Section II

3.4.12. The institution places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of its curriculum with its faculty.

Northeast Alabama Community College demonstrates compliance by placing primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of its curriculum with its faculty.

The curricular divisions and the Curriculum Committee are the structures through which Northeast Alabama Community College places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum with the faculty.

All new courses and programs must be approved by the Curriculum Committee (Table 1), which is composed primarily of division chairs (Table 2) and other faculty. The process by which new courses and programs are submitted to the Curriculum Committee is outlined in the Faculty & Staff Handbook (Table 3).

Each course, whether of transfer intent or specifically technical, must also have a listing in the Alabama College System Course Directory. New A.A.S. and Certificate programs approved by the Curriculum Committee must follow State Board Policy 702.01, with related guidelines, which specifies approval by the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, and by the Alabama State Board of Education. Upon the approval by these entities, the program is again brought to the NACC Curriculum Committee for approval to place in the Catalog and begin instruction. The A.A. and A.S. programs include 153 articulated programs of study already established under the Statewide Transfer and Articulation Reporting System (STARS) through the work of the Alabama Articulation and General Studies Committee (AGSC). Because the academic committees of the AGSC are composed of faculty representing the institutions, the AGSC and STARS demonstrate the collective responsibility of Alabama College System faculty for the content of the articulated transfer curriculum. (A listing of the Northeast faculty members who have served — or are currently serving — on the AGSC Academic Committees is provided in the documentation.) Of the articulated programs, the ones most used by students at NACC are included in the Catalog. Such inclusion, or a decision not to include, is subject to the approval of the Curriculum Committee.

Northeast Alabama Community College
Curriculum Committee Membership, Academic Year 2003-2004
Behel, Harry Ed	Instructor, Chemistry
Campbell, John Paul	Dean, Division of Technology and Workforce Development
Everett, Julia	Director, Learning Resources Center
Gorham, Cheryl	Chair, Division of Social Science, Speech, and Foreign Language
Green, Gary (Committee Chair)	Chair, Division of Business and Computer Science
Hayden, Elaine	Assistant to the Dean of Instruction/Director of Institutional Effectiveness
Jones, Dr. Cindy	Chair, Division of Health Science
Kennamer, Mike	Director, Adult Education and Skills Training
Mann, Lynde	Secretary to the Accreditation Liaison and Director of Institutional Effectiveness
Niblett, Tonie	Chair, Division of Mathematics and Science
Pace, Ernestine	Adjunct (retired full-time) Instructor, Office Administration
Reeves, Joan	Chair, Division of Humanities and Fine Arts
Stewart, Angie	Secretary to the Dean of Instruction
Source: Committee assignments, Office of Assistant to the Dean of Instruction

Table 4 cites key Curriculum Committee actions over the past four years to demonstrate the role of the faculty in carrying responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum. These actions include approval of courses and programs, requirement of syllabi and other documentation, Catalog revisions and updates, course and program changes, deletion of courses from the curriculum, deletion of programs, oversight of evaluation and program review, and the roles of planning and outcomes assessment for a new delivery, namely distance learning.

