New Directions: Online Courses & the University of Californias A-G Subject Area Requirements Monica H. Lin, Ph.D. Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions University of California | Office of the President Available online at: California Consortium for Independent Study (CCIS) Conference January 31, 2013

2 Overview Policy background The a-g course lists & course update process New a-g review process for online courses Policy implementation: challenges & successes

Policy Background

4 UC and Online Learning University of California priority: accessibility of a broad range of high-quality, rigorous college-preparatory courses UC keeping pace with the changing landscape of online learning –Facilitate students access to a-g online courses –Encourage online educators to uphold promising practices of online learning for student success Revised policy to offer improved guidance and more efficient process of satisfying UC admission requirements

5 Highlights of Policy Revisions UC program status requirement for online entities has been eliminated New policy focuses on quality assessment of online courses for a-g purposes –Flexible to accommodate differing types of online courses –Addresses UC faculty online learning guidelines Policy revisions incorporate national quality standards for online courses and programs Partnership between UC and the California Learning Resource Network (CLRN)

A-G Course Lists & Course Update Process

7 A-G Course Lists UC and CSU admissions requirements include satisfying a 15-course pattern of college-preparatory a-g courses –High school courses must undergo a-g review and approval to appear on the a-g course list The a-g course list is an important component of the applicant review process –All a-g course lists must be updated each year to maintain accuracy for applyUC and for UCs comprehensive review Updates to the a-g course list are submitted using the UC Online Update website: –

8 A-G Course List Update Timeline * update cycle will open March 1, A-G Online Updates website opens for course submissions on March 1, 2013 PHASE 1 March 1-June 1, 2013 New courses submitted may have up to 2 resubmission opportunities PHASE 2 June 2-August 1, 2013 New courses submitted may have only 1 resubmission opportunity PHASE 3 August 2- September 15, 2013 New courses submitted have no opportunity for resubmission All new course submissions and resubmissions must be submitted by September 15, 2013

New A-G Review Process for Online Courses

10 Online Course Publisher vs. Online School UC now differentiates between an online course publisher and an online school –Online course publishers develop their own curriculum and sell or license their online courses for delivery by a teacher within a high school or district –Online school is a credit- or diploma-granting institution that offers courses strictly through Internet-based methods, with time and/or distance separating the teacher and learner Institutions that act as both an online course publisher and online school will follow the procedures for online schools

11 Review of Online Courses Submit online course to CLRN for review* Assess the online course against the iNACOL Standards for Quality Online Courses and CA content standards CLRN-certified OR Self-assessed Submit online course to UC for a-g review Conduct subject- specific review against UC facultys content criteria Approve course for a-g? Add course to online publishers or online schools a-g course list; approval expires in 3 years STEP 1 STEP 2 *If not eligible for CLRN review, the online course must be self-assessed by the online publisher or school. YES

12 Step #1A: CLRN Certification Effective for: –Online course publishers serving public institutions –Public online schools A CLRN-certified online course must: –Meet at least 80% of CA Content or Common Core Standards –Fulfill all 15 power standards from the iNACOL Standards for Quality Online Courses –Satisfy at least 27 (or 80%) of the remaining iNACOL Standards Courses not aligned with a set of standards must be self- assessed (Step #1B) To submit a course to CLRN: –

13 Step #1B: Self-Assessment Effective for: –Online course publishers serving only private institutions –Private online schools –Any online courses not aligned with state standards – school year: Non-online high schools, districts, and programs Institution conducts self-assessment against iNACOL Standards for Quality Online Courses Self-assessment will be incorporated into the course submission process for UC a-g review

14 Step #2: UC A-G Course Review Only CLRN-certified or self-assessed online courses can be submitted to UC during the course list update cycle Basis for a-g course review and approval: –a-g course evaluation guidelines –Subject area course requirements All courses are reviewed by a subject area analyst –Blind reviews –Goal: new CLRN-certified online courses reviewed within 2-4 weeks To submit a course to UC: –

15 Adding A-G Online Courses Access UCs a-g Online Update website Indicate intent to add previously approved online course(s) Certify that program/school/district will satisfy UCs online learning guidelines and policy for online courses to receive a-g approval (once per annual update cycle) Add online course to a-g course list Select online course to add to a-g course list

Policy Implementation 16

17 Challenges & Successes Definitions of online entities are not always clear-cut Elimination of principal certification for non-UC-approved online courses –Not acceptable for online courses completed in academic year and beyond Re-evaluation of policy regarding online courses in laboratory science and in visual & performing arts –Under current policy: online science courses require supervised, on-site wet lab and online VPA courses not allowable UC encourages educators to incorporate promising practices for excellence in online teaching and learning

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19 Resources Helpful links: –California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) –International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) –UC Doorways websites: a-g Course List website – Online Update website – Contact UCOP High School Articulation: – –Phone: (510)