Sacramento City College
Schedule Building Guidelines
April 23, 2010
Background
Per the LRCFT Contract (Article 4.5.3.1), a College Faculty Workload Committee (FWC) may be convened by the Vice President of Instruction or LRCFT to determine the WSCH goals for each of the major subject areas and the workload goals for other service areas in order for the college to obtain the overall assigned workload goals. In Spring 2010, the FWC was convened in order to discuss the impact of disproportionate course reductions made in response to communication from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. This document was developed through collaborative dialogue between faculty members, Department Chairs, and administrators on the FWC.
Purpose of Schedule Building Guidelines
Sacramento City College is committed to ongoing enrollment management planning that serves the needs of its diverse students, offers comprehensive educational course work in academic disciplines and career/technical programs, and supports the college’s enrollment and productivity goals.
Enrollment management is a participatory process among the college constituencies to define enrollment goals and establish procedures to reach these goals, thereby providing Sacramento
City College with appropriate mechanisms to control its size, shape, and character. These mechanisms must be flexible and based on dialogue among the Instruction Office, the Academic
Senate, the Department Chairs’ Council, the Deans’ Council, and the college faculty. There is a desire by all involved parties to bring transparency to the scheduling process, especially when disproportionate cuts are being proposed.
Although Sacramento City College is one of four colleges within the Los Rios Community
College System and, therefore, governed by district policy and regulations, it is recognized the each college maintains its own identify and values. Workload goals, scheduling practices, philosophies for academic programs, faculty expertise may differ among the colleges even when the colleges offer the same courses, certificates and/or degrees.
One component of the enrollment management process is schedule building. Schedule building decisions must address the mission for community colleges to provide transfer, basic skills, and career technical education. This document identifies enrollment management principles and best practices that should be used by the college for schedule development as well as in times of schedule reductions.
Schedule Building Guidelines – Spring, 2010
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Schedule Building Principles
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The college administration will assume Department Chairs are “responsible schedulers” who have worked with the department members to identify course priorities for their areas and utilize these priorities within the framework of the LRCFT contract to make scheduling recommendations.

Department Chairs and administrators are committed to open dialogue during the scheduling process.
 Both Department Chairs and administrators acknowledge that the Chairs’ role in the scheduling is advisory and administration has final right of assignment.

When disproportionate FTE reductions are be proposed, information on the proposed reductions will be shared with the FWC prior to initiation of the cuts when possible.
When urgent action is necessary, the VPI will inform the committee of the dialogues initiated with the Dean and Department Chair in a timely fashion.
Schedule Building Best Practices

Departments identify a priority listing of courses for their areas based on how their areas can address core transfer, basic skills and career technical education.

Depending upon the discipline, the following priorities should be utilized to identify
“core” courses offerings and guide schedule development: o Transfer

Part of Transfer Core (CSU/UC)
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Project ASSIST designated courses
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Transferable o Basic Skills
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Provide college skills
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Gateway courses, just below college level
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Align basic skills to CTE o Career Technical Education
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Address job market trends
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Combine CTE and transfer career ladder
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Have community and industry support

The college FTE allocation along with division allocations will be provided to the Deans and Department Chairs by the Vice President of Instruction.

Deans and Department Chairs will all meet together when discussing FTE allocation within the division.
Deans and Department Chairs will work in a collaborative process to identify: o primary course offerings for the division, o a prioritized listing of courses to be added to the schedule if FTE is available, and o a prioritized listing of courses that would be cut from the schedule should conditions warrant.

Schedules should initially be developed utilizing slightly less FTE than allocated by the
VPI with a focus on ensuring full-time faculty loads are accommodated. This will allow for more responsive modifications to the schedule should there be needed adjustments to the FTE allocation.
Schedule Building Guidelines – Spring, 2010
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
Course offerings and sequencing should be developed on a yearly cycle for Fall/Spring to allow for completion of degrees, programs, and/or certificates in a timely manner.

Summer offerings should address core course needs for students. In addition, course offerings should be supported by sound pedagogical principles supporting student success in a compressed scheduling pattern.

When similar programs exist at other colleges within the district, the departments should consult with their colleagues regarding course scheduling patterns to assist students in certificate, degree or transfer requirement completion.

When opportunities for adding additional course offering occur, decisions should be based on the following considerations: o Departments experiencing the greatest reductions in offerings o Courses addressing core transfer, basic skills, and career technical education o Workload considerations for faculty (ex., course reductions/additions significantly increasing faculty workload – new preps, increased grading, increased oversight of sports programs or fine arts performances) o Influence of external/internal influences

Final decisions regarding allocation of additional FTE will be the purview of the VPI after collaborative dialogue between faculty members, Department Chairs, and administrators on the FWC and in consultation with the affected division(s) and based on student data.
Periodic Review of Schedule Building Guidelines
It is recognized that schedule building guidelines may require periodic modifications to effectively address college enrollment management practices. The FWC will meet to review this document on a yearly basis. This meeting will precede scheduling deadlines to facilitate timely communication with the college community.
Faculty Workload Committee Members – Spring 2010
Annette Barfield, Counseling – LRCFT
Mary Turner, Vice President of Instruction
Cathy Chenu-Campbell, LRC faculty
David Fabionar, Communications Department Chair
Chris Iwata, Dean – HFA
Jeff Knorr, English Department Chair
Anne Licciardi, Dean – MSE
Frank Malaret, Dean – BSS
David Rasul, Dean – Counseling & Student Services
Greg Rose, Business – Academic Senate
Shirley Short, Dean – Business
Donnetta Webb, Dean – AT
David Wyatt, Biology Department Chair
Connie Zuercher, PEHA Department Chair
Schedule Building Guidelines – Spring, 2010
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