General Information

• Recommend to the Governing Board approvals or disapprovals of new courses and programs or modifications or deletions of existing courses and programs.
• Serve as the college advisory committee on curriculum.
• Serve as the college committee implementing Title 5 regulations related to curriculum.

Philosophy and Criteria for Associate Degree and General Education

The Curriculum Committee, in its review of all curriculum proposals, acknowledges the college’s Mission Statement, as well as the philosophy and criteria which mark a successful student’s journey through patterns of learning experiences designed to develop certain competencies, known as the College’s Core Competencies. The Curriculum Committee also embraces the concept of academic freedom to develop curriculum and determine methods of classroom instruction and student evaluation in developing and reviewing curriculum and coursework.

Review, Approve, and Disapprove Curriculum

The Curriculum Committee makes recommendations by approving or disapproving credit and non-credit new course and new program proposals, course and program revisions and course and program deactivations.

Review of Prerequisites, Corequisites, and Advisories (Title 5 §55003)

The Curriculum Committee reviews prerequisites, co-requisites, and advisories. Requisites and advisories are separately reviewed and approved by the Curriculum Committee.

Review of Distance Education Curriculum

The Curriculum Committee reviews and approves courses delivered by distance education (DE). DE courses are separately reviewed and approved by the Curriculum Committee.

Review of Course Repeatability and Course Repetition

The Curriculum Committee reviews course repeatability and course repetition to ensure compliance with Title 5 §55000; §55040; §56029; §55253, §58161.

Review of Discipline Placement

The Curriculum Committee reviews courses for discipline placement.

Review Matriculation and Articulation

The Curriculum Committee assists faculty, as well as the Articulation Officer, in meeting state mandates, as well as West Valley College district goals and objectives as stated in the college’s Mission Statement. The Curriculum Committee designates associate degree GE. The Articulation Officer submits courses for CSU and UC transfer and/or GE.

Review of College Catalog and Schedule

The Curriculum Committee collaborates with the Catalog/Schedule Coordinators to ensure that the West Valley College Catalog contains only those approved courses that are offered on a regular basis.

Review and Evaluate WVC Curriculum Approval Processes

The Curriculum Committee reviews and evaluates its approval process to assure optimal curriculum approval at the local level. This includes a review of technology, technical review, meeting schedules and agenda, yearly curriculum timelines, and Curriculum Committee communication to the college community.

Review and Evaluate Board Policies and Administrative Procedures

The Curriculum Committee assists in the College’s review of policies and procedures related to curriculum.

Create Curriculum Committee Procedures

The Curriculum Committee creates Curriculum Committee Procedures (CCPs) when necessary to spell out the process of implementation of Title 5, the Chancellor’s Office (CO) mandates, West Valley College’s Board Policies or Administrative Procedures, or suggested best practices from the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges (ASCCC). These CCPs ensure consistent application of process and procedures in meeting compliance. They provide transparency to the college community regarding Curriculum Committee actions. The CCPs will be reviewed and approved by the Curriculum Committee and the Academic Senate. The CCPs are available on the West Valley College Curriculum Committee’s webpage.

Technical Review Committee

The Technical Review Committee shall consist of the Curriculum Chair, the Articulation Officer, the Dean of Instruction, and the Curriculum Analysts.

Responsibilities of the Technical Review Committee include review of all curriculum proposals for compliance with Title 5 minimum standards, stylistic and grammatical standards, articulation issues, and Title 5 coding.

Curriculum Guidance Committee

The Curriculum Guidance Committee shall consist of the Curriculum Chair, the Articulation Officer, the Dean of Instruction, and the Management Analysts.

Responsibilities of the Guidance Committee are to advise and assist faculty and departments in the development of new course and program proposals that supports the College's Mission, supports local college goals, meets the needs of the college’s students and enhances student access, follows best practices conducive to course and program articulation, and complies with state mandates, California Ed Code and Title 5 requirements.

The Curriculum Guidance Committee also embraces the concept of faculty academic freedom to develop curriculum and determine methods of classroom instruction and student evaluation.

