General: District Curriculum Committee (DCC) - Operational Procedures

For a Quick Navigation... Review of DCC Operational Procedures DCC Meetings Composition of Committee Meetings and Agendas Dates of the DCC Meetings MCCCD Curriculum Processing Calendar Roles and Responsibilities of the DCC General Meeting Online Meeting MCCD Resource Personnel Supporting the Work of the DCC Follow-Up

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The District Curriculum Committee Operational Procedures are to be followed in the preparation for, the implementation of, and the follow-up of all District Curriculum Committee (DCC) meetings.

Review of District Curriculum Committee Operational Procedures (Back to Top)

The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, together with designated college faculty and administrators, will be responsible for reviewing and updating the District Curriculum Committee Operational Procedures on an annual basis or as needed. Generally, the revised document is sent to the District Curriculum Committee for first reading in April and then placed on the May agenda for action. It will be the responsibility of each person affected by this document to carry out all of its requirements.

District Curriculum Committee Meetings (Back to Top)

The District Curriculum Committee uses the following processes to conduct business meetings per the schedule defined in the MCCCD Curriculum Processing Calendar.

General Meetings will be devoted exclusively to District Curriculum Committee business that includes but is not limited to the following:

General education review and recommendations,
Associate in Transfer Partnership Degrees,
Catalog Common Pages Review,
District Curriculum Committee Planning

Online Review and Approval of Monthly Processed Curriculum Proposals

The District Curriculum Committee uses an on-line system’s approach to take action on proposed courses and occupational programs processed for approval.

Composition of Committee (Back to Top)

The District Curriculum Committee is composed of the following individuals:

	Chair: Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Voting Members: Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs and Faculty Representative from each MCCCD college (20 total). Faculty representatives are selected by their respective colleges by whatever process they determine. Ex Officio (Non-voting members):
		MCCCD:	District Director of Curriculum and Support Systems General Studies Faculty Representative District Director of Curriculum and Transfer Articulation Representative from:
				Admissions Directors Occupational Deans Advisement Vice Presidents of Student Affairs
	ASU Tempe Campus: Assistant Vice Provost

Meetings and Agendas (Back to Top)

Agenda items for upcoming District Curriculum Committee meetings must be submitted to the MCCCD Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation according to the MCCCD Curriculum Processing Calendar. Agenda items will be received from the Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs or the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

The General Agenda items are placed in the following order: 

Welcome and/or IntroductionsApproval of DCC Meeting Summary
First Reading Items
New Action Items (courses, programs)
New Action Items (other)
Discussion Items
Informational items
MCCD Course Proposal(s): ASU General Studies Program
Other
College/District Updates
Adjournment

The Online DCC Curriculum Processing Agenda items are placed in the following order:

Second Reading Action Items (Courses, Programs, Shared Programs)
New Action Items (Courses, Programs)
Action: Course(s) and/or Program(s) Affected by Course Modifications in Process
Informational Items
First Reading Items: Course Modifications Change in End Term, Shared Programs)
New and/or Modified Subjects In Process for DCC General Meeting Action
Experimental Courses Approved for Addition to the Course Catalog
Addition of Common Competencies Courses to the Existing Series in the Course Catalog

Items on the agenda are placed in alphabetical sequence by subject code (prefix/number) or program title within each section of the agenda. Rearrangement of the agenda items may be made at the meeting at the discretion of the committee members.

When agenda items are tabled or not recommended by the Committee, reasons will be stated in the Summary of Committee Action.

Should time remain at the close of the general meeting, remaining non-agenda items will be covered "one-at-a-time" with a limit of five minutes for each item.

Guests of the District Curriculum Committee general meeting may present pertinent information and answer questions. Names of guests and observers should be submitted to MCCCD Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation prior to the curriculum meeting. 

Dates of the District Curriculum Committee Meetings (Back to Top)

District Curriculum Committee general meetings are held the first Monday of the month as specified on the MCCCD Curriculum Processing Calendar with the first meeting generally held in September. Summer meetings (July, August) may be called at the option of the District Curriculum Committee.

MCCCD Curriculum Processing Calendar (Back to Top)

The MCCCD Curriculum Processing Calendar is updated on an annual basis by the MCCCD Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation. The calendar is submitted to the District Curriculum Committee for action in May.

Role and Responsibilities of the District Curriculum Committee (Back to Top)

The roles and responsibilities of the District Curriculum Committee members have evolved over the years but consistently the Committee plays a major role in the following general areas:

Casting visions with regard to the larger scope of MCCCD curriculum and pursuit of curricular goals through Committee planning, development and implementation efforts 

Facilitating the curricular processes 

Providing guidance and support to the subcommittees and groups that report to the District Curriculum Committee 

Broadening the curricular role – large systemic role at multiple levels: local, state, national 

Strengthening the relationship of the work of the District Curriculum Committee to curriculum and assessment 

Communicating District Curriculum Committee meeting outcomes to member’s constituents. 

