ENROLLMENT COUNTING
WORK GROUP
Update for
Instruction
Commission
February 18,
2016
MEMBERSHIP
Representatives from:
Admission & Registration
Council
Instruction Commission
Student Services
Commission
Business Affairs
Commission
Research and Planning
Commission
Council for Basic Skills
Workforce Education
Council
SBCTC Staff
PURPOSE
“Implementation of the new allocation formula that uses college
enrollment levels as one of the factors for distributing state
operating funds to the colleges will put more attention on
consistent enrollment counting and reporting among colleges,
especially for basic skills and high demand/high cost courses.”
 Proposed changes to WACTC by spring 2016.
 WACTC final recommendations to SBCTC May 2016.
TIMELINE
 March 2015
WACTC Executive Committee discusses work plan
 Spring 2015
Work plan and timeline reviewed with commissions
 Summer-
Work group meetings
Fall 2015
 Winter 2016
Progress reports to commissions, councils, and WACTC
Draft recommendations completed by the work group
Review draft recommendations with commissions
 March 17
Work group meeting-final recommendations
 April/May
Recommendations to WACTC
 June 2016
Recommendation to SBCTC
DRAFT PRINCIPLES
Promote consistent and equitable enrollment reporting.
Develop understandable and straightforward language.
Update and maintain policies, guidelines, and definitions.
Address how enrollments are generated through multiple modes of
instruction.
Incorporate external regulatory requirements.
Reflect other mission areas and funding mechanisms.
Result in verifiable enrollments reported to SBCTC and audited
for accuracy.
QUESTIONS ADDRESSED
What is reportable for State FTEs?
State versus contract
Short courses
International students
College in the high school
QUESTIONS ADDRESSED
How are contact hours
converted to credits/FTEs?
Differences for similar courses
Lecture/lab conversion
Clinical, seminar, co-op/workbased learning
Online/hybrid courses
Flipped classrooms
Basic skills
Non-traditional learning
assessment (e.g. PLA)
I-Best
Multi-level (bucket) courses
Commonly numbered courses
and consistency
QUESTIONS ADDRESSED
When do students count?
Registration (e.g. open enrollment)
Adding/dropping students
Count (census) date
Apprenticeship students
Course retakes
Federal financial aid implications
ISSUES NOT TACKLED
Faculty contracts, consider potential
impact but not driver for FTE
definitions.
Variable number of weeks of instruction
among colleges.
DO CREDITS MEASURE STUDENT EFFORT
OR FACULTY EFFORT?
Use federal definition as base, focused on student
effort.
Lean towards student learning outcomes.
Use Consistent credits for courses with similar
learning outcomes as means for addressing multiple
modes of instruction (e.g. face to face, online,
hybrid, competency based).
CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, TITLE 34
EDUCATION, PARTS 400 TO 679
Credit hour: Except as provided in 34 CFR 668.8(k) and (l), a credit hour is
an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by
evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established
equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than —
(1) One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two
hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks
for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one
quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different
amount of time; or
(2) At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this
definition for other academic activities as established by the institution
including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other
academic work leading to the award of credit hours .
RECOMMENDATIONS
 Enrollment counting policies divided into fund
source, definitions for credits, and student
counts.
 Terms are defined and used consistently across
policy areas.
 Special rules for basic skills are eliminated.
FUND SOURCE
 Clarify criteria, include in SBCTC Policy Manual
 Require state funded classes to have syllabi on file
by census date by July 2017.
 Seek statute change to include following waivers to
count as state-funded enrollments:
 Long-term unemployed or underemployed
 Residents sixty years of age or older
 State employees and educational employees
CREDIT DEFINITIONS
 Federal/NWCCU definitions guide.
 Assume three hours student effort per week per
credit.
 Theory, Guided Practice, Field-based
Experience categories changed and redefined.
 Work-based learning combined with Fieldbased experience.
 Incorporate current instructional modalities.
STUDENT COUNTS
Clarify definitions including continuous
and sequential classes, census dates, tuition
payment, drops and withdrawals.
Update credits versus enrollment language.
IMPLEMENTATION
SBCTC will audit college enrollments for
consistency.
New polices in effect summer quarter 2017.
Training on enrollment policies provided in
2016-17.
Annual follow-up trainings.
REMAINING ISSUES
 Enrolling counting for ungraded courses (e.g.
apprenticeship, parent education).
 Commonly numbered courses with different credit
values.
 Associate degrees with high credit requirements.
 Recommendations for college enrollment audit
process.