1. Presented by: Becky Witherspoon
Block Schedule Program
Achieving the
and DCCCD Strategic Goals
It’s All About Curriculum Pathways and the Network
2016 District Curriculum Workshop
August 24, Richland College
Presented by: Becky Witherspoon

2. TOPICS TO BE COVERED What is the Plan?
How does Block Scheduling align with the Plan?
How does Block Scheduling align with DCCCD Strategic Goals?
What exactly is Block Scheduling?
Best Practices in Building Block Schedules
Compliance Guidelines for Block Schedule Programs

3. BLOCK SCHEDULE PROGRAMS
Why are the colleges of the DCCCD participating in this program?
House Bill 1583 passed by the 84th Texas Legislature requires public community colleges to establish associate degree or certificate block schedule programs from the fields of allied health, nursing, or career and technology for at least five programs not previously offered as block schedule programs. To be effective Fall 2016 semester.

4. Texas New Higher Education Strategic Plan
Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board
INCLUDES 4 ENTIRELY STUDENT-CENTERED GOALS
AIMS TO POSITION TEXAS AMONG THE HIGHEST ACHIEVING STATES IN THE COUNTRY AND MAINTAIN ITS GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS.

5. GOAL #1: Attainment
By 2030, at least 60% of Texans ages will have a post secondary credential or degree.
Achieving the 60x30TX goal is critical for Texas to remain globally competitive and for its people and communities to prosper.

6. OUR FUTURE WORKFORCE ONLY 28% 65%
Our future workforce will demand even more
Post Secondary trained and educated workers.
In 1973
ONLY 28%
of all U.S. Jobs required
POST SECONDARY EDUCATION/SKILLS
By 2020
65%
of all new Jobs will require
POST SECONDARY EDUCATION/SKILLS
Currently 35% of Texans aged have an associate degree or higher.

7. 25th 5th TEXAS IS LOSING GROUND
Texans Years Old
Rank 5th
In the World
Attaining Associate Degree or Higher
Texans Years Old
Rank 25th
In the World
Attaining Associate Degree or Higher
25th
5th
Texas attainment levels have stayed relatively steady, but in a global economy, staying steady means falling behind.

8. GOAL #2: Completion
By 2030, at least 550,000 students in that year will complete a certificate, associate, bachelor’s, or master’s from an institution of higher education in Texas.
If reached, Texas will award a total of 6.4 million certificates or degrees during the 15 years of this plan.

9. GOAL #3: Marketable Skills
By 2030, all graduates from Texas public institutions of higher education will have completed programs with identified marketable skills.
What is a marketable skill?
Marketable skills include interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas, are valued by employers, and are primary or complementary to a major.

10. GOAL #4: Student Debt
By 2030, undergraduate student loan debt will not exceed 60 percent of first-year wages for graduates of Texas
public institutions.

11. BLOCK PROGRAMMING PROVIDES:
How Block Schedule Programs Support
Goal #1: Attainment
Incrementally increase overall post secondary attainment.
Goal #1 Strategy:
Respond to the needs of the changing population of Texas so students are supported to and through higher education.
BLOCK PROGRAMMING PROVIDES:
Flexibility for students
Convenience for students
A shorter path to completion
A “stable” path to completion

12. BLOCK PROGRAMMING PROVIDES:
How Block Schedule Programs Support
Goal #2: Completion Strategies:
Support the completion pipeline by providing access to multiple post secondary options.
Structure programs and support services to be responsive to the changing needs of our student population to help students persist through key transitions in higher education.
BLOCK PROGRAMMING PROVIDES:
Options for students
Classes scheduled around student responsibilities
Structured technical programs to assist students to obtain jobs

13. BLOCK PROGRAMMING PROVIDES:
How Block Schedule Programs Support
Goal #3: Marketable Skills
In a 2012 UCLA study, 88% of surveyed students identified “getting a better job” as the most important reason for attending college.
BLOCK PROGRAMMING PROVIDES:
Classes that result in providing students with “identifiable” marketable skills.
Block schedule programs are offered in many technical fields where students are employable in a shorter amount of time.

14. Alignment with the following DCCCD Strategic Goals:
DCCCD MISSION:
Equip students for successful living and responsible citizenship in a rapidly changing local, national and world community.
Alignment with the following DCCCD Strategic Goals:
Continue to support a diverse and high quality workforce in the District
Nimbleness as expectation for responsiveness to needs and opportunities (Note: Identify barriers to quick response for programs, degrees, services)
Support job opportunities through preparation of students, bridging access to jobs, and business development in communities for local hiring
Emphasize student support services with pathways, advisors, life skills and workplace fundamentals emphasizing retention and completion

15. B L O C K S C H E D U L E P R O G R A M

16. WHAT EXACTLY IS BLOCK SCHEDULING??
A Block-Scheduled Program is designed to allow a full-time student to enroll in a defined block of Courses (morning, full-day, afternoon, evening, or weekend) to provide course scheduling predictability from semester to semester. Clinical, practicum and other externships may deviate from the block schedule.

