1. Texas Workforce Education Course Manual 1995-2008

2. www.thecb.state.tx.us Item under Quick Links

3. WECM Organization
WECM courses are arranged by 6-digit CIP Code relating to a specific occupation or job title
Based on learning outcomes
Federal taxonomy developed by the U.S. Dept. of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics
CIP does not identify the only discipline that may use the course

4. Course Elements CIP Code Course Rubric Course Level Course Number
End-of-Course Outcomes
Course Title
Course Descriptions
Contact Hours
Suggested Prerequisite

5. Course Rubric
Four letter prefixes identify courses with cluster of skills & knowledge
e.g. POFT
not an acronym
Does not identify the only discipline that may use the course

6. Course Rubric
Should not commonly be in use or have previously been used
Existing course rubric should not be changed unless compelling and substantiated reasons are presented and approved by all Instructional Specialists at a WECM Workshop AND all changes are approved by the WECM Leadership Committee, TACRAO, and the CB.

7. Course Title Reflects the outcomes of the course
Should not contain vendor information unless a vendor specific course

8. Course Title
Published WECM title for SCH courses must appear in college publications and on transcripts.
For CEU courses, workforce marketing titles may be used; however, all CEU mirror courses must use the published WECM title.

9. Course Level
Indicates whether the course is introductory, intermediate, or advanced, as recommended by instructional specialists
First digit in the course number specifies the course level

10. Course Number Four digit number after rubric
1st digit indicates Course Level
1 = Introductory Level
May be Intermediate Level
2 = Advanced Level
2nd digit indicates SCH/CEU

11. Course Numbers
Course Number is assigned by WECM Project staff based on the following system:
1x00 to 1x39—Introductory
1x40 to 1x59 and 2x00 to 2x29—Intermediate
2x30 to 2x59—Advanced
The “x” indicates the SCH and CEU value and must comply with range allowed by the GIPWE

12. Course Number (continued)
3rd digit indicates Course Type
00-59 Lecture-Lab
60-63 Clinical
64-69 Practicum
70-79 Local Need
80-85 Cooperative Education
86-89 Internship
90-99 Special Topics
4th digit is the suggested sequence number

13. Course Description
Describes overall goals, content, & major topics (based on Outcomes without restating them)
Contains 25 – 100 words
Begins with a phrase like:
A course in…
An introduction to…
A study of…
Survey of …

14. End-of-Course Outcomes
Always start with one present tense action verb
Solve
Sketch
Create
Usually contain an object of the action
Solve a quadratic equation
Sketch a story line
Create a complex telecommunications network
Edit digital images for print

15. Contact Hours
Each WECM course has a suitable range of contact hours necessary to master minimum learning outcomes
Range allows each college a choice of instructional strategies via lecture/lab components
SCH courses must follow the established ratios for credit and contact hour assignments
Range chart can be found in GIPWE Chapter 4

16. Suggested Prerequisite
Specific list of prerequisite course(s), skill(s), or knowledge
Instructional specialists at a WECM Course Review Workshop must agree on all course prerequisites. (ITNW 2305)

18. UNIQUE TYPES OF COURSES
Special Topics Course
Local Need Course
Mirror Image Course
Vendor Specific Course
CEU Short-Hour Course
CEU Professional Certification Course
Less Than 7-Hour Mandatory Licensure/Credentialing Course
WECM/ACGM and FOS Course
External Learning Experience Course

19. Special Topics Courses
Available within each six-digit CIP code. College chooses discipline-specific learning outcomes for these courses. Identified by a “9” in the third digit of the course number.
Used when course content changes frequently.

21. Local Need Courses
Colleges may submit Local Need courses to respond to unique local or regional conditions. Evidence of need for these courses must be substantiated by support from business and industry in a limited geographical area.
Same course content is offered consistently over a period of time.

22. Local Need & Special Topics Courses
Course content must be related to workforce education
Reviewed at Course Review Workshops
Valid for 24 months after which time college must resubmit
Submit course title, description, and learning outcomes to appropriate college personnel.

