REPORT OF THE AIC ON CURRICULUM REVISION AND REVIEW

Sept. 10, 2002

1. Summary of the original problem:

The team was concerned that there continues to be no formal system, policy, or practice to ensure consistency of course content, objectives, and standards from the time curriculum is approved until the present. Their recommendations: 1) Periodic review of established core outlines should be formalized and institutionalized to assure the currency and continued appropriateness of curriculum content, instructional methods, course activities and objectives, and student competencies. 2) Division chairs should ensure that all syllabi are regularly compared to the core outlines to provide assurance that objectives and competencies for all sections of a given course, wherever and by whomever offered, are consistent with the outline of record for that course.

2. Present status of the problem:

The college has established a curriculum review process, developed core outlines, and set up an online Curriculum Central database, but the review of curriculum is not systematic and cyclical as recommended by the visiting team. There is still no policy or procedure set up to make it so. Also, critical curriculum is not consistently described in the core outlines, though progress has been made in “filling-in-the-blanks” in Curriculum Central.

3. Proposal of a solution:

The college will establish a policy and procedures that institutionalizes a process for the systematic and cyclical review of core outlines and course syllabi and that centers on the role of the faculty in examining and maintaining the courses in their disciplines.

At the end of the review, all core outlines will be complete, all individual course syllabi will have as their focus measurable student outcomes, the college will have a written Curriculum Review process that will include a system for refining and evaluating the

4. Proposal of a solution:

The college will establish a policy and procedures that institutionalizes a process for the systematic and cyclical review of core outlines and course syllabi and that centers on the role of the faculty in examining and maintaining the courses in their disciplines.

At the end of the review, all core outlines will be complete, all individual course syllabi will have as their focus measurable student outcomes, the college will have a written Curriculum Review process that will include a system for refining and evaluating the process, and the college will have established timelines for ongoing curriculum review.

5. Review by the campus community:

See the steps for review listed below, (5)

6. Shift from plan to implementation:

1. The report will be presented to the Faculty Senate and the Campus Council in April 2002.
2. The draft will be on the website in September 2002.
3. Campus forums will be held in October on the policy and procedures.
4. In November, the refined draft policy and procedures will be sent to the Faculty Senate/Curriculum Committee for discussion and debate.
5. If approved by the Faculty Senate, the DOI and Provost review and approve it.
6. At this point, the policy is adopted by the college and will be implemented under the direction of the Dean of Instruction.