A G U I D E F O R FAC U LT Y

CREATING A COURSE OUTLINE OF RECORD

STEPS TO COURSE OUTLINE APPROVAL

Creation by the Faculty Member

Division Review and Approval

Curriculum Review and Approval

Board of Trustees Review and Approval

Chancellor’s Office Review and Approval

THE FORMS

• Course Outline Template

• Prerequisite Justification Form

• Division Approval Form

COMPONENTS OF THE COURSE OUTLINE

• Data Elements• Course Initiator • Justification for Need• Catalog Description• Semester Units• Course Hours• Prerequisites, Corequisites and Advisories• Objectives and Learning Outcomes• Course Outline and Scope• Instructional Methods• Textbooks

DATA ELEMENTS

• Data Elements – Coding elements required for various reasons including reporting purposes.

INDIVIDUAL DATA ELEMENTS• Subject Area and Course Number – Used as the course

identifier in the College Catalog. See CB01 in the Data Element Dictionary.• Subject Area is the Discipline in which the course belongs

such as Accounting (ACC) or Mathematics (MAT). This categorization also helps determine whether a potential instructor meets the minimum qualifications to teach the course.

• The course number is assigned depending on the educational level of the course. See “Course Numbering System” on page 81 of the College Catalog.

• Course Title - This element is the name of the course used in the College Catalog. See CB02 in the Data Element Dictionary.

INDIVIDUAL DATA ELEMENTS• New Course, Revised, Updated

(Course Outline of Record Guide, pgs. 64-66) • Check “New Course” if the course has never before been offered

at Palo Verde College.• Check “Revised” if the outline requires a full review by the

Curriculum Committee.• Check “Updated” if the outline is being updated as requested by

the CCCCO and only technical changes are being made.• Static ID – This field is not currently being used. • TOP Code - “The Taxonomy of Programs (TOP) is a system

of numerical codes used at the state level to collect and report information on programs and courses…each course should be given the TOP code that comes closest to describing the course content.” See CB03 in the Data Element Dictionary.

INDIVIDUAL DATA ELEMENTS• Credit Status Request – Indicates the credit status of a

course as defined in Title 5, Section 55002. See CB04 in the Data Element Dictionary

• Classification Code – Classifies a course in accordance with its primary objective. See CB11 in the Data Element Dictionary

• SAM Code – This code is used to indicate the degree to which a course is occupational, and to assist in identifying course sequence in occupational programs. See CB09 in the Data Element Dictionary.

• Course Prior to College Level – This element indicates course level status for English, Writing, ESL, Reading and Mathematics courses. See CB21 in the Data Element Dictionary.

INDIVIDUAL DATA ELEMENTS• Noncredit Category – This element classifies a noncredit

course in accordance with its primary objective within the nine state supported noncredit categories set forth in California Education Code 84757(a). See CB22 in the Data Element Dictionary

• Meets a Unique Need – This element demonstrates a need for a program or course that meets the stated goals and objectives in the region the college proposes to serve with the program. Need is determined by multiple factors, such as the Academic Master Plan of the college or district and accreditation standards.

• Course Duplicated – Is the course similar to another course or program on campus?

• Demand Enrollment Potential – The primary course purpose must meet a need.

INDIVIDUAL DATA ELEMENTS• Transfer Request – This element indicates whether or not

the course is transferable to the University of California (UC) and/or the California State University (CSU) systems on the basis of articulation agreements. See CB05 in the Data Element Dictionary.

• Articulation Request – Choose by checking the appropriate box to request that the Articulation officer submit the course outline to the appropriate system.

• Basic Skills – This element indicates whether the course is a basic skills course. See CB08 in the Data Element Dictionary.

• Funding Agency – This element describes whether or not a Chancellor’s Office Economic Development Grant was used to develop a course and/or curriculum. See CB23 in the Data Element Dictionary.

INDIVIDUAL DATA ELEMENTS• Course Program Status – This element indicates whether

or not a course is part of a Chancellor’s Office approved educational program. For PVC, approved programs would include Associate Degrees or Certificates of Achievement. See CB24 in the Data Element Dictionary.

• Co-Op Status – This element indicates whether the course is part of a cooperative work experience program. See CB10 in the Data Element Dictionary.

• Special Class Status – This data element indicates whether the course is an “approved special class” according to the provisions of Title 5, Section 56028, and is, therefore repeatable for apportionment purposes under the provisions of Title 5, Section 56029. See CB13 in the Data Element Dictionary.

COURSE INITIATOR ANDJUSTIFICATION FOR NEED

• Course Initiator• The faculty member creating the Course Outline. This

person is responsible for presenting the outline to the Curriculum Committee for approval.

