EAC - Ad Hoc 4-Credit Conversion Committee

Sample SAC Full-Year Schedule Illustrating 
Three to Four Credit Hour Conversion
 

The accompanying Excel file illustrates a possible scenario if the Sociology SAC converted from 3 credit-hour to 4 credit-hour courses. The current course offerings are based on the 2003-2004 academic year, and include all campuses and centers, with the current Distance Learning options noted. Implications for full- and part-time workload, sequence adjustment, elective offerings, and student access are discussed here. 

  1. Number of Sections. The conversion assumes a reduction of sections to 75% of the current level. Using 75% as a base to hold the total credit hours constant, the actual implementation of the conversion could be adjusted to accommodate student access. [Sociology currently offers 135 general education offerings, which would be reduced to 101 sections.]
  2. Sequence Courses. The introductory sequence is reduced from 3 3-hour courses to 2 4-hour courses. [Soc204, 205, and 206, are converted to Soc201 and 202. Students can take the sequence courses in any order.] Sequence course offerings retain their approximate distribution across campuses and centers. The current 110 sections are converted to 82 sections.
  3. Workload.  Any workload scenario involving future faculty costs/workload is contingent on the faculty negotiations for the next multi-year contract that will be underway during FY05, but for this comparison, conversion would result in an increase in credit hours taught by full-time faculty (assuming that full-time faculty workload would change from 15 credit hours per term to 16 credit hours per term).  However, under this scenario, full-time faculty would be teaching one fewer class and have about 20% fewer students. The conversion would result in a decrease of credit hours taught by part-time faculty. Workload implications would vary by SAC, depending on the full-time to part-time faculty ratio. This is how workload for Sociology was calculated:
    • Current 3 credit hour workload = 135 sections = 405 credit hours
         Full-time faculty            [5 FT X 15 sections (45 credit hrs) = 225 credit hrs]
         Part-time faculty            [60 sections = 180 credit hours]
    • Proposed 4 credit hour workload = 101 sections = 404 credit hours
         Full-time faculty            [5 FT X 12 sections (48 credit hrs) = 240 credit hrs]
         Part-time faculty            [41 sections = 164 credit hours]
  4. District-wide planning and Student Access. The reduction in sections requires coordinated, district-wide planning to insure that:
    1. students have access to both required and elective courses,
    2. the needs of smaller campuses and centers are met, and
    3. faculty members share the teaching of elective courses proportionately.

(Student access to a variety of course offerings might be served by providing more distance learning options).

 

Committee Chair 2005-2006: Porter Raper, updated on October 14, 2004

Resources

Historical Information