This is the district administrative regulation governing new courses, additions of existing courses, and changes to courses.

1. BACKGROUND FOR CURRICULUM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges has adopted regulations establishing distinct sets of standards for courses which may or may not be applied for credit toward the associate degree. In addition, the Board of Governors requires that noncredit courses be approved through the same local curriculum review and approval process as that required for credit courses. Title 5, sections 55000-55202 provide the regulatory framework for curriculum approval. The college and/or district curriculum committee shall be established by mutual agreement of the college and/or district administration and the academic senate. The committee shall either be a committee of the academic senate, or a committee which shall include faculty and may otherwise be comprised in any way that is mutually agreeable to the college and/or district and the academic senate. Regulations require that all courses at a community college be reviewed and approved for recommendation by a college curriculum committee, and/or when applicable a district curriculum committee be established in a manner that is acceptable to the local academic senate, as well as the campus or district administration. This means that the academic senate must approve the process and structure of the committee charged with curricular review and approval. Once the process and structure of the curriculum committee have been established, this committee will then serve as the required body to which all course and program changes for the college will be submitted. The curriculum committee will also serve as the body that determines the appropriateness of prerequisites for all college courses and pre-collegiate basic skills courses.

2. DISTRICT CURRICULUM COMMITTEEE

A District Curriculum Committee shall be established to recommend policies and procedures concerning curriculum development, oversee the curriculum approval process, and in certain instances, to make recommendations to the District Senate on curriculum proposals.

These instances shall be cases in which technical or other problems are identified in curriculum proposals approved and recommended by the College Curriculum Committee, Senate, and the College President, as described in Section B., Curriculum Development, below.

The District Curriculum Committee will be a standing committee of the District Academic Senate.

The composition of the committee is as follows:

* The nine local college faculty chairs of the college curriculum committees (9)

*The President and Vice President of the DAS (2)

*A faculty member representing AFT (Article 32, C Agreement) (1)

Student (1) selected by Student Affairs Committee

An Articulation Officer (1) selected by college Articulation Officers

Academic Affairs Vice President (1)

Educational Services Instructional and Student Support Services representative (1)

(* Indicates voting member)

A quorum will consist of 7 members. Other Academic Vice Presidents or faculty may serve as resource persons. The committee will be chaired by the Vice President of the District Academic Senate.

3. CURRICULUM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

This regulation applies to proposals for new, added, reinstated and/or deleted courses and to proposals for changes in course number, title, units, or hours. These procedures are the recognized curriculum procedures of the LACCD as required by Title 5 of California Code of Regulations.

These procedures are recognized as the exclusive curriculum development and approval procedures for the Los Angeles Community College District.

a. New Courses

STEP 1 and 2: A new course proposal or curricular change will be initiated by a faculty member/faculty members and approved by a majority of faculty within the discipline at the college.

STEP 3: Approved proposals will be forwarded to the chair of the college Curriculum Committee and the Vice President of Academic Affairs or designee for technical review. The Vice President of Academic Affairs (or designee) will provide copies (electronic or hard copy) of the Course Outline of the proposed course to the Instruction and Student Support Division. The Instruction and Student Support Division will assign a course number and, if necessary, a subject and/or TOP code, and place the course on the District's wide-area network (provided that the course outline are provided in a standard electronic format).

Instruction and Student Support Services will notify the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Curriculum Committee Chair, and the Articulation Officer at the other colleges in the District, as well as appropriate Discipline Committee Chairs, Senate Presidents and local Curriculum Committee Chairs of the proposed new course(s). These parties have twenty (20) working days to forward any comments to the college proposing the course. These parties do not have the authority to stop the approval of the course, but they may express concerns they would like the initiating college to consider.

STEP 4: After twenty (20) working days, the proposed new course will be placed on the agenda of the college curriculum committee for action in accordance with the college's curriculum approval process.

STEP 5: Each proposal approved by the Curriculum Committee will be forwarded to the college Academic Senate for consideration. Senate recommendations will be forwarded to the Vice President of Academic Affairs. The Vice President will forward his/her recommendation, along with the recommendation of the Senate to the College President.

