AGSC/STARS COURSE APPROVAL PROCESS JUNE 2019 THANK YOU FOR SERVING AND PARTICIPATING!

AGSC COURSE APPROVAL PROCESS One of the roles/jobs of the Alabama Articulation & General Studies Committee is to approved general studies courses for transfer across the state. They approved courses for transfer for the following: Alabama Community College System (All two-year community colleges) Public Universities in Alabama Link to approved course listings: CLICK HERE

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN A COURSE IS APPROVED? After a course has been reviewed and approved by the AGSC, it is listed on the website as an approved course in either AREA I, II, III, or IV for the two-year colleges or a four-year institution. If a course is on one of these lists, it should be accepted by the other public colleges and universities across Alabama. For example, if a student takes EH 201 – American Lit I – at Jacksonville State University, then it should count as an AREA II literature credit if that student later transferred to another two-year college or four-year university in Alabama. Exceptions -- if the major the student is pursuing requires a specific literature for their native students (let’s say World Lit) then the receiving institution can require the student to take that specific literature.

THE COURSE APPPROVAL PROCEDURE STEP 1 Institution wishing to submit a course for AGSC approval must first complete COURSE PROPOSAL FORM. Attach a sample COURSE SYLLABUS that is representative of how the course is currently being taught at the institution. Minimum course syllabus requirements – CLICK HERE CLICK HERE – Link to Course Proposal Form

THE COURSE APPPROVAL PROCEDURE STEP 1 (Continued) Mail proposal and syllabus to the following address: AGSC/STARS Administrative Office 1101 South Brundidge Street ELC Building Suite 107  Troy, AL 36081

THE COURSE APPPROVAL PROCEDURE STEP 2 Once this information is received and logged into the AGSC Course Database it is tagged as "pending review." A scanned copy of course proposal will be electronically forwarded to the members of the appropriate AREA Academic Committee. Academic committee members will be asked to vote to recommend the course to the AGSC for approval. In most cases, the academic committee members will have the opportunity to vote YES, NO, or ABSTAIN. Members who do not vote will be counted as abstentions. If modifications to the course proposal are needed to make a final recommendation, the Chair of the AREA Academic Committee (or STARS staff member) will contact the sending institution and request additional information.

THE COURSE APPPROVAL PROCEDURE STEP 3 Once the voting deadline has passed, all votes will be tallied by the AREA Academic Committee chair or the STARS staff member. In order for the course to move forward as a recommendation to the AGSC for final approval it must receive 15 “yes” votes from the 28 voting members of the Area Academic Committee. If the course receives enough yes votes, the chair or the STARS staff member will fill out the bottom of the form and record the vote tally. The chair of the committee can send in the results by email and request the STARS staff member to complete the form and continue the process. SEE SLIDE ON COURSE APPROVAL GUIDELINES – CLICK HERE. 15 13

THE COURSE APPPROVAL PROCEDURE STEP 4 Once a recommendation is obtained by the STARS Office, the AGSC Course Database will be updated to reflect the recommendation (yes or no) as voted on by the respective academic committee. IF THE ACADEMIC COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THE COURSE FOR APPROVAL... The course(s) will be brought before the AGSC for final approval at the next regularly scheduled AGSC meeting. The AGSC meets approximately every 3-4 months.  (Go to step 5) IF THE ACADEMIC COMMITTEE DOES NOT RECOMMEND THE COURSE FOR APPROVAL... The AGSC/STARS Administrative Office will communicate the decision of the academic committee to the sending institution. The sending institution can then make the necessary modifications and re-submit the course if they so choose. (Go back to step 1)

THE COURSE APPPROVAL PROCEDURE STEP 5 AGSC will take final vote on course approval (8 of 10 AGSC Members must vote yes) If approved by AGSC the course is updated in database and added to institutions approved course listing (with copy of syllabus). If not approved by AGSC – the proposal will be stamp “denied” and a copy of the course proposal will be sent back to the sending institution with a statement of reasoning for the denial. Sometimes, a course may be tabled. In this case, the AGSC will send the proposal back to the sending institution for follow-up. Table courses may be sent back through the entire process or they may come back to the AGSC for clarification and vote at the next meeting.

AGSC COURSE APPROVAL GUIDELINES GUIDELINES FOR COURSE APPROVAL… 1) Course Syllabus Requirements – CLICK HERE 2) General Studies Course Requirements – CLICK HERE 3) Discipline Specific Guidelines and Requirements – CLICK HERE

AGSC COURSE APPROVAL GUIDELINES COURSE SYLLABUS REQUIREMENTS… Course proposals must have a syllabus that includes, at a minimum, the following elements: Course Alpha Listing, Number, and Title (e.g., HIS 201- World History); Accurate Course Description; Course Textbooks, Manuals, or Required Materials; Course Objectives; Course Outline of Topics

AGSC COURSE APPROVAL GUIDELINES GENERAL STUDIES COURSE REQUIREMENTS… General guidelines and criteria for courses in the General Studies Curriculum are: Courses must be collegiate-credit courses at the freshman or sophomore level (i.e., 100 or 200 level); Courses must be broad in scope, present major intellectual or aesthetic ideas, and not be specialized or vocational in purpose; Courses must present the essential characteristics and basic processes of inquiry and analysis in the discipline; Courses must encourage the development of critical thinking skills and require students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate knowledge; Courses must consider the subject in its relation to other disciplines and its application to human concerns.

AGSC COURSE APPROVAL GUIDELINES DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS… Each of the AREA COMMITTEES (AACs) has established broad guidelines and requirements for courses that appear in the general studies. SAMPLE: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ANTHROPOLOGY – Specific guidelines and criteria in the social sciences require that courses should be broad in scope and content, include global or international perspectives, and must emphasize the methods of inquiry in the social sciences. General studies courses in Anthropology must: Discuss the unique quality of the discipline with respect to others in the social sciences; Present a holistic perspective about key issues of social structure/stratification and individual/society relationships; Illustrate application of knowledge in the discipline to human concerns, drawing examples from geographically diverse settings; Illustrate the application of scientific, comparative, and interpretive methods; Employ critical evaluation of descriptive accounts of social phenomena in their physical settings.

AGSC COURSES CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW There is a webpage that lists courses that are currently under review… LINK – CLICK HERE

COURSE APPROVAL PROCESS QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR SUGGESTIONS! EMAIL ME YOUR QUESTIONS CLICK HERE COURSE APPROVAL PROCESS THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO WATCH THIS PRESENTATION!

www.gettheguide.net or stars.troy.edu CONTACT US MAILING ADDRESS AGSC & STARS Office 1101 South Brundidge Street - Suite 107 Troy University ELC Building Troy, AL 36081 PHONE NUMBERS 334-670-3690 (Main Office) 334-670-3797 (Keith Sessions) 1-800-551-9716 ext. 3690 (Toll Free) 334-670-3695 (Fax) www.gettheguide.net or stars.troy.edu PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS