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Topics.
Here are the issues to be addressed by each group (cleverly cataloged
by the group's initial.) Additional issues may be identified during the
process, but this is enough for now.
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| Courses and Curricula |
| C-1. Course and curriculum principles and guidelines. At
present there
do not seem to be clearly articulated understood, or applied principles
and guidelines regarding course and curriculum issues involving 290
(Topics)
courses, Practicum courses, Independent Study courses, creating
certificate
curricula in contrast to expanding the number of courses within an
existing
curriculum, and credits awarded to students repeating a course Our ICCB
recognition visit uncovered the fact that we were out of compliance
with
respect to offering 290 topics, for example. It’s clear we need to
develop
principles and guidelines, which can be clearly understood and
practiced
throughout the College.nbsp |
| C-2. Review of course catalog descriptions and prerequisites.
We have
not undertaken a comprehensive review of course descriptions and
prerequisites
with respect to clarity, grammar and consistency. Without changing
content
or substance it’s time to review these to ensure that we are accurately
and clearly communicating with students and transfer institutions. |
| C-3. Review of program descriptions in the catalog. Again, we
haven’t
reviewed our program descriptions for years. Given new chairs and new
directions
for many of our programs, it’s time to rewrite them with involvement
from
chairs, deans and College Relations to be sure we’re accurate and
consistent. |
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C-4. Generic course syllabi on the web and/or on S: What
should be our policy and practice regarding putting generic course
syllabi on the web and/or on S:? Who should be responsible?
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| Fees |
| F-1. Application and graduation fees. Last summer, using a
Perkins
grant, IT and Registration and Records staff identified more than 600
students
who had actually completed all requirements for a certificate in the
past
two years, but never applied for graduation. As a result, these
students
were not counted as “completers” for the purposes of the Graduation
Rate
Survey required by the federal government or for IBHE performance
indicator
reporting. Presently Oakton charges $25 for each graduation petition a
student submits, and a student must pay for each degree or certificate.
Anecdotally we’ve heard that some students don’t seek the official
certificate
or degree because they believe attendance at commencement would be
required
and they don’t want to attend. We’ve also heard they don’t want to pay
the fee, especially if multiple certificates and degrees are involved.
Our experience in finding more than 600 students certainly seems to
affirm
that they do not value the official certificate or degree, yet for
Oakton,
having more official completers is important for external reporting.
Might
we consider increasing the application fee by a modest amount—perhaps
$5—and
eliminating the graduation petition fee? Since most of our students do
not complete degree or certificate requirements, and since there could
be great public relations value in providing the graduation audit
without
charge, it’s highly probable that Oakton would not experience any
revenue
loss and would obtain positive public relations. And, we should be able
to increase students’ willingness to submit graduation petitions. The
Fee
task force is being asked to address the issue of graduation fees for
certificate
completers. |
|
F-2. Course fees. There are new guidelines for recommending
and setting course fees. Are there criteria or other guidelines that
should be developed with respect to course fees? F-3. Billing students.
Review the student billing process, including such concerns as term vs.
balance-forward billing, payment plan options, drop and reinstatement
criteria and dates, and payment due dates
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| Grading and SOAP |
| G-1. Term GPA, Cumulative GPA and SOAP status within a term.
