REDWOODS COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Administrative Procedure
AP 4025
PHILOSOPHY AND CRITERIA FOR ASSOCIATE DEGREE
AND GENERAL EDUCATION
Central to the associate degree and general education requirements is the Redwoods Community
College District (District) mission to improve lives within the diverse communities it serves
through equal access to quality occupational, transfer, general education, and foundation programs
in a learning-centered environment where student success is highly valued, supported, and
assessed.
The programs of the District are consistent with the institutional mission and
include developmental, career technical, and transfer education. Programs are
continually assessed to ensure student success. New programs may be initiated in
accordance with internal/external factors.
The following indicators to be considered include, but are not limited to, the
following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Alignment with the Chancellor’s Office priorities, the College’s mission, and accreditation
standards
Alignment with state and federal requirements
Requirements from transfer institutions
Availability of fulltime and associate faculty
Budget concerns and sufficient funding
Demand in the workforce
Adequate facilities and equipment
1.0 The Associate Degree
The Associate Degree (AD) at College of the Redwoods is awarded to students who
have successfully demonstrated that they have become effective communicators,
critical thinkers, are globally aware, and have the necessary depth of knowledge to
achieve competency in a particular field. The ADs must contain a minimum of 60
degree applicable units that includes both the General Education (GE) and
Area-Specific requirements and also the Discipline-Specific requirements.
1.1 General Education Requirements
1.1.1
Program Goals
GE courses by their nature are expected to be introductory, broad, and general in
scope, not advanced or specialized. Any course that is approved must contain
outcomes that satisfy each of the three fundamental GE program goals below:
1.1.1.1
Effective Communication
Students should be able to:
• Communicate complex aesthetic, cultural and intellectual ideas
• Communicate complex mathematical and scientific ideas
• Analyze and adapt communication on the basis of audience
• Generate, compose, revise and communicate ideas clearly, orally
and in writing
• Read with comprehension
• Listen with comprehension
• Use technology to process information
• Conduct research using appropriate methods and tools
1.1.1.2
Critical Thinking
Students should be able to
• Evaluate ideas presented in writing, media, speech or artistic
representations
• Evaluate sources of information
• Analyze/interpret creative expressions, resources, data
• Use problem-solving skills effectively
• Apply the scientific method and scientific reasoning
• Apply mathematical and scientific concepts to
1.1.1.3
Global*/Cultural Context
Students should be able to
• Analyze issues from multiple perspectives
• Express an awareness of cultures in a diverse global community
• Explain the relationships between humanity and the natural
environment
• Analyze issues within their historical context
1.1.2
Area Specific Requirements
Each GE course must further satisfy area specific requirements. The five
areas are Natural Sciences; Social Sciences; Humanities; Language,
Communication and Rationality; and Multicultural Understanding.
Students are required to take 3 units from each category or satisfy the CSU
or UC GE requirements (see the current catalog for details). Area specific
outcomes are listed below:
1.1.2.1
•
•
Area A – Natural Sciences
Communicate scientific ideas;
Apply scientific concepts to analyze natural relationships.
1.1.2.2
•
•
Area B – Social Sciences
Communicate intellectual ideas related to the social sciences;
Apply social science concepts to analyze social, historical, political,
anthropological or psychological relationships.
1.1.2.3
•
•
Area C – Humanities
Communicate aesthetic and/or cultural ideas;
Analyze ideas or practices specific to the influence of culture on
human expression.
1.1.2.4 Area D – Language, Communication and Rationality
1.1.2.4.1 Area D1- Writing
•
Generate, compose, revise and communicate ideas clearly in
writing;
•
Analyze ideas presented in writing, media, speech or artistic
representations.
1.1.2.4.2 Area D2 – Oral Communication
•
Generate, compose, revise and communicate ideas clearly;
•
Analyze ideas presented in writing, media, speech or artistic
representations.
1.1.2.4.3 Area D3 – Analytical Thinking
•
Communicate analytical and/or computational ideas;
•
Apply analytical and/or computational concepts to analyze
relationships.
1.1.2.5
Area E – Multicultural Understanding
• Communicate an awareness of cultures in a diverse global
community;
• Analyze issues from multiple perspectives, specifically as they
relate to gender, self-identity, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic
status, sexuality, worldview, collective behavior, and/or
values.
Courses proposed for GE undergo evaluation and approval by the Curriculum
Committee.