General Education Review Subcommittee

Shall consist of the Articulation Officer and at least two other members of the Curriculum Committee. It shall meet on an Ad Hoc basis to evaluate the WVC GE status and placement of new and existing courses.

Membership of the Curriculum Committee

• Curriculum analysts from Office of Instruction (ex officio)
• Distance Education Committee Representative
• SLO Committee Representative
• Vice Provost and Dean of Instruction (ex officio)
• Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs (ex-officio)
• Articulation Officer
• Records Officer (ex officio)
• Student Representative (ex officio)
• Representative from each division:
  • School of Language Arts
  • Library
  • School of Health and Human Development
  • School of Professional Studies
  • School of Art and Design
  • School of Science and Math
  • School of Social Sciences
  • Student Services

Election of Representatives

Faculty from each division are entitled to elect one voting representative by secret ballot, who will be confirmed by the Academic Senate. Additional non-voting members may be recommended by a vote of the majority of division faculty and approved by the Curriculum Committee and the Academic Senate.

Term of Office

The term for each representative will be two academic years and will commence at the beginning of fall semester. The election will be held during the spring semester of the year preceding the beginning of the term of office. In the case of a mid-year vacancy, a new representative election may be held by secret ballot at the time of the vacancy and confirmed by the Academic Senate.

Recall of Representatives

A division may remove a representative at any time by a majority vote of those voting by secret ballot. A petition containing the names of at least 1/3 of the members of the area will cause the area to hold a recall election.

Election of the Chair and Vice-chair of the Curriculum Committee

1. Chair
   1. The Curriculum Committee will elect one of its members to serve for 2 academic years from August to August.
2. Vice Chair
   1. The Curriculum Committee will elect one of its members to serve for 2 academic years.
3. Recall of the Chair
   1. The committee may remove or replace its chair at any time by majority vote of a quorum of the committee. If the chair is removed the vice chair will preside.

Duties of the Membership

1. Attend all meetings of the committee.
2. Advise their division or area on committee issues.
3. Advise their division or area on procedures for initiating new courses, revising courses , etc.
4. Advise their division or area on procedures for initiating new programs, revising programs, etc.
5. Review course proposals prior to their submission to the committee to ensure conformity with Title 5, institutional requirements, etc.
6. Facilitate solutions to questions that might arise from course outline discussions and program discussions at Curriculum Committee meetings.
7. Review meeting minutes.
8. Review curriculum presentations and issues with respective constituency.
9. Participate in resolving concerns between the first and second reading of curriculum proposals.
10. Stay current with reading of course and program approvals in curriculum management database.

Duties of the Chair

1. Plan, organize, and preside at Curriculum Committee meetings.
2. Attend Tech Review and Curriculum Guidance Committee meetings.
3. Act as liaison between the committee and the Academics Senate; attend Academic Senate meetings to present curriculum approvals and present updates.
4. Represent the committee to the Governing Board.
5. Prepare and publicize the agenda.
6. Review and edit minutes.
7. Oversee the maintenance of the college curriculum:
   1. Notify the faculty when course and program revisions, etc. must be presented to the Tech Review Committee and the Curriculum Committee in order to meet schedule and catalog deadlines. During the prior spring semester the committee will establish its calendar for the next academic year. The chair will notify the faculty of this calendar before the end of the spring semester.
   2. The chair will send appropriate reminders to the faculty at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters.
   3. Communicate with faculty as needed regarding their curriculum.
   4. Collaborate with faculty and the Articulation Officer in the development of new or revision of existing curriculum.
8. Refer issues to the Curriculum Committee for discussion and consideration.
9. Provide training on state and local curricular matters to the Curriculum Committee and to the college as needed.
10. Assist with the development and maintenance of the college’s curriculum management system.
11. Maintain the Curriculum Committee web site which is now the College’s Curriculum Handbook.
12. Collaborate with the Office of Instruction on a variety of curricular matters.
13. Attend relevant local and state-wide curriculum trainings.

Duties of the Vice Chair

1. Plan, organize, and preside at Curriculum Committee meetings in the event the chair is unable to be present.
2. Assume the chair position in the event the chair is removed from office.