New Core Curriculum Review Committee Formed to Study Proposed Changes to 090 Component Area Option, and Proposal to Remove Non-Science Major Science Courses from the Associate of Science Degree

At the October 16 meeting of The Instructional Leadership Team (TILT), the Academic Vice Presidents and the Faculty Council agreed to re-convene the Core Curriculum Review Committee (CCRC) to study a proposal to revise the 090 Component Area Option of the Core Curriculum, and a proposal to remove “Non-Science Major” science courses from the Associate of Science degrees, in response to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board removing courses from the DCCCD Core beginning in Fall 2018.

Specifically, the THECB has expired Math 2342 and Math 2442 from the ACGM, and thus those courses must be removed. Second, and more significantly, the THECB has mandated that first year foreign language courses and sign language courses may not be included in the DCCCD Core Curriculum. This effectively means that, absent changes, students entering the DCCCD in Fall 2018 or thereafter would only be able to take a Speech class (SPCH 1311, 1315, or 1321) and a Physical Education course (PHED 1164), to complete the 090 Component Area Option of the DCCCD Core.   Of the 15,894 DCCCD college students who completed the Core Curriculum in 2014, 2015 and 2016 academic years, only 3,251 (20%) completed the Core with a Speech course—80% of the students took other courses that are now not able to be used to meet Core 2014 requirements in Fall, 2018 and later catalogs.  With the only option to complete the Core with Speech and Physical Education, it is projected that many fewer students would choose to complete the DCCCD Core and thus complete an Associate degree. Despite the data above, it could also mean that students will opt to compete the Core with us, using the only courses available to them in SPCH and PHED. This would push course need beyond our capacity.

Given these two possibilities, TILT agreed that the CCRC would be co-chaired by Shawnda Floyd, Vice President of Instruction at North Lake College, and Matt Hinckley, President of the Eastfield College Faculty Association. Floyd has served as a member of CCSST from 2014-2016 and has extensive experience working with the Guided Pathways initiative whose work will inform the CCRC. Hinckley co-chaired the Core Curriculum Steering Team from 2011 to 2014, and the Core Curriculum Review Committee from 2013 to 2015, and also has worked with Guided Pathways.

In keeping with the process and membership standards set by previous CCRCs, the CCRC will be composed of one faculty member from each of the nine Learning Categories of the DCCCD Core, plus one faculty member from each of the pre-Core disciplines of Learning Framework, Computer Literacy, ESOL, Developmental English, and Developmental Math. The CCRC will also add additional STEM, Allied Health, and CTE faculty to form a subcommittee to study the recommendation for the change to the AS degree. Faculty will be invited to participate by the co-chairs, and will be chosen to ensure a broad and diverse spectrum of perspectives, disciplines, longevity, ethnicities, and that all seven colleges, are represented. The co-chairs will use technology to ensure that faculty commitment to this initiative is not overly burdensome or time-consuming. To augment the knowledge base available to the CCRC, the CCRC will also include the following individuals: Nancy Faris, District Director of Academic and Student Records; Anna Mays, Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Policy; Joyce Williams, Associate Vice Chancellor for Workforce Education, Meredithe Greer, District Director, Curriculum Management; Don Perry, Executive Director, Compliance & Policy Formation & THECB Liaison; a Core Objective Assessment expert from one college; and an instructional dean with significant Core Curriculum experience from one college. Executive Vice Chancellor Justin Lonon will serve as ex-officio to the CCRC.

 

Charges to the CCRC:

The CCRC will be charged to:

1.            De-emphasize concerns over individual disciplines, colleges, and enrollment patterns, in favor of a global and network approach focused on student success and preparing students to succeed in transfer and in the workforce, to take a broad view of the organic whole of the Core Curriculum to develop, and provide opportunities to assess the student attainment of, the six Core Objectives (critical thinking, communication, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, social responsibility, and personal responsibility);

2.            Review research materials provided by the District Office for Educational Policy, including 60x30 Goals, and the Guided Pathways initiatives;

3.            Review foundational, philosophical, and historical documents and perspectives for the 2009 and 2014 Core Curricula and Core Revision process, including relevant AAC&U principles for general education learning and assessment.

4.            Review THECB requirements for the Texas Core Curriculum and study emerging trends from the THECB and other public Texas community colleges and universities.

5.            Conduct information gathering efforts electronically from discipline committees and faculty at all seven colleges to obtain broad stakeholder input, and consider input from major Dallas County employers provided through the Office of Workforce Education;

6.            Provide a set of recommendations for the 090 Component Area Option, and the inclusion or exclusion of non-science major science courses from the AS degree prior to January 29, 2018, for the Vice Presidents Council and Chancellors Staff to review and approve in advance of submission to THECB for possible adoption in the 2018-2019 DCCCD catalog. The CCRC is not to recommend any changes to any of the Foundational Component Areas of the Core.

In the coming days, CCRC Co-chairs Shawnda Floyd and Matt Hinckley will work to identify and recruit a broad and representative sample of faculty, with no less than two and no more than four faculty from each college, to populate the CCRC. The CCRC tentatively will convene for a first meeting on or around December 1, 2017, and a second meeting on or around January 19, 2018. Stakeholder District discipline committees should expect to receive charges in early December. Questions can be directed to Anna Mays, Shawnda Floyd, or Matt Hinckley . Academic Vice Presidents also can provide background information to their respective faculty.