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Glendale Community College District                                                                    6141.7

Administrative Regulation

 

Course Prerequisites, Corequisites, and Advisories on Recommended Preparation

 

Course prerequisites, corequisites, and advisories on recommended preparation, as defined below, may be adopted when, in the judgment of the faculty of the College, the proposed prerequisite, corequisite, or advisory on recommended preparation is educationally necessary and statistically significant in predicting student success in a course or program.

 

I.                     Definition of Prerequisites, Corequisite, or Advisory on Recommended Preparation:

 

A.        Basic Skills Prerequisite, Corequisites, or Advisories on Recommended Preparation: A mandatory or advisory statement regarding the minimum skills in reading, writing, oral communication, or mathematical computation that has been found to predict student success in a course or program of study.

 

B.                 Student Safety Prerequisite: A basic skills prerequisite, corequisite, or advisory recommended by the appropriate faculty, assures that the student possesses the necessary basic skills required to safely participate in a course or program. This type of prerequisite, coresquisite, or advisory must be validated with criteria (e.g., reading levels) directly related to the student’s ability to “safely” participate in assigned course activities.

 

C.                Sequential Course Prerequisite: The successful completion (with presumed mastery of course content) of a specific course as a requirement for eligibility to a more advanced course in the same, or a closely related, discipline.

 

II.                   Definition of Limitations on Enrollment:

 

The types of limitation on enrollment specified below may only be established through the curriculum review process by the discipline or division faculty and final approval by the Academic Affairs Committee.

 

A.                 Performance Courses: Each college may establish audition or try-out as a limitation on enrollment for courses that include public performance or intercollegiate competition, such as (but not limited to) band, orchestra, theater, competitive speech, chorus, journalism, dance and intercollegiate athletics with the following provisions:

 

1.                  For any certificate or associate degree requirement that can be met by taking this course, there is another course or courses which satisfy the same requirement; and

 

2.                  The college includes in the course outline of record a list of each certificate or associate degree requirement that the course meets, and also a list of the other course or courses which meet the same requirement.

 

3.                  Limitations on enrollment established for performance courses shall be reviewed during program review or at least every six years to determine whether the audition or try-out process is having a disproportionate impact on any historically under-represented group and, if so, a plan shall be adopted to seek to remedy the disproportionate impact. If disproportionate impact has been found, the limitation on enrollment may not be printed in subsequent catalogs or schedules nor enforced in any subsequent term until such a plan has been endorsed by the department and put into effect by the college administration. (See also Section 5502 (e) and 55512.)

 

B.                 Honors Courses: A limitation on enrollment for an honors course or an honors section f a course may be established if, in addition to the review by the faculty in the discipline or division and by the Academic Affairs Committee as provided above, there is another section or another course or courses at the college which satisfy the same requirements. If the limitation is for an honors course and not only for an honors section, the college must also include in the course outline of record, a list of each certificate or associate degree requirement that the course meets and of the other course or courses which meet the same associate degree or certificate requirement.

 

C.                Blocks of Courses or Sections: Blocks of courses or blocks of sections of courses are two or more courses or sections for which enrollment is limited in order to create a cohort of students. Such a limitation on enrollment may be established if, in addition to review by the faculty in the discipline or division and by the Academic Affairs Committee as provided above, there is another section or another course or courses which satisfy the same requirement. If the cohort is created through limitations on specific sections of courses, then the college must include in the course outline of record a list of each certificate or associate degree requirement that the course meets and of the other course or courses which satisfy the same associate degree or certificate requirement.

 

III.                  Criteria for Prerequisites and Corequisites:

 

A.                 Basic Skill Prerequisites and Corequisites: For purposes of identifying and implementing the use of a basic skills prerequisite, the following standards must be met:

 

1.                  The basic skill must be measurable, using two or more uncorrelated examination or assessment strategies.

 

2.                  The basic skill must be judged by the faculty of the College to be educationally necessary for a student’s success in the course or program.

 

3.                  The must be a correlation, as demonstrated by appropriate statistical analysis, between the basic skill levels and student success in the course or program.

 

B.                 Safety Prerequisites and Corequisites: For purposes of identifying and implementing the use of a “basic skill” to assure the student’s ability to “safely” participate in a program of study, the following standards must be met:

 

1.                  The basic skill must be measurable, using two or more uncorrelated assessment techniques (e.g. high school grades) or standardized basic skill tests.