Northeast Alabama Community College
Role of Faculty in Determining Content, Quality, and Effectiveness of Curriculum: Summary of Curriculum Committee Actions Fall 1999 through Fall 2003
Date of Meeting	Summary of Curriculum Committee Action
October 29, 1999	Discussed distance learning prospects, implications, resources, and plans
December 13, 1999	Approved form developed by faculty member for presentation of Distance Learning courses
December 13, 1999	Approved five Emergency Medical Services courses for delivery as distance learning
March 15, 2000	Approved Northeast/Snead Paralegal distance learning courses
March 22, 2000	Discussed Catalog revisions
	Approved addition/deletion of courses in the Nursing curriculum
	Approved addition of OAD 241 Office Co-op to Catalog
	Approved addition of MTH 112 to A.A.S. Computer Science program and deletion of CIS 285 from A.S. Computer Science program guide, adjusting transfer institution requirements for this listing accordingly
April 5, 2000	Deleted program "Fisheries Science"
	Approved inclusion of OAD 215 course description in Catalog.
	Added Computer Science (3 hrs) to all Area Vs in programs of study
April 26, 2000	Approved EMS 237 to be offered in a distance format
December 6, 2000	Heard report on progress of online EMS courses
	Reviewed syllabi for EMS 278 and 279 and approved these courses pending their addition to the ACS Course Directory
	Approved EMS 125, 170, and 171 as online courses
	Approved addition of PSY 106 Career Exploration to the Catalog
February 14, 2001	Approved documentation regarding addition of PSY 106 to the Catalog
February 14, 2001	Discussed changes in prerequisites for CIS 211 and CIS 251, from CIS 190 to CIS 130
March 14, 2001	Approved deletion of CIS 191, 192, 193, 221, 222 from Catalog subsequent to recommendation by CIS faculty
	Discussed and approved program review of Associate in Arts program, presented by a division chair (Tonie Niblett, Math and Science)
	Approved course syllabi for addition of PED 103 and PED 186, upon presentation by faculty member
	Reviewed proposed changes in Industrial Electronics program
April 11, 2001	Approved change in entry reading level required of nursing students, pending president's approval
	Approved course descriptions and syllabi for 13 Industrial Electronics Technology courses; approved addition of these courses to the Catalog
	Worked on assembling needed Catalog changes relative to curriculum
November 21, 2001	Approved curriculum changes to EMS program, Paramedic concentration
	Approved addition of REL 100 History of World Religions to curriculum
	Designated individual programs of study (as listed in the Catalog) to specific divisions
	Checked to ascertain that each program of study shown in Catalog was included in the Academic Inventory
January 22, 2002	Addressed a memo from president regarding SACS requirements on general education components; agreed that NACC programs of study satisfy these requirements
	Received forms for program reviews
	Accepted recommendation that previously approved course of ENG 299 Directed Studies in Language and Literature be added to Catalog
March 18, 2002	Approved MUS 101 Music Appreciation and ILT 140 AC Fundamentals as Internet courses
	Approved inclusion of PHY 111 Physical Science to the Catalog.
	Cleared replacement of EMP courses
	Discussed conflict concerning transfer of certain courses for Elementary Education majors and recommended that the campus STARS articulation liaison be consulted
	Reviewed changes in nursing program policies regarding number of times a student may be admitted and the order of completion of academics within the program
April 15, 2002	Approved inclusion of MTH 112 Precalculus Algebra as Internet course
	Discussed/approved addition of BFN 101
	Accepted a change in course description for ENG 093 Basic English II
November 6, 2002	Received documentation for MTH 112 as Internet course; approval had been granted previously, pending documentation
	Approved BFN 205 as an addition to curriculum; BUS 272 as Internet course; GEO 101 and GLY 101 as addition to curriculum, with documentation to follow; REL 151/152 as additions to curriculum; WKO 100/101/102 as part of the Work Keys Assessment and Development Initiative
	Approved changes to the Nursing program: deletion of SOC 200 and addition of a Humanities and Fine Arts elective; increase of entry GPA requirement from a 2.0 to 2.5; addition of the Examinations and Remediation Plan
February 26, 2003	Approved courses MAH 101 and HED 226; approved reinstatement of PED 106, GEO 101, GLY 101
	Received notification that program reviews for Nursing, Computer Science, and Emergency Medical Services were to be due this term
	Dropped the two hours of electives in Business Administration (A.S.) program
	Accepted revisions to the program review format and agreed on change in course review procedure to coordinate with annual review of syllabi
	Accepted evaluation items for student evaluation of online courses
	Approved online course NUR 207 Directed Studies in Nursing
	Approved CIS 146/147 as online courses
	Approved addition of IDS 200 College Scholars Bowl Workshop as addition to the curriculum
	Accepted changes in Industrial Electronics (ILT) program, A.A.S. in EMS--Management option program, and Drafting and Design Technology program
	Approved SOC 200 and PSY 200 as online courses
	Reviewed list of anticipated and approved online courses including HIS 102 pending further documentation
	Noted that division chairs should communicate to instructors the importance and availability of evaluations for online courses
	Noted needed revisions to Catalog
March 19, 2003	Approved addition of MTH 231/232 Math for Elementary Teachers I/II
March 19, 2003	Approved changes to Elementary Education and Special Education programs of study, pending further documentation
April 2, 2003	Received documentation for the changes to the Elementary/Early Childhood Education and Special Education programs of study (changes had been previously approved March 19, 2003, pending documentation)
	Noted receipt of program review for Nursing
	Reviewed/approved assessment of student outcomes for online instruction of Fall 2002
	Approved Catalog changes: among others, deletion of Associate in Applied Science in Real Estate and Management Option program of study; deletion of all Real Estate course descriptions; addition of courses previously approved by committee, CIS 130 or 190 Microcomputer Applications as distance learning course; CIS 255 Java as traditional course; deletion of CIS 231/232 Fortran Programming/Advanced Fortran Programming
	Approved inclusion of DDT 111 Fundamentals of Drafting and Design and DDT 112 Intro to Drafting Technology as distance learning courses
	Approved Catalog statement clarifying the majors from which a student should choose if planning to earn entrance into medical school
July 16, 2003	Approved courses: PED 188, PED 109, pending documentation; also MTH 110 as distance learning course
July 16, 2003	Reviewed Outcomes Analysis of Online Instruction of Spring 2003, noting the improvement in retention rates from fall term to spring
October 21, 2003	Approved traditional course additions, some pending documentation: CRJ 100, CRJ 110; ENG 271, 272; PED 105, PED 133, PED 134
	Approved distance learning courses: BUS 284, ENG 271, ENG 272, MUS 115, OAD 126, OAD 218
	Noted corrections to Catalog and advised members to critically inspect Catalog for further errors and needed corrections
	Reviewed evaluation of Summer 2003 online courses, noting that attrition rate in online courses had dropped from 64 percent in the Fall 2002 to 26 percent in the summer of 2003
Source: Tabulation from NACC Curriculum Committee Minutes, October 1999 through October 2003.

The emergence of distance learning has demonstrated the role of the Curriculum Committee in determining both the content and the effectiveness of the curriculum. The form for proposal for a distance learning activity originated with an EMS instructor (Mike Kennamer), who offered it to the Curriculum Committee on December 13, 1999. This form, with minor modifications, has been used consistently for the submission and approval of distance learning courses at NACC since its presentation. The form is initiated by the instructor who proposes to teach the distance course and must clear the division chair, the Curriculum Committee, and the Dean of Instruction and/or the Dean of Technology and Workforce Development.

At the meeting of November 21, 2001, the Curriculum Committee designated the individual programs of study (as listed in the Catalog) to specific divisions (see Tables 5 through 11). A more detailed listing used for advisor assignment is shown in the documentation. Faculty in these divisions are responsible for advising students within the respective programs of study and are in a unique position to ascertain that all the courses needed for transfer within the programs are available at Northeast. The course and program proposals brought by the faculty to the Curriculum Committee are informed by their advising experience (using the STARS statewide articulation system), by student feedback through the Graduated Student Surveys, and by periodic analysis of the programs and transfer institutions most used by Northeast students.

Source	URL/Special Instructions
Alabama Articulation and General Studies Committee (AGSC) Web site	http://stars.troy.edu/agsc/agsc.htm
Alabama College System Course Directory	http://www.acs.cc.al.us/coursedir/courseindex.aspx