STEP 6: The College President will forward his/her recommendation to the Instruction and Student Support Division for notification through the District's wide area network (hard copy notification will also be provided where necessary).

STEP 7: Within ten (10) working days, the Instructional and Student Support Division will place the proposal on the next agenda of the Board of Trustees.

STEP 8: Following Board Action, the Instructional and Student Support Division will enter the new course(s) into the course database and provide appropriate notification to the DAS President and Vice President, Senate Presidents and Curriculum Committee Chairs, Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs, and appropriate discipline chairs.

            b. Changes to Existing Courses

Changes in the Curriculum shall be initiated and approved at the college level by the faculty in the discipline and or department/division/cluster in consultation with the college administration, and college articulation officer.

Proposals for curriculum changes which are recommended by the college faculty in the discipline or department/division/ cluster, the college curriculum committee, and the college senate shall be forwarded by the college President to Instructional and Student Support Services who will distribute copies to: The President and Vice President of the District Academic Senate, College Senate Presidents, College Curriculum Committee Chairs, appropriate Discipline Committee Chairs, and the Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs.

Any of these individuals may request that the proposal be placed on the Agenda of the District Curriculum Committee for discussion. Such Agenda requests must be made in writing to the Chair of the District Curriculum Committee (VP DAS) within 20 working days of receipt of proposal. The District Curriculum Committee Chair and Senior Director of Instructional and Student Services will log receipt of requested changes for the purpose of defining this time period.

If, after twenty (20) working days no Agenda requests are received, the Chair of the District Curriculum Committee will so indicate on the proposal and will advise the District Senate President who will present the item to the Senior Director of Instructional and Student Services so that the recommended changes can be made to the course(s).

If District Curriculum Committee Agenda requests are received within the twenty (20) working day period they will be placed on the Agenda of the next meeting. The Agenda will be prepared and distributed by the Chair of the District Curriculum Committee after consultation with the Senior Director of Instructional and Student Support Services, and with the assistance of staff provided by Instructional and Student Support Services.

c. Added Courses

The Addition of existing District courses to a college’s curriculum shall be initiated and approved at the college level by the faculty in the discipline and or department/division/cluster in consultation with the college administration, and college articulation officer.

Proposals for added courses which are recommended by the college faculty in the discipline or department/division/cluster, the college curriculum committee, and the college Senate shall be forwarded by the college President to Instructional and Student Support Services Division which will place the course in the District course database.

d. Experimental/Emergency Action

Colleges may offer an experimental/emergency course as a "99" on a provisional basis for one full academic year if the course is approved by the college's curriculum approval process. Courses will be given a "99" number designation. Copies of the course description shall be sent to the District Instructional and Student Support Division for distribution as listed above.

During the second semester, the college must submit a complete course proposal with a regular course number. The "99" course shall be terminated at the end of the second semester.

e. Modules

The modularization of existing courses shall be initiated and approved at the college level by the faculty in the discipline and or department/division/cluster in consultation with the college administration.

Proposals for modularized courses which are recommended by the college faculty in the discipline or department/division/cluster, the college curriculum committee, and the college Senate shall be forwarded by the College President to the Educational Services Division which will place the modules in the District course database and on the Agenda of the District Curriculum Committee as information items.

4. DISTRICTWIDE DISCIPLINE COMMITTEES

Districtwide discipline committees, formed according to District Senate guidelines and/or otherwise approved by the District Academic Senate, may be consulted by Disciplines at a college, by College Curriculum Committees, the Chancellor (or designee), the District Curriculum Committee, and/or by the District Senate, as needed. Topics which may be referred to a discipline committee by any of these constituencies might include, but are not limited to, renumbering of courses, restructuring of graduation requirements, restructuring of competency requirements, uniformity of course content across the district, and articulation with four year colleges and high schools.

District Discipline Committees may also initiate the discussion of these or other issues and make recommendations in turn to any of these groups as the need arises. However, recommendations on the curriculum as listed above, must be initiated at the college level as described.

5. REVIEW OF CURRICULUM PROCESS

The procedures described in this regulation may be reviewed, changed, or adjusted subject to the mutual agreement of the DAS and the Chancellor.

(Each college Senate will determine local curriculum approval

process within guidelines established by Title 5)

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