When Does Size Really Matter? Class Maximums & Student Learning

Nancy Persons, Santa Rosa Junior College, FacilitatorJulie Bruno, Sierra CollegeDennis Gervin, Columbia College

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Please take a moment to fill in the survey. Feel free to add additional comments as they

occur to you while we provide information and discussion ideas.

Why write a position paper?Whereas, Class caps are maximum student enrollment limits specified for each class, and class cap determinations have sometimes been made inconsistently on the basis of classroom size and other arbitrary factors;

Whereas, The enrollment management plans on many campuses have been responding to FTES enrollment funding caps by arbitrarily increasing class caps in order to increase perceived efficiency;

Whereas, Non-pedagogically based class caps have a serious impact on effective instructional delivery and student success, and raising class caps in many classes such as Career Technical Education and science laboratory classes not only impacts effective instruction but can also negatively impact safety conditions for students; and

Whereas, A number of professional organizations such as the American Chemical Society, Red Cross, Basic Skills Initiative, and the National Council of Teachers of English have conducted studies justifying the establishment of class caps based on pedagogical concerns;

Why write a position paper?

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges recommend that discipline faculty at local colleges determine class caps for each of their courses based on pedagogical and health and safety factors, such as but not limited to the methods of instruction, course modality, objectives and outcomes of the course, the assessment methods as established on the Course Outline of Record (COR), and fire codes; and

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges develop a position paper with guidelines for local academic senates to work jointly with collective bargaining agents to assist discipline faculty in the determination of class caps based primarily on pedagogical and health and safety factors.

Developing the Position

Passed Resolution 13.09 Fall 09 Assigned to the ASCCC Curriculum Committee Gathered information Created Structure and Content of the Paper

Components of the Paper

Facilitating Learning Student Success Faculty: Setting Class Caps Distance Education Setting a Course Minimum Workload Issues Facilities Administrative Perspective

Additional Resources Included

Recommendations for Local Senates Checklist for Curriculum Committees Examples Mathematical model

Discussion

What factors do you consider when determining class maximum?

Perspectives: Academic Senate

What is the role of the Senate? What is the role of the Curriculum Committee?

Perspectives: Administration

What is the role of the Administration?

Perspectives: Union

What is the role of the Union?

Discussion: Including Interests

How do you collaborate with all interested parties?

How do you ensure that interests from various groups are met without compromising the integrity of pedagogy?

Discussion: Process

What is a “good” process? Should there be/Is there a difference in class size

for on-ground and on-line classes? Where should the number be housed? How do we share the information?

Discussion: Aligning Process & Practice Recognizing that faculty themselves don’t always

stick to the class cap, so what direction can we provide to our colleagues? Any best practices out there?

How do faculty and administrators stick to the class maximum when students are clamoring for classes?

Stay Tuned…

What’s Next? Revision of the paper Revision of the paper Revision of the paper Adoption of Setting Course Enrollment Maximums at

Plenary Using best practices locally

Survey revisited…

Please take a moment to add any additional information, ideas or suggestions you would like the ASCCC Curriculum Committee to consider as they revise the paper.

Questions or Comments…