We are
offering more and more courses that meet for only part of a semester;
e.g.,
the first 8 weeks. Currently grades for these courses are not
calculated
in GPAs, and a student cannot receive a transcript, before the
regularly-scheduled
end-of-term transactions. The Grading and SOAP task force is being
asked
to address the following: Should we recalculate GPAs in the middle of a
term, when a student completes a course? Should a student’s SOAP status
be changed in the middle of a term? Are there other issues related to
GPA
calculations and the SOAP status of students? |
G-2. Financial aid implications of the above. If Oakton recalculates
GPA and/or SOAP status in the middle of a term, what are the financial
aid implications? |
| G-3. What grade or indicator do we give if a course is
officially still
in progress beyond the end of a semester? As we move more and more to
flexible
scheduling, it’s likely we will schedule courses that go beyond the end
of a semester. What grade or indicator, if any, should appear on a
student’s
transcript if the course is still not over? This is different from an
Incomplete,
where the course has officially ended but the individual student has
been
granted an extended period of time in which to complete it. |
| G-4. The Forgiveness Policy. Currently when a student applies
for and
is eligible for the forgiveness policy, all F grades are expunged and
replaced
with a ‘Z’. The ‘Z’ does not appear on a student’s transcript. Should
there
be some Fs, such as those given for disciplinary reasons, that are not
eligible for the forgiveness policy? It seems there are other issues
associated
with the Policy, and it’s time to give it a broader review. Again, the
task force is being asked to propose a clearer institutional policy on
the Forgiveness Policy. |
| G-5. Withdrawal dates for courses. Currently students are
permitted
to withdraw up to the midterm date of a course without academic
penalty.
Should this date be changed? |
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G-6. Course repeatability, accrual of credits vs. use of high
grade. Should the College establish guidelines or rules for the number
of times a student can take the same course, and whether the credits
earned should accrue for calculating credits earned and GPA, or have
the highest grade only count? Should students be permitted to repeat
courses even if the ICCB will no longer reimburse the College because
the student has exhausted the number of times the course can be
repeated?
G-7. Acceptance of D grades in transfer . Currently Oakton
accepts D-grades in transfer, although most institutions accept only
grades of C or higher. Should Oakton revise our policy?
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|
| Scheduling |
| S-1. “Rules” governing course and section scheduling. Who
should determine,
both as standard practice and in special circumstances, number of
sessions/class
meeting minutes and related issues when classes are scheduled? There
are
ICCB requirements we must meet and possibly other expectations.
Currently,
we have few MWF courses, and numerous start – end times that have
effectively
limited the efficient use of some classrooms. It is time to review
scheduling
practices to ensure best pedagogy as well as most efficient use of
classroom
space. |
| S-2. Should we block a room for a class or event that meets
irregularly?
We may find more and more courses and other events that require a
classroom
or other space on an occasional basis. Should we block a room for this
activity even if it will take place only sometimes during the semester?
Doing so would prevent other classes or activities from using the room. |
| S-3. Principles for allocated space for classes. Should
principles
be developed regarding the allocation of space for classes? Who should
develop them? Examples of such principles include a) high demand
courses
that have lecture and lab components will be scheduled such that the
lecture
component is given priority over low enrollment courses to meet in
standard
classrooms and the lab component meets in the lab so as to maximize lab
utilization and the number of sections that can be scheduled; b) a
class
section that is cancelled for low enrollment in two consecutive falls,
or springs or summers (e.g., two consecutive fall semesters) will not
automatically
roll over onto the schedule for the third semester (e.g., the third
fall);
the course may be scheduled only after the regular rollover takes place
and provided there is evidence to indicate the course is likely to
garner
sufficient enrollment. |
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S-4. Late registration (added October 15, 2004). Should Oakton
revise the registration schedule to eliminate or limit late
registration (registration that takes place after classes have begun)?
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| Testing and Prerequisites |
| T-1. Prerequisite checks and blocking registrations. This is
not a
new topic, but as we consider a new student system it seems there
should
be a clear decision and understanding about whether and to what extent
we will permit students to register in courses for which they lack
prerequisites.
This issue is politically volatile and can be, at best, unevenly
implemented
since many of our students have taken prerequisite courses elsewhere
and
don’t have these credits evaluated or entered onto our student
information
database. |
| T-2. Mandatory placement tests (13-hour rule). Should we
continue to
require students to take placement tests before they can register for
their
13th credit? We look forward to working together to make thoughtful and
well-researched proposals about the College’s educational policies and
procedures. |
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