 

2.                  The basic skill must be judged by a panel of appropriate faculty experts as necessary to assure the student’s safe participation in the instructional program. The membership of the panel will be as follows:

 

a.                  At least two members representing the affected division (one of whom teaches the course); and,

 

b.                  One member experienced in the instruction or assessment of the basic skill to be used as a prerequisite or corequisite (i.e., an instructor of Reading would assist in determining the appropriate reading levels required for a student to safely participate in a science lab).

 

3.                  The basic skill level required as a prerequisite or corequisite for the class or program will be established in consultation with appropriate faculty members within the division or discipline offering the class, with faculty who are “experts” in teaching or assessing the “basic skill,” and with staff from the Office of Research and Planning.

 

C.                Sequential Intra-Departmental Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: For purposes of identifying and validating “sequential course” prerequisites and corequisites, the following content-review standards will be used:

 

1.                  A sequential course prerequisite or corequisite may be established when there is a clear and educationally sound relationship between the knowledge, concepts, terms, or operational skills developed in one course and the successful completion of the “higher-level” course.

 

2.                  In determining when such a prerequisite or corequisite should be considered, faculty members within the discipline shall recommend, based upon their professional expertise and knowledge, the appropriate course(s) which will serve as a prerequisite or corequisite for a higher-level course within the same or a closely related discipline.

 

3.                  Where a sequential course prerequisite or corequisite is proposed for a newly-developed course, or is proposed as a change in prerequisite or corequisite for an existing course, the following documentation must be on file in the Office of Research and Planning:

 

a.                  Departmental minutes of discussion,

 

b.                  The record of the vote and a determination of whether the course meets the academic standards required for degree applicable courses, non-degree applicable courses, non-credit courses, or community service respectively.

 

The record of this discussion should reflect exit and entry expectations for the courses and a clear connection between the prerequisite or corequisite exit competencies and the entry expectations for the course.

 

D.                Inter-Departmental Prerequisites and Corequisites: For purposes of identifying and validating inter-departmental course prerequisites and corequisites, one of the following validations must occur in addition to the content review described in Section C (above):

 

1.                  At least three (3) U.C. and/or three (3) C.S.U. campuses reflect equivalent prerequisites or corequisites for the equivalent course.

 

2.                  Statistical research is conducted to validate the prerequisite or corequisite.

 

a.                  The responsibility for the evaluation of course prerequisite and corequisite is shared between the instructional division in which the course is taught and the Office of Research and Planning.

 

b.                  No single research design of methodology will be used in the process of validating course prerequisites or corequisites. Rather, the Research and Planning staff will work with instructional faculty to determine the appropriate strategy fodr validating proposed prerequisites or corequisites.

 

c.                  For purposes of statistical validation, a prerequisite or corequisite will be considered valid when the student success rate is predicted at a level of 60% or higher. For these purposes, student success is considered to be measured by a final grade of “C” or better (or Credit) in the course in question.

 

d.                  In such cases as when the College is conducting validation studies, the prerequisite or corequisite may be established for a period of not more than two years during which the research is being conducted and the final determination is made.

 

E.                 Program Prerequisites: Any prerequisite established or proposed for a program (i.e., nursing program) must be approved as provided for a course prerequisite in regard to at least one course that is required as part of the program.

 

F.                 Recency and Measures of Readiness Prerequisites: For purposes of identifying and implementing the use of recency and other measures of readiness as prerequisites or corequisites, the following standards must be met:

 

1.                  Data are collected in one of the following areas: a) comparison of faculty appraisals of students’ readiness for the course; b) student appraisal of necessity of prerequisite or corequisite, students must have completed or be currently enrolled in the course being appraised: c) comparison of students’ performance at any point in the course with completion of the proposed prerequisite or corequisite; and, d) comparison of student performance in the course to their scores on assessment instruments.

 

2.                  A list of specific skills a student must possess in order to be ready to take the course is included in the course outline of record.

 

IV.               Criteria for Advisories on Recommended Preparation:

 

When information is insufficient to establish a course prerequisite or corequisite, advisories on recommended preparation may be established as follows:

 

A.                 Basic Skills Advisories on Recommended Preparation: Based on content review (including test review and performance expectations), a department, in conjunction with appropriate English/ESL/Math faculty, may establish expected Reading, Writing, Listening/Speaking, and/or Math Skills Expectations.

 

B.                 Safety Advisories on Recommended Preparation: The individual student’s skill or capacity necessary for success in the course must be judged by a departmental faculty member or a medical professional.

 

C.                Sequential Advisories on Recommended Preparation: Based on a departmental content review, students may be advised on an order or sequence of course taking.

