solicit agenda items and set agendas.

C.     To attend meetings of the Curriculum Committee and its sub-committees or   arrange for an alternate when necessary.

D.     To facilitate Committee deliberations.

E.      To forward Committee recommendations to the Academic Senate President.

F.      To ensure training of those individuals new to the Curriculum Committee.

 

8.         RESPONSIBILITIES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS

            It shall be the responsibility of Committee members:

 

A.     To prepare for meetings by reviewing agendas and backup material in advance and consulting with others as appropriate.

B.     To recommend agenda items.

C.     To attend meetings of the Curriculum Committee, Curriculum Executive Board and its sub-committees or arrange for an alternate when necessary.

D.     To participate in Committee deliberations in a manner that represents the best interests of both the constituent group and the College as a whole.

E.      To provide feedback to constituent groups in a timely manner.

 

 

 

9.        MEETINGS

 

Curriculum Committee meetings shall be scheduled in accord with the College Master Schedule for Standing Committees.  Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the Chair or upon written request by a majority of the membership.

 

10.       SUB-COMMITTEES

The Curriculum Committee may establish ad-hoc sub-committees to deal with specific issues.  Such sub-committees may include some faculty, staff, and student representatives who are not members of the Curriculum Committee itself.

 

11.      PROCEDURES

 

A.     A written agenda shall be distributed to Committee members and full-time faculty members five days in advance of the meeting.

 

B.     All Committee deliberations shall be in accord with the current process (see Appendix A).

 

C.     A quorum shall consist of a majority of the voting members of the Committee.  No Action Items shall be considered in the absence of a quorum.

 

D.     All new course proposals and curriculum modifications must be submitted in accord with Curriculum Committee-approved forms and procedures (see Appendix B).  Proposals may originate with any faculty member, student, or member of the community.  Those proposals not originating with a faculty member must have faculty sponsorship from the appropriate discipline.

 

E.      The originator or designee of a proposal must be present at the Curriculum Committee meeting in which the proposal is being considered.

 

F.      Approved minutes of Committee meetings shall be electronically distributed to faculty Committee members, administrators, presenters, counselors, and Student Senate President, as well as being posted on the Academic Senate bulletin board.  A file of these records shall be maintained in the Student Learning Office, and its contents will be made available to any interested party via the Academic Senate website.

 

G.     At the close of the academic year, a summary of Curriculum Committee activities for that period shall be prepared by the Chair and submitted to the Vice President for Student Learning, the College President, the District Chancellor, and Board of Trustees.  Copies of that summary shall be distributed to Committee members for their review.

 

 

 

12.       IMPLEMENTATION

 

A.     The Vice President for Student Learning will make recommendations to the College President and the Yosemite Community College District Board.

 

B.     The Vice President for Student Learning will be responsible for implementation.

 

 13.      APPEALS

Any originator of a proposal or member of the Committee or faculty may appeal the actions of the Committee.  Such appeals shall be submitted in writing to the College President, with a copy to the Vice President for Student Learning, Academic Senate President and Curriculum Committee Chair no later than ten (10) working days following the distribution of the minutes of the meeting.  The College President shall provide a written response to the appealing party no later than ten (10) working days following the initial filing of the appeal.

 

Note:  This is a modification of the Policies and Procedures approved by the Academic Senate Council on 3/28/03 to reflect new administrative titles and positions now in effect.