17. BLOCK SCHEDULE PROGRAM
Provides consistency of times when classes will be offered from semester to semester to assist students with scheduling job hours, child care, etc.
Facilitates a timely completion for degrees and certificates
Cert I level – 1 year or less
Cert II level – less than 2 years
AAS degree – no more than 2 years
Provides a quicker path for our students to enter the work force

18. 16 Hour Certificate Block Program
BEST PRACTICES
When setting up your block program, plan all semesters at one time; from program start to program completion
16 Hour Certificate Block Program
8 Hrs Fall Semester 2016
8 Hrs Spring Semester 2017
Use identical day(s) and hours both semesters so students can plan their outside of school obligations around the completion of their certificate
By posting ahead of time, student has plenty of time to rearrange things to accommodate class schedule.
60 Hour AAS Block Program
15 Hrs Fall Semester 2016
15 Hrs Spring Semester 2017
15 Hrs Fall Semester 2017
15 Hrs Spring Semester 2018
Use identical day(s) and hours all four semesters so students can plan their outside of school obligations around the completion of their associate degree
By posting ahead of time, student has plenty of time to rearrange things to accommodate class schedule.

19. Networking Associate Certificate
BEST PRACTICES
Stay consistent with your schedule, keep schedule the same from semester to semester for the same program
Networking Associate Certificate
16 Hour Level I Certificate Program
Fall Semester 2016
ITCC :30pm – 11:05pm TR (8/30-10/20)
ITCC :30pm – 11:05pm TR (10/25-12/15)
Spring Semester 2017
ITCC :30pm – 11:05pm TR (1/17-3/7)
ITCC :30pm – 11:05pm TR (3/13-5/11)

20. BEST PRACTICES
Consider the type of students that typically take your classes; are they generally FT students, PT students, FT or PT working students, etc.
If you know most of your students work FT or PT during the day hours, you may want to offer your block schedule program only in the evenings.
If it would be better to have all your classes just on one day, you could schedule all the courses over an entire day/evening; this way your students would only have to come to campus one day/week.
If the majority of your students are FT students and do not have outside jobs or responsibilities, you can build your block schedule during the days.

21. BEST PRACTICES
Schedule your classes back to back if at all possible – remember make the schedule convenient for your cohort of students; do not scatter course offerings so the students must come to campus every day at all different times of the day
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
LGLA 1301
11:00-12:20
LGLA 1311
12:30-1:50
LGLA 1313
8:00-9:20
ENGL 1301
2:00-4:40
MATH 2342
9:30-10:50
Paralegal AAS
15 Credit Hours/
Semester

22. BEST PRACTICES Characteristics of a Successful Online Student
Be extremely careful in using “online” courses in your block as online courses are not designed for all students; we want our students to be successful in completing the block
Characteristics of a Successful
Online Student
Has self-discipline
Strong self-motivation
Highly organized
Has a strong work ethic
Can learn through reading, videos and visuals
Possess the skills and computer knowledge to
use a variety of software
Comfortable with technology
Communicate using written communication
Does this describe your students?
If not, online classes are not a good option to use in your block schedule program. Your program is designed to help students succeed; not create another barrier for them.

23. BEST PRACTICES
All courses in the block program must be scheduled…e.g., one of the options cannot be “student can take any English course to complete the English requirement”
All courses included in a block schedule program need to be identified as such for reporting purposes. Being a state-mandated program, we are required to provide data to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board through our state reporting. By Nov. 1, 2018 the THECB must submit to the Texas governor and legislature a detailed report on the effectiveness of block scheduling and any related recommendations for legislative or other action.
If students are placed in non-block schedule classes, there is no way to monitor the success of the program.

24. COMPLIANCE GUIDELINES
Each college shall publish in advance of each semester the available curricula for each associate degree or certified program
Must Identify your Block Schedule Programs so students can find them
Students must enroll in entire block to be included in your college’s block schedule program data that is reported back to the THECB
Block Schedule Program must allow a “predictable” completion of a Level 1 Cert in less than a year; a Level 2 Cert in less than 2 years; an AAS degree in no more than 2 years.

25. COMPLIANCE GUIDELINES
Each college must offer at least five associate degree or certificate programs from the fields of health science, nursing, or career and technology
Any course offered through the block schedule program CANNOT BE CANCELLED
The THECB is currently working on rules where an exception to the number of programs for which a block schedule curriculum is required on demonstration of hardship (not yet formulated).

26. HOUSE BILL 1583 House Bill 1583 passed by the 84th Texas Legislature
Section 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 130 Education Code, is amended by adding Section to read as follows:

27. Which path will you take?

28. Becky Witherspoon
972/
Jamie Templeton
972/

29. Block Schedule Program
Courses Found here