 

D.                The following documentation must be on file in the Office of Research and Planning:

 

1.                  Departmental minutes of discussion,

 

2.                  The record of the vote and a determination of whether the course meets the academic standards required for degree applicable courses, non-degree applicable courses, non-credit courses, or community service respectively.

 

V.                 Program Review:

 

A.                 Prerequisites, corequisites, and limitations on enrollment will be reviewed at least once every six years. This review will correspond with the College’s program review cycle.

 

B.                 Advisories on Recommended Preparation will be reviewed for reaffirmation simultaneously with the College’s program review cycle.

 

C.                The following documentation must be on file in the Office of Research and Planning:

 

1.                  Departmental minutes of discussion,

 

2.                  The record of the vote and a determination of whether the course meets the academic standards required for degree applicable courses, non-degree applicable courses, non-credit courses, or community service respectively.

 

VI.               Implementing Prerequisites, Corequisites, and Limitations on Enrollment:

 

A.                 In the event that a discipline or a division wishes to change a prerequisite, corequisite, or a limitation on enrollment, that discipline or division will follow the procedures outlined above and will forward the recommended change(s) to the Academic Affairs Committee for approval.

 

B.                 The Academic Affairs Committee will evaluate for implementation requests for new or revised prerequisites, corequisites, and limitations on enrollment. A vote to approve will be required for implementation.

 

C.                Documentation of approved prerequisites, corequisites, and limitations on enrollment will be maintained in the Office of Research and Planning.

 

VII.              Implementing Advisories on Recommended Preparation:

 

A.                 The Academic Affairs Committee must approve any and all advisories on recommended preparation before publication in campus materials.

 

B.                 Documentation of approved advisories on recommended preparation will be maintained in the Office of Research and Planning.

 

Adopted: 6/22/92

Revised: 12/19/94

 

 

VIII.      Ensuring that all courses including those which serve as prerequisites or         corequisites or which have prerequisites or corequisites are taught in accord with      the course outline:

 

A.        Each instructor will address the objectives specified in the course outline on file in the Office of Instruction.  By the end of the second class meeting, the instructor will provide to all students a written copy of the class overview. The class overview will include all of the information identified by the headings, although that information need not be presented in the format shown.  The description following each heading is to be taken only as an example of the information to be given under that heading.

 

B.        Each instructor will provide the evidence of compliance (examples: class overview, sample examinations, student work) requested by the division chair or appropriate administrator or designee. Failure either to teach in accordance with the current course outline or to provide the requested evidence will be incorporated into the instructor’s evaluation.

 

C.        A statement will be included in the catalog stating that the student can expect to receive a copy of the Class Overview by the end of the second class meeting.

 

CCR Section 55201(b)

 

Approved:      1/30/96

Revised:         4/9/96

 

 

CLASS OVERVIEW

 

The class overview will include all of the information identified by the headings, although that information need not be presented in the format shown.  The description following each heading is to be taken only as an example of the information to be given under that heading.

 

I.          Rationale

The reason for offering the course should be stated.  If in doubt, check the official course outline.

 

II.          Prerequisite(s)

The prerequisite(s) can be copied from the catalog and official course outline.

 

III.         Course Objectives

            Students should understand what the course aims to teach them.

 

IV.        Attendance/absence/tardiness policy

Emergency should be clearly defined (serious illness or death of close family member, student’s illness corroborated by a physician, jury duty, earthquake, flood, fire, etc.)  Students should be informed precisely of the results of too many unexcused absences or tardies.

 

V.        Grading method

Student should be informed of the teacher’s method for arriving at grades.

 

VI.        Exam makeup policy

Students should be told how many exams, if any, can be made up, how they are to be made up and where.

 

VII.       Academic dishonesty policy

Students should be advised that Glendale College has an Academic Dishonesty policy and told where it can be found.   Incidents of academic dishonesty should be referred to the Vice-President of Instruction’s office.

 

VIII.      Course materials

Students should be informed about the textbooks and other materials for the class and told whether each is required or recommended.

 

IX.        Class requirements and instructor expectations

This section states the instructor’s expectations for the class.  It also explains special requirements specific to the class, such as lab requirements, excursions, outside projects, etc.

 

X.        Office hours and telephone number

Full-time faculty members should list their office location, office hours, and office telephone number.  Adjunct faculty members should inform students how to reach them.

 

XI.        Schedule of assignments

The schedule of assignments should cover the contents of the formal course outline and should reflect a tentative schedule of topics and assignments so students know what is expected of them.

 

Approved by Academic Affairs on 10/25/95 & 11/29/96.

Approved by the Academic Senate on 1/18/96.

Approved by Campus Executive on 1/30/96.

CCR Section 55201(b)