Placement of Courses in Disciplines

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Placement of Courses in Disciplines

• Dan Crump, American River College
• Michelle Grimes-Hillman, Mt San Antonio College
• ASCCC Curriculum Institute, July 2008

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Overview

• Assigning courses to a discipline
• Disciplines List process
• Minimum Qualifications
• Cross-Listing
• Interdisciplinary

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The Pieces of the Puzzle
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Why Must Courses Be Placed in Disciplines?

• To indicate the academic preparation and
  occupational experience (if a non-Masters
  discipline) needed to teach the course.
• Required for all courses (credit and noncredit)
  for which the college receives apportionment.
• Not required for community service courses.

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Who determines the placement?

• Local senates maintain responsibility for placing
  courses in disciplines.
• Academic and professional matters includes (as
  first area) curriculum including establishing
  prerequisites and placement of courses within
  disciplines (Title 5 53200)
• The curriculum committee---usually an academic
  senate committee---is where the process occurs.

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Who can teach the course?

• Only those with the Minimum
• Qualifications for that discipline may teach
• the course.

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What are Minimum Qualifications?

• The state, through the Board of Governors,
  establishes minimum qualifications for teaching
  any credit or noncredit course, or as a counselor
  or librarian. In establishing and maintaining
  these MQs for faculty, the BOG shall consult
  with, and rely primarily on the advice and
  judgment of, the statewide Academic Senate. (Ed
  Code 87357)

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Local Minimum Qualifications

• A district may establish additional
  qualifications which are more rigorous than the
  state-established MQs.
• However, such local MQs cannot be less rigorous
  than the state-establish MQs.

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The Disciplines List
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The Disciplines List

• Disciplines organized into two Lists
• Disciplines requiring a Masters Degree
• Disciplines in which a Masters Degree is not
  generally expected or available
• Note a new category will soon be
• recommended to the BOG for adoption
• (Resolution 10.01, Spring 2008)
• Note A separate list for non-credit also exists
  (Title 5 53412)

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The Disciplines List

• Preparation maintenance of Disciplines List
  assigned to Academic Senate (Ed. Code 87357)
• Reviewed and revised every two years
• Works through local senates
• Consults with statewide organizations
• Vote on discipline changes at Session (next vote
  will be
• Makes recommendations to BOG

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The Disciplines List

• The official title of the document is Minimum
  Standards for Faculty and Administrators in
  California Community Colleges.
• The current edition is dated February 2008 and
  available at http//www.cccco.edu/Portals/4/minim
  um_quals_jan2008.doc

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Equivalencies

• A district may hire a person who possesses
  qualifications that are at least equivalent to
  the state minimum qualifications. The
  process, as well as criteria and standardsshall
  be developed and agreed upon jointly by the
  local governing board and the local academic
  senate. (Title 5, section 53430)

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What About Single-Course Equivalency?

• Ed Code and Title 5 refer to qualifications in
  terms of Disciplines not courses or subject areas
  within a Discipline (Ed Code 87357 Title 5
  53410 and 53430)
• Legal Opinion from Ralph Black, System Office
  Legal Counsel

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So.

• Faculty meet minimum qualifications in a
  discipline
• A course must be placed in a discipline (or more
  than one discipline) in order to determine who is
  qualified to teach it
• Only those faculty who meet minimum
  qualifications for a discipline can teach courses
  assigned to that discipline

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Principles on Placement

• The guiding principle is course content, not
  personnel issues or FTEs
• Base the decision to place a course in a
  discipline on the body of knowledge necessary to
  teach the course
• A decision of the local curriculum
• committee---a decision of the faculty

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Principles on Placement

• Regardless of the local situation, discipline
  faculty need to be involved in assignment of
  courses to disciplines.
• Remember
• Not all programs or department titles are
  disciplines Use the approved Disciplines List

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Principles on Placement

• A process for placement is needed, as well as a
  means of mediating disputes
• College vs. District
• If each college has its own curriculum, the
  placement of courses may vary
• Local control

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Principles on Placement

• When making a decision, the course content should
  be the driving force who is qualified to teach
  it?
• If Biological Psychology is assigned to
  Psychology, all those with Psychology minimum
  qualifications should be able to teach it

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Principles on Placement

• If there is no process for placing courses in
  disciplines, one is needed
• Local control/Faculty control
• Keep in mind ramifications if you determine
  that a course is interdisciplinary, will anyone
  be able to teach it?

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Placement of Courses in Disciplines

• For most courses, this is simple.
• Psychology 101 is placed in psychology, Sociology
  101 in sociology, etc..
• When does it get murky?
• Biological Psychology
• Social Psychology

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Cross-listing Courses

• Reason
• Course fits more than one discipline
• Advantage
• Individual with MQs in either discipline would be
  qualified to teach the course

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Cross-listing Courses

• Examples
• Economic History of the U.S.
• May be cross-listed with Economics and History
  disciplines and taught by faculty member with MQs
  for Economics or History
• Speech Communication 140 Journalism 140
• Course may be taught by faculty member with MQs
  for Journalism or Speech/Communication

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Cross-listing Courses
Potential Concerns May impact articulation
agreements May affect bumping rights
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Interdisciplinary Courses

• When to be considered?
• Course clearly does not fall within a single
  discipline
• It combines two or more disciplines to such a
  degree that the Masters for one of the
  disciplines and some preparation in one or more
  of the other constituent disciplines is required.

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Interdisciplinary Courses

• More specialized preparation required than with
  cross-listed courses
• Interdisciplinary Studies Masters in the
  interdisciplinary area OR Masters in one of the
  disciplines included in the interdisciplinary
  area and upper division or graduate course work
  in at least one other constituent discipline.

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Interdisciplinary Courses

• More specialized preparation required than with
  cross-listed courses
• If Western Civilization listed as
  Interdisciplinary
• Components may be art, philosophy, literature
  Instructor qualifications require the Masters in
  one of the disciplines and some preparation in
  one or more of the other disciplines.
• Qualifications must be based on course
  description of record.

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Resources

• Equivalence to the Minimum Qualifications.
  ASCCC. 2006.
• Qualifications for Faculty Service in the
  California Community Colleges minimum
  qualifications, placement of courses within
  disciplines, and faculty service areas. ASCCC.
  2004.
• Minimum Qualifications for Faculty and
  Administrators in California Community Colleges.
  Chancellors Office. 2008.

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• Questions on anything and everything