23. Not Valid for WECM Special Topics/Local Need
Conversational Spanish
Understanding Your Digital Camera
English as a Second Language
Personal Finance
Invest for Your Retirement
Alcohol Awareness for Minors
Computers for Grandparents

24. Valid WECM Special Topics/Local Need Courses
Customer Service Spanish
Digital Photography for Non-Profit Agencies
Manufacturing Terminology and Communication
Small Business Finance for Office Managers
Alcohol Abuse Counseling Theories
for Business Effectiveness

25. Mirror Image Course
Many Semester Credit Hour (SCH) courses have exact replicas (mirror images) offered for Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Referenced in the WECM below course number.

28. Vendor Specific Course
Specifically accommodates the instructional requirements of commercial vendors
Occurs primarily in the Information Technology areas. Designed for students seeking certifications in the use of various software packages, network engineering, etc. (ITMT 1300)

30. Generic Non-Vendor Course
For some vendor specific courses, parallel courses that are not vendor specific are also included in the WECM. These are designed for institutions wishing to offer courses addressing similar outcomes as those in vendor specific courses but the institutions are not vendor authorized.
“Not a vendor specific course. A vendor specific course is available as follows: _____.” (ITNW 1308)

32. CEU Short-Hour Course Available for Continuing Education training
7-40 contact hours
Used for appropriate workforce education courses.
Usually written in Course Review Workshops as a result of a large volume of Special Topics/Local Need courses dealing with a specific topic.
Search for Short-Hour Courses.

33. CEU Professional Development Courses
Intensive training in an identified area(s) to meet continuing education and/or review/update requirements associated with professional licensure or certification.
Limited to 7-24 contact hours. (CSME 2000)

35. Less Than 7-Hour Mandatory Licensure/Credentialing Courses
Contained in the WECM for such topics as Real Estate, Hepatitis Training, etc.
Colleges send these courses as Local Need to CB.
CB verifies mandatory training for licensure/certification with state agency.
CB sends to WECM Maintenance Project for incorporation into WECM.
List can be obtained at WECM website.

36. EXTERNAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE COURSE
Cooperative education, Practicum (or field experience), Internship, Clinical
Included in each six-digit CIP code as appropriate
Generically described
Guidelines described in Chapter 3 of GIPWE
Refer to tables in Chapter 4 of GIPWE for allowable credit and related contact hour ranges (POFT 1x81)

38. COURSE CATEGORIES
New WECM Course
Revised WECM Course
Archive Pending Course
Archived Course

39. New WECM Courses
Only written in WECM Course Review Workshops as a result of review of Special Topics/Local Need courses.
In rare instances, written as a result of recent licensure or certification in a specific field.
May also be written to meet the demand of emerging and high-tech occupations.
Recommended by statewide Curriculum Consortium.
Search for New Courses.
See list of New Courses.

40. Revised WECM Course
A course that has been modified since September of the current year to enhance course title, level, description, learning outcomes, reference information, recommended lab, and/or contact hours for increased usability.
Search for Revised courses
See List of Revised courses.

41. Archive Pending Courses
A course that is unused, obsolete, inadequate, or duplicated and has been recommended to be removed from the WECM database to an archive database for future reference. Available for use and FUNDING until the indicated archive date.
Courses archived this fiscal year will be available for funding until August 31, 2009.
Search for Archive Pending Courses.
See list of Archive Pending Courses.

42. Archived Courses Search for Archived Courses.
A course that is unused, obsolete, inadequate, or duplicated and has already been removed from the WECM database to an archive database for future reference.
No longer available for use and no longer eligible for funding.
Search for Archived Courses.

43. Definitions Archive Archive Pending
Removal of course from WECM database
No longer reimbursable
Archive Pending
Notice that course will be archived following September 1 of the next fiscal year.

44. Instructional Programs Listserve
Receive updates on all Instructional Programs topics including:
WECM issues
Instructional Programs Web site updates
THECB sponsored workshops and meetings
GIPWE and ACGM updates
Field of Study Curricula
Electronic Submission updates
Join via WECM website