COURSE REPETITION… or lack thereof

Changes to Title 5Fall 2013

Why?!

Ultimately this is a cost-saving measure. The state of California does not want to pay colleges to teach the same thing to the same student multiple times.

And the state does not want to pay us to teach a student the same type of skill (world dance, soccer, drawing) more than four times.

Bottom line…

My new mantra:

There is no such thing as a repeatable course at SMC… with very few exceptions.

Which courses?

• I am talking about courses that were previously designated as “repeatable” such as those in the visual and performing arts, cosmetology, and kinesiology/physical education.

• I am NOT talking about repeats for substandard grades and W’s (math, English, etc.)… yet.

• A student receiving an A, B, C or P cannot enroll in that course again unless an exception to the general rule applies that allows an additional enrollment(s) in that course.

REPEAT

No “clean slates”

• This is applied to all students and includes all past enrollments. There is no “grandfathering” or “clean slates.”

• All enrollments “count.” F’s and W’s “count.”• Military withdrawals do NOT count against the

student.

Repeatable Courses

Type 1. Courses for which repetition is necessary to meet the major requirement of CSU or UC for completion of a bachelor’s degree

Type 2. Intercollegiate Athletics

Type 3. Intercollegiate academic or vocational competition

Type 1Courses for which repetition is necessary to meet the major requirement of CSU or UC for completion of a bachelor’s degree

Example– Music ensembles, Music 92

The “evidence” is maintained in the Office of Academic Affairs.

COURSE COURSE TITLE# COURSE REPEATS* GROUP #

GROUP INCLUDES: Comments Evidence/Reason for allowed repeat

Music 64 Piano Ensemble 3Course may be taken a total of 4 times.

Music majors at the CSU/UC are required to participate in an ensemble every semester.

Type 2

Intercollegiate AthleticsAnything called VAR PE can be repeated once (2 enrollments) because 175 hours are permitted per year, and a student has two years of eligibility. VAR PE 60 can be repeated because it is “out of season” training– up to 175 hours per year. However, Kin PE can NOT be repeated.

Type 3

Intercollegiate competitionDebate, dance performance, theater arts performance, Corsair…

COURSE COURSE TITLE# COURSE REPEATS* GROUP #

GROUP INCLUDES: Comments Evidence/Reason for allowed repeat

Dance 57B

World Dance Performance 3 131 performance

Course may be repeated four times; group (55A, 55B, 57A, 57B, 59A) may be taken a total of four times.

All Dance performances are submitted to the intercollegiate competition, American College Dance Festival and, therefore, may be repeated up to four times.

Substandard grades in “repeatable” courses

A student can repeat a “repeatable class” to alleviate a substandard grade, but the total number of enrollments can NOT exceed the established maximum of 4.Suzy takes Music 64. She gets…1. W2. F3. W4. DShe’s done! No more enrollments of this course at SMC.

Other exceptions… Recency

Significant Lapse of Time… if the course is required by the district as a recency prerequisite, or another institution to which the student seeks to transfer requires the student to have taken the course more recently than the student’s last enrollment.• No less than 36 months.• Student must petition for the exception.

Other exceptions… Recency

Significant Lapse of TimeExample– SMC Nursing program requires that students take prereqs within 5 years of admission.

If Suzy took Anatomy in 2003, stopped out to care for an ailing family member, returns to apply for Nursing in 2008… she would be permitted to repeat those prereqs.

Other exceptions… Extenuating Circumstances

District policy may permit a student to enroll again in a course if the student’s previous grade in that course was due to extenuating circumstances (illness, accident, floods, fire…). This is allowed if:• The student achieved a grade in the previous

enrollment ,• The student files a petition,• The district finds the previous grade was a result of

extenuating circumstances

Other exceptions… special classes for students with disabilities

The District may permit students to enroll again in special classes in the following circumstances:1. Student’s success in other classes is dependent upon

additional repetition of this special class.2. Student needs to enroll again to be prepared for enrollment

in other classes or3. The student’s educational contract specifies a goal in which

additional enrollments in the special class will help further that goal.

Other exceptions… legally mandated courses

District may permit a repeat if the course is “required by statute or regulation as a condition of paid or volunteer employment.” Example– CPR. Two-fold requirement:1. The course is required by a statute or regulation as a

condition of employment AND2. The student is employed or seeking to be employed for a

paid or volunteer job for which the course is required.

Other exceptions… significant change in industry or licensure standards

District may permit repeat where there has been such a change in industry or licensure standards that repetition of the course is necessary for employment or licensure.

Active Participatory Courses

… one in which “individual study or group assignments are the basic means by which learning objectives are obtained.”

Typically this term refers to physical education, visual arts, and performing arts.

Courses “related in content”

Students are limited to four enrollments in courses that are “related in content.”

Courses are related in content when they have “similar primary educational activities in which skill levels or variations are separated into distinct courses with different learning outcomes for each level or variation.”

Courses “related in content”

Example– Kin PE 48 seriesCOURSE COURSE TITLE # COURSE

REPEATS*GROUP # GROUP INCLUDES: Comments

Kin PE 48A Beginning Swimming

0 21 swimming Kin PE 48A, 48B, 48C, and 48D are all swimming classes and related in content. Therefore a student may not have more than four experiences in the group, including substandard grades and W's.'

Kin PE 48B Elementary Swimming

0 21 swimming Kin PE 48A, 48B, 48C, and 48D are all swimming classes and related in content. Therefore a student may not have more than four experiences in the group, including substandard grades and W's.'

Kin PE 48C Intermediate Swimming

0 21 swimming Kin PE 48A, 48B, 48C, and 48D are all swimming classes and related in content. Therefore a student may not have more than four experiences in the group, including substandard grades and W's.'

Kin PE 48D Advanced Swimming

0 21 swimming Kin PE 48A, 48B, 48C, and 48D are all swimming classes and related in content. Therefore a student may not have more than four experiences in the group, including substandard grades and W's.'

What to do?

• Current students may get “caught in the middle” of this new regulation.

• We can create “levels” of courses related in content, but they must be distinct from one another in objectives and SLO’s and content.

• We must have a clear, logical, defensible rationale.