Senate BillNo. 547


Introduced by Senator Block

February 22, 2013


An act to add Chapter 11.5 (commencing with Section 66950) to Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 547, as introduced, Block. Public postsecondary education: online courses.

(1) Existing law, the Donahoe Higher Education Act, sets forth the missions and functions of the segments of the public postsecondary education system in the state, including the University of California administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Provisions of the act are applicable to the University of California only to the extent that the regents, by appropriate resolution, make them applicable.

Existing law requires the Board of Governors, the Trustees, and the Regents, with appropriate consultation with the academic senates of the respective segments, to jointly develop, maintain, and disseminate a common core curriculum in general education courses for the purpose of transfer. Existing law deems any person who completes this transfer core curriculum as having completed all lower division general education requirements for the University of California and the California State University.

This bill would require the academic senates of the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges to jointly develop and identify online courses that would be made available to students of each of the 3 segments for enrollment by the fall of 2014. The bill would require the online courses to be in areas defined as high demand transferable lower division courses under the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum and to be deemed to meet the lower division transfer and degree requirements for the 3 segments. The bill would require the board of governors to create an Internet portal through the California Virtual Campus that facilitates enrollment in the online courses. The bill would require funding for implementation of the bill to be provided for in the annual Budget Act, and would state the intent of the Legislature that the University of California’s receipt of this funding be contingent upon its compliance with the bill’s requirements.

Pursuant to existing law, this bill would be applicable to the University of California only upon the adoption of an appropriate resolution by the Regents.

By placing additional requirements on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

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

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

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Chapter 11.5 (commencing with Section 66950)
2is added to Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code,
3to read:

4 

5Chapter  11.5. Online Courses
6

 

7

66950.  

(a) The academic senates of the University of
8California, the California State University, and the California
9Community Colleges shall jointly develop and identify online
10courses that shall be made available to students of each of the three
P3    1segments for enrollment by the fall of 2014. The online courses
2shall be in areas defined as high demand transferable lower division
3courses under the Intersegmental General Education Transfer
4Curriculum.

5(b) The online courses developed pursuant to subdivision (a)
6shall be deemed to meet the lower division transfer and degree
7requirements for the University of California, the California State
8University, and the California Community Colleges.

9(c) The Board of Governors of the California Community
10Colleges shall create an Internet portal through the California
11Virtual Campus that facilitates enrollment in the courses developed
12pursuant to subdivision (a).

13(d) The University of California, the California State University,
14and the California Community Colleges shall do both of the
15following:

16(1) Develop a process for determining and identifying which
17students are most likely to succeed in the online courses developed
18pursuant to subdivision (a) and target enrollment efforts toward
19those students.

20(2) Inform students of the technical requirements a student must
21satisfy in order to successfully participate in and complete the
22online courses developed pursuant to subdivision (a).

23(e) (1) Funding for the implementation of this section shall be
24provided for in the annual Budget Act.

25(2) It is the intent of the Legislature that the University of
26California’s receipt of funding for the implementation of this
27section be contingent upon its compliance with the requirements
28of this section, notwithstanding Section 67400.

29

SEC. 2.  

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
30this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
31local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
32pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
334 of Title 2 of the Government Code.



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