1.2
Discipline Specific Requirements
Associate degrees must contain general education units and at least 18 units in the
major or discipline of emphasis, and electives. Colleges may award either an
Associate of Arts (A.A) or an Associate of Science (A.S.) degree. Associate
Degrees are created by faculty with Curriculum Committee, Academic Senate,
Board of Trustees, and Chancellor’s Office oversight. In addition, outside
professional accrediting organizations may have specific degree requirements that
must be incorporated.
REDWOODS COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Administrative Procedure
AP 4025
PHILOSOPHY AND CRITERIA FOR ASSOCIATE DEGREE
AND GENERAL EDUCATION
Central to the associate degree and general education requirements is the Redwoods Community
College District (District) mission to improve lives within the diverse communities it serves
through equal access to quality occupational, transfer, general education, and foundation programs
in a learning-centered environment where student success is highly valued, supported, and
assessed.
The programs of the District are consistent with the institutional mission and include
developmental, career technical, and transfer education. Programs are continually assessed to
ensure student success. New programs may be initiated in accordance with internal/external
factors.
The following indicators to be considered include, but are not limited to, the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Alignment with the Chancellor’s Office priorities, the College’s mission, and accreditation
standards
Alignment with state and federal requirements
Requirements from transfer institutions
Availability of fulltime and associate faculty
Budget concerns and sufficient funding
Demand in the workforce
Adequate facilities and equipment
I The Associate Degree
The associate degree at CR is awarded to students who have successfully demonstrated that they
have become effective communicators, critical thinkers, are globally aware, and have the
necessary depth of knowledge to achieve competency in a particular field. The Ads must contain a
minimum of 60 degree applicable units that includes both the GE requirements and the discipline
specific requirements.
I.a General Education Requirements
GE courses by their nature are expected to be introductory, broad, and general in scope, not
advanced or specialized. Any course that is approved must contain outcomes that satisfy each of
the three fundamental GE program goals below:
Effective Communication
Students should be able to
• Communicate complex aesthetic, cultural and intellectual ideas
• Communicate complex mathematical and scientific ideas
• Analyze and adapt communication on the basis of audience
• Generate, compose, revise and communicate ideas clearly, orally and in writing
• Read with comprehension
• Listen with comprehension
• Use technology to process information
• Conduct research using appropriate methods and tools
Critical Thinking
Students should be able to
• Evaluate ideas presented in writing, media, speech or artistic representations
• Evaluate sources of information
• Analyze/interpret creative expressions, resources, data
• Use problem-solving skills effectively
• Apply the scientific method and scientific reasoning
• Apply mathematical and scientific concepts to
Global*/Cultural Context
Students should be able to
• Analyze issues from multiple perspectives
• Express an awareness of cultures in a diverse global community
• Explain the relationships between humanity and the natural environment
• Analyze issues within their historical context
Each GE course must further satisfy area specific requirements. The five areas are Natural
Sciences; Social Sciences; Humanities; Language, Communication and Rationality; and
Multicultural Understanding. Students are required to take 3 units from each category or satisfy
the CSU or UC GE requirements (see the current catalog for details). Area specific outcomes are
listed below:
Area A – Natural Sciences
•
•
communicate scientific ideas;
apply scientific concepts to analyze natural relationships.
•
•
Area B – Social Sciences
communicate intellectual ideas related to the social sciences;
apply social science concepts to analyze social, historical, political, anthropological or
psychological relationships.
•
•
Area C – Humanities
communicate aesthetic and/or cultural ideas;
analyze ideas or practices specific to the influence of culture on human expression.
Area D – Language, Communication and Rationality
Area D1- Writing
• generate, compose, revise and communicate ideas clearly in writing;
• analyze ideas presented in writing, media, speech or artistic representations.
Area D2 – Oral Communication
• generate, compose, revise and communicate ideas clearly;
• analyze ideas presented in writing, media, speech or artistic representations.
Area D3 – Analytical Thinking
• communicate analytical and/or computational ideas;
• apply analytical and/or computational concepts to analyze relationships.
•
Area E – Multicultural Understanding
communicate an awareness of cultures in a diverse global community;
• analyze issues from multiple perspectives, specifically as they relate to gender, self identity,
ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexuality, worldview, collective behavior, and/or values.
Courses proposed for GE undergo evaluation and approval by the Curriculum Committee.
Ib. Discipline Specific Requirements
Associate degrees must contain general education units and at least 18 units in the major or
discipline of emphasis, and electives. Colleges may award either an Associate of Arts (A.A) or an
Associate of Science (A.S.) degree. Associate Degrees are created by faculty with Curriculum
Committee, Academic Senate, Board of Trustees, and Chancellor’s Office oversight. In addition,
outside professional accrediting organizations may have specific degree requirements that must be
incorporated.