Fast Forward: University of Californias A-G Online Course Policy & the Growth of Online Learning Monica H. Lin, Ph.D. Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions University of California | Office of the President e-Learning Strategies Symposium December 6, 2013

2 Overview UCs a-g course lists & course review process Online course policy highlights & updates policy outcomes Challenges & successes for online learning

A-G Course Lists & Course Review Process

4 A-G Course Lists UC and CSU admissions requirements include satisfying a 15-course pattern of a-g college-preparatory courses UC reviews high school courses based on criteria established by UC faculty Approved courses appear on a-g course lists used in University admission evaluations Submit a-g courses and revisions via the A-G Online Update website:

5 A-G Course List Update Timeline A-G Online Update website opens for course submissions on February 1, 2014 PHASE 1 February 1- May 31, 2014 New courses submitted may have up to 2 resubmission opportunities PHASE 2 June 1- July 31, 2014 New courses submitted may have 1 resubmission opportunity PHASE 3 August 1- September 15, 2014 New courses submitted have no resubmission opportunity All new course submissions and resubmissions are due by September 15, 2014 *January 1-July 15, 2014: Submission period for New Online Publisher/School Information Forms to establish an a-g course list with UC

UCs Online Course Policy Highlights & Updates

7 Key Definitions Online course –More than 50% of instruction is done through Internet-based methods with time and/or distance separating teacher and student –Commercial vs. non-commercial (home-grown) online courses Online course publisher –Develops own curriculum to sell/license –Online course delivered by teacher within a high school or district Online school –Diploma-granting institution offering all or a majority of online courses

8 Establishing an A-G Course List New online course publishers 1)Assess courses against iNACOL course standards 2)Complete UCs New Online Course Publisher Information Form by July 15 New online schools 1)Obtain ATP/CEEB code from the College Board 2)Obtain proof of accreditation (or candidacy for accreditation) 3)Assess courses against iNACOL course standards 4)Complete UCs New Online School Information Form and the Online Program Self-Assessment Form by July 15

9 Two-Step Review Process 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 course 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

10 CLRN Certification vs. Self-Assessment *The California Learning Resource Network ( CLRN ) will review and certify online courses that align to a single set of California Content Standards or Common Core State Standards. In place of CLRN certification for courses that are not eligible for CLRN review, the institution/program will conduct a self-assessment of their courses against the iNACOL course standards. Type of Institution / Online Educational Program CLRN Certification Self- Assessment Online course publishers serving public schools * * Online course publishers serving only private institutions * Public high schools opening home-grown online courses only to students within their district * Public high schools opening home-grown online courses to students outside of their district * * Private high schools *

11 Lab Science & VPA Courses Laboratory science (d) courses –May be approved by UC if they include a supervised, on-site, wet lab component that accounts for at least 20% of class time Online publishers may submit courses to UC without the lab component Schools intending to add UC-approved online lab science courses from an online publisher are required to submit the lab component Visual & performing arts (f) courses –Not allowable under current UC policy –May still be submitted to CLRN for review and certification

12 Next Steps for Online course publishers & online schools –Courses approved prior to must be CLRN-certified or self-assessed to retain a-g approval –If not, previously approved courses must be submitted to UC as new courses during update cycle Online schools (with a-g courses approved prior to ) –Submit a program self-assessment against iNACOL Standards for Quality Online Programs to retain an a-g course list

13 Next Steps for Non-online high schools, districts, and programs –Home-grown, non-commercial online courses must undergo the two-step review process Courses not CLRN-certified or self-assessed will be removed from course lists on June 1, 2014 –Purchased UC-approved online courses must be re-added to course lists for non-online entities

Policy Outcomes

15 Online Publishers & Schools 300% increase in number of online publishers and schools with a-g course lists

16 CLRN-Certified Online Courses update cycle: –23,021 = Grand total of all course submissions –3,037 = Total # of self-reported* CLRN-certified courses submitted –2,774 = Total number of verified CLRN-certified courses approved Overall, approvals for CLRN-certified online courses are high –Percentage approval for online publishers an anomaly due to confusion over CLRN certification status Note: Data are preliminary, as all reviews have not yet been completed. *UC verifies CLRN-certification status based on published reports on the CLRN website

Challenges & Successes

18 UC Policy Implementation Challenges Definitions of online entities not always clear-cut CLRN certification vs. self-assessment Successes Clear standards for quality online delivery Consistency of reviews against a-g course criteria for online and non-online courses Improved efficiencies in seeking a-g approval for online courses Expanded access to online a-g courses

19 UC-CLRN Partnership Challenges CLRN and UC course review timelines Clarification of eligibility for CLRN review and certification Successes Enhanced quality of online courses –Percentage of CLRN-certified courses has risen from 25% in December 2012 to 56% in November 2013 Strengthened investments from all parties involved High a-g approval rates for CLRN-certified courses

20 Growth of Online Learning Challenges Keeping pace with online course submissions Streamlining a-g course submission and review process Successes Building a repository of online course frameworks to promote quality online curriculum Encouraging educators to incorporate promising practices for excellence in online teaching and learning Changing the understanding and expectations of college- preparatory coursework

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22 Resources California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) – International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) – University of California a-g subject requirements: –A-G Course Lists – –A-G Online Update – –A-G Guide – UC High School Articulation, Undergraduate Admissions – –Phone: (510)

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