Senate Subcommittees

Curriculum Committee

The goal of the Curriculum Committee is to provide the highest quality of education for all College of Marin students by supporting and assisting the faculty in the process of development and revisions to all approved academic materials. It is the committee's intent to maintain and improve academic standards as set forth by Title 5 regulations, the State Chancellor’s Office, and the duties as set forth by the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges.

As a subcommittee of the Academic Senate at College of Marin, the Committee acts accordingly in both a supportive and evaluative role for the on-going development of courses and programs at the college as defined within the current board policies and procedures, specifically BP 4020 Program, Curriculum and Course Development and AP 4020 Program and Curriculum Development.

For assistance, please contact the Curriculum Represetative for your area, the Curriculum Chairperson, the Curriculum Specialist, or the Articulation Officer by clicking on the links under the Curriculum Committee Members list on the Curriculum Committee webpage. 

Curriculum Committee Membership and Operating Guidelines from AP 4020 (Revised November 2023)

2. Membership:

Membership: Membership of the College Curriculum Committee are for two‐year terms and consist of the following: AP 4020 Program, Curriculum, and Course Development Page 3 of 4 a. Voting members appointed by the Academic Senate President and the Curriculum Chair:

a.

• Chair (votes in a tie);

• Math and Science;

• English and Humanities;

• Fine and Performing Arts; 

• Social and Behavioral Science;

• Counseling/Articulation Officer;

• English as a Second Language (ESL);

• Career Education;

• Allied Health and Kinesiology;

• SAS Counselor; and

• Distance Education Coordinator.

b. Non‐voting Resources: Evaluation Analyst from Enrollment Service.; Curriculum Specialist from the Office of Instructional Management (OIM) and Assistant Vice President of Instruction. Deans, as appropriate. c. Relevant Department Chairs are requested to attend Curriculum Committee meetings when there are proposals originating from their department or another department that will affect their courses and/or programs. Chairs should distribute the minutes of official meetings to selected campus and departmental offices. Department Chairs initiate new course and program proposals in consultation with department faculty and area Dean.

3. Operating Guidelines:

a. Consistent with the UPM/MCCD Collective Bargaining Agreement Article 8, Department Chairs shall: assist with the department's faculty, in the development and/or modification of department curriculum, subject to departmental and District approval as recommended by the College Curriculum Committee; and assist department faculty in up‐dating course outlines, degrees and certificates and communicate these updates in writing within the department and to the appropriate instructional office(s) through recommendations of the College Curriculum Committee.

b. The Curriculum Committee Chair is selected by the process outlined in the Curriculum Committee bylaws. The Chair is not the area representative outlined in “Membership 2.a”.

c. Additional support is provided by the Office of Instructional Management. d. Curriculum Committee agendas, approved minutes and updated Curriculum Committee approval schedules are posted on the Curriculum Committee website.