• Justification for Need• Provide a brief description of the background and

rationale for the course. This might include a description of a degree or certificate for which the course is required or the relationship of this course to other courses in the same or other disciplines. “The Course Outline of Record: A Curriculum Reference Guide” gives several examples of need statements on p. 10-11. (Program and Course Approval Handbook, pg. 89)

CATALOG DESCRIPTION

• Catalog Description• The catalog description briefly conveys the content of the

course. The Academic Senate document titled “The Course Outline of Record: A Curriculum Reference Guide” describes the catalog description on p. 20-22. (Program and Course Approval Handbook, pg. 20)

UNITS AND HOURS• Semester Units• Units - Title 5 §55002(a)2B - The course grants units of credit based

upon a relationship specified by the governing board between the number of units assigned to the course and the number of lecture and/or laboratory hours or performance criteria specified in the course outline. (Course Outline of Record Guide, pg. 32)

• Course Hours• Title 5 §55002.5 establishes the minimum expected time on task

(lecture, study, and or lab work) that is necessary to award one unit of credit. A minimum of 48 hours on the semester system (or 33 hours on the quarter system) of lecture, study, lab work is required for one unit of credit regardless of term length. In practice, the number of hours varies among institutions, but is generally within the range of 48-54 hours per unit for colleges on the semester system. (Program and Course Approval Handbook, pg. 31)

PREREQUISITES, COREQUISITES AND ADVISORIES

• Prerequisites, Corequisites and Advisories (Program and Course Approval Handbook, pg. 35)• Prerequisite - a condition of enrollment that a student is required

to meet in order to demonstrate current readiness for enrollment in a course or educational program.

• Corequisite - a condition of enrollment consisting of a course in which a student is required to enroll in order to succeed in another course.

• Advisory - a condition of enrollment that a student is advised, but not required, to meet before or in conjunction with enrollment in a course or educational program.

To assign a prerequisite, corequisite or advisory to a course you must complete a Prerequisite Justification Form

OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Objectives and Learning Outcomes• The purpose of this section is to convey the primary

components leading to student achievement of the course’s intent. The objectives should highlight these components to ensure that course delivery causes students to achieve the intended learning results. They bring to the forefront what must be focused upon by any faculty delivering the course. (Course Outline of Record Guide, pg. 48)

COURSE OUTLINE AND SCOPE• Course Outline and Scope (Content)

(Course Outline of Record Guide, pg. 51)• The content element contains a complete list of all topics

to be taught in the course.• The list should be arranged by topic with sub-headings.• Content items should be subject based.• Title 5 §55002(c)1 The college and/or district curriculum

committee shall recommend approval of the course if the course treats subject matter and uses resource materials, teaching methods, and standards of attendance and achievement that the committee deems appropriate for the enrolled students.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS

• Instructional Methods• Each Instructional Method requires separate approval by

the Curriculum Committee• Face-to Face• Correspondence Education

• Correspondence courses• Hybrid Correspondence courses

• Distance Education• Online courses• ITV courses• Hybrid courses

TEXTBOOKS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

• Textbooks (Course Outline of Record Guide, pg. 40)• Texts and instructional materials should be completely

referenced: author, title, publisher, and date. • The primary text plays a central role in the articulation of a

course. It should be clearly recognized by those in the discipline at other institutions as a major work which presents the fundamental theories and practices of the subject.

• The currency of textbooks is an important consideration and can vary greatly from subject to subject. Some courses may use reference manuals that are long standing icons of their respective fields. On the other end of the spectrum, UC and CSU generally require texts that are no more than five years old. Explanations should be provided when texts are more than five years old.

DON’T FORGET!!!

All Course Outlines have to be approved by the appropriate

Division prior to Curriculum Committee

review.

Division Approval Form

RESOURCES

• California Education Code• California Education Code contains laws regarding community

colleges which are established by the Legislature. Referencing the Education Code helps the Curriculum committee to ensure compliance.

• California Code of Regulations – Title 5• Title 5 regulations are the working understanding of Education

Code. The California Community College’s Board of Governors is responsible for approving Title 5 regulations, and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) is responsible for implementation and compliance.

• Minimum Qualifications for Faculty and Administrators in California Community Colleges• This document, published by the CCCCO, lists every discipline and

the minimum qualifications required to teach in each discipline.

RESOURCES CONTINUED

• Data Element Dictionary• The Data Element Dictionary provides a description of the data to

be collected and reported to the state. This information is collected by the CCCCO through the MIS system.

• Taxonomy of Programs (TOP)• TOP codes serve a variety of purposes at the state level, such as

collecting data regarding student completions in certain programs and reporting on enrollment information and FTES in particular curriculum categories.

• The Course Outline of Record: A Curriculum Reference Guide• Created and published by the Academic Senate for California

Community Colleges, this Guide is designed to help faculty create a Course Outline of Record (COR) from planning to approval. This document explains every component of the COR in great detail.

RESOURCES CONTINUED

• Program and Course Approval Handbook• Created and published by the CCCCO, the intent of the handbook

is to assist California community college administrators, faculty and staff, who are responsible for designing new programs or courses, and submitting those programs or courses for approval.

• Palo Verde College Catalog• The Catalog offers important information for faculty such as

course and program requirements as well as college policies and procedures that pertain to Instruction.

• California Community Colleges Curriculum Website• This website is created and maintained by the Academic Senate

for California Community Colleges and includes information on all things Curriculum including Resources and Papers, Articulation and Compliance.

THE END

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this presentation please contact:

Lisa HolmesInstructional Services ManagerPalo Verde College(760) 921-5453lholmes@paloverde.edu