More specific roles currently include:

Evaluating the District-wide impact of a curriculum proposal, assuring that the proposal is in accordance with MCCCD educational policies, educationally sound and in the best interest of MCCCD prior to recommending approval of the proposal to the MCCCD Governing Board 

Serving as arbiter of conflicting recommendations concerning a curriculum proposal from different recommending bodies 

Making annual recommendations to the MCCCD Governing Board in the Graduation/General Education Policies in the month of February 

Reviewing and approving modifications to the Curriculum Procedures Handbook as needed

Reviewing and approving the annual MCCCD Curriculum Processing Calendar 

Membership Responsibilities:

General Meetings (Back to Top)

Each individual who cannot attend a general meeting should provide a substitute (i.e. faculty should replace faculty; Vice President should replace Vice President.). The substitute should be prepared to follow Curriculum meeting procedures. The names of the substitutes must be submitted to the MCCCD Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation prior to the meeting. 

If a curriculum proposal receives a negative recommendation from an Instructional Council and the initiating college proceeds with submitting the proposal to the District Curriculum Committee, the initiating Vice President of Academic Affairs may request that the proposal be placed on the general agenda, invite the Instructional Council Chair to attend the District Curriculum Committee meeting on the date that the proposal is presented for the Chair to respond to questions and/or address the Committee. 

Members are responsible for reading the curriculum proposals provided with the agenda. If any questions are raised, they should communicate with the appropriate college faculty, administrator(s), and/or other District Curriculum Committee members prior to the meeting. 

Two or three days prior to the District Curriculum Committee meetings, members are responsible for providing the District Director of Curriculum and Transfer Articulation or designee with names of guests who will be attending the meeting. 

Online Meetings: (Back to Top)

Faculty representatives and Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs voting approval of the online agenda items submit their vote to the District Director of Curriculum and Transfer Articulation or designee. Prior to or during the online review/approval processes, members must communicate with all DCC members when

Raising issues on the agenda action items,

Withdrawing a proposal from the agenda,

Requesting the removal of an on-line agenda item and placement of that item on the District Curriculum Committee general agenda (aka appeal).

The MCCCD Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation must receive all votes by 3:00 p.m. on the final day of voting. Votes received after the voting closes will be archived by the MCCCD Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation as informational items.

Any agenda items moved to the DCC general meeting must be identified EARLY during the voting period with reasons given for the removal of the item from the online meeting and placement on the general agenda.

District Curriculum Committee Ad Hoc Workgroups (Back to Top)

The work of the District Curriculum Committee is facilitated through multiple ad hoc workgroups and existing committees and councils with recommendations for action submitted from the groups to District Curriculum Committee.

MCCCD Resource Personnel Supporting the Work of the District Curriculum Committee (Back to Top)

Roles and responsibilities in support of the District Curriculum Committee include but are not limited to the following:

District Director of Curriculum and Transfer Articulation: Plans for the work of the DCC, organizes the flow of information from multiple parties to Committee, development of and directing the maintenance of curriculum system supports and resources, formation and distribution of policies and processes in support of curriculum, reporting on outcomes, collaboration with multiple external and internal parties in support of curriculum, facilitates the work of the District Curriculum Committee, interfaces with universities regarding transfer and substitutes for the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at APASC level as well as DCC level.

MCCCD General Studies Faculty Representative: serves as co-chair of the General Education Articulation Task Force (GEATF) - a state-level group reporting to the Academic Program Articulation Steering Committee (APASC), involved with ASU Tempe Campus, West Campus and East Campus in general education as decisions are made at university level regarding general education at course level and general education criteria, coordinates the submission of general education proposals and documents outcomes on university action.

MCCCD Coordinators of Transfer and Articulation : Coordinator for Articulation provides information regarding articulation at state-level such as outcomes of the Arizona Transfer Articulation Committee (ATAC), Coordinator for Curriculum provides information on curriculum processing, procedures, policy, SIS related functionality, archiving of historical curriculum record.

District Director of Health Care Education: serves as a resource for health care related courses, programs, and industry trends in allied health and nursing.

District Director for Workforce Development: provides information on business and workforce development, in the areas of occupational and workforce education and economic development, job training and career pathway programs for transition from middle school, high school, community colleges, and universities.

Director of Student Development: conduit from DCC to District Academic Advisement Council, Vice President of Student Affairs, assessment and to Admission & Records.

Director of Institutional Effectiveness: identifies resources, provides district-wide data, identifies best practices in outcomes assessment (internal & external, conducts literature searches, provides links of DCC to Governing Board regarding alignment of AGEC, conducts research, focuses on the work needed for Governing Board end statements/assessment.

Follow-Up (Back to Top)

The District Director of Curriculum and Transfer Articulation will include the appropriate items on a proposed District Governing Board agenda

After the Governing Board meeting, the District Director of Curriculum and Transfer Articulation or designee coordinates final updates to:

The Student Information System (SIS), District Course Inventory Audit, Course/Program Register, and Monitoring Academic Progress System, Course Applicability System and web information

Other resources developed and maintained by the Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation.

Prepare and process appropriate documentation to update the Maricopa section of the Course Applicability System/Course Equivalency Guide (CAS/CEG).

The Curriculum Procedures Handbook is a product of the Maricopa County Community Colleges District. Any and all changes to the Handbook are monitored and coordinated through the District Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation. Please give credit to the Maricopa County Community College District if the Handbook or sections of the Handbook are duplicated.