Amended in Assembly April 15, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 387

Introduced by Assembly Member Levine

February 15, 2013

An act to add Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 89225) to Chapter 2 of Part 55 of Division 8 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 387, as amended, Levine. Public postsecondary education: California State University: online education.

Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law specifies that 25 institutions of higher education comprise the California State University.

This bill would express the intent of the Legislature that the California State University have a uniform definition of online education for the purposes of measuring its effectiveness. The bill would require the trustees to establish a series of uniform definitions for online education on or before January 1, 2015, as specified. begin delete The bill would require each campus of the California State University to incorporate a common course numbering system for courses offered entirely online. end delete The bill would require the trustees to report performance data about online education to the Legislature on or before January 1, begin delete 2015 end delete begin insert 2017 end insert , and every begin delete two end delete begin insert 2 end insert years until begin delete 2019 end delete begin insert 2021 end insert . The bill would require, in the development of new programs of instruction at each campus of the California State University, that not less than 10% of new course offerings be online courses, as defined.

This bill would require begin delete the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges and end delete the Trustees of the California State University to begin delete jointly end delete report to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2015, on the feasibility of developing an accelerated bachelor’s degree completion program consisting of begin delete distance learning end delete begin insert online end insert courses, aimed at students who started college but never obtained a degree.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the
expansion of online education can increase accessibility, and
accelerate degree completion. However, the value and effectiveness
of new online education programs should properly be measured,
and the Legislature should be provided with data to understand
the effectiveness of online education.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the California State
University develop a uniform definition of online education for
the purposes of measuring its effectiveness.

SEC. 2.  

Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 89225) is added
to Chapter 2 of Part 55 of Division 8 of Title 3 of the Education
Code, to read:

 

Article 3.5.  Online Education

 

89225.  

begin delete (a) end delete begin delete   end delete On or before January 1, 2015, for the purposes of
measuring the effectiveness of online education, the trustees shall
establish a series of uniform definitions for online education. The
begin delete trustees shall develop a systemwide definition for online education
that shall apply to a course that can be entirely completed remotely,
either through online access or other media of distance education,
and that does not require the student to be physically present at
the campus of instruction end delete begin insert definitions developed by the trustees
under this section shall, at a minimum, include a systemwide
definition for an online course where the course can be entirely
completed remotely end insert .

begin delete

(b) The trustees shall develop a two-tiered definition for courses
that can be accessed remotely, through online or other media of
distance education, but cannot be completed entirely through
remote access, in accordance with both of the following:

end delete begin delete

(1) A tier 1 course shall be defined as a course for which not
less than 50 percent of instruction is taught remotely and requires
online access or other media of distance education for completion
of the course, but cannot be completed 100 percent remotely.

end delete begin delete

(2) A tier 2 course shall be defined as a course that require online
access or other media of distance education to a lesser degree than
Tier 1.

end delete

begin delete

89225.5.  

Each campus of the California State University shall
incorporate a common course numbering system for courses offered
entirely online as referenced in Section 89225.

end delete

89226.  

(a) On or before January 1, begin delete 2015 end delete begin insert 2017 end insert , and on or before
January 1 every two years thereafter, the trustees shall report to
the Legislature key performance data on online courses as defined
in Section 89225, including, but not necessarily limited to, all of
the following:

(1) The number of students enrolled at each campus.

(2)  Course completion rates begin insert for courses other than online
courses end insert .

(3)  begin delete Program completion end delete begin insert Completion end insert rates for degree programs
that include begin delete distance learning end delete begin insert no online end insert courses.

(4)  begin delete Systemwide grade end delete begin insert Grade end insert point average for students enrolled
in online courses.

(5) The number of students cross-enrolled in online courses at
a California State University campus other than the campus at
which they are matriculated.

(6) Course completion rates for students enrolled in online
courses.

(7)  begin delete Program completion end delete begin insert Completion end insert begin insert end insert rates for begin delete students enrolled
in end delete begin insert degree programs that include end insert online courses.

(b) Student enrollment and completion rate data included in a
report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be made
available by demographics, including age, gender, and ethnicity.

(c) (1) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under
subdivision (a) is inoperative on July 1, begin delete 2019 end delete begin insert 2021 end insert , pursuant to
Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.

(2) The report prepared pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
Code.

89226.5.  

In the development of new programs of instruction
at each campus of the California State University, not less than 10
percent of new course offerings shall be online courses as defined
in Section 89225.

SEC. 3.  

On or before January 1, 2015, begin delete the Board of Governors
of the California Community Colleges and end delete the Trustees of the
California State University shall begin delete jointly end delete report to the Legislature
on the feasibility of developing an accelerated bachelor’s degree
completion program consisting of begin delete distance learning end delete begin insert online end insert courses,
aimed at students who started college but never obtained a degree.
The report prepared pursuant to this section shall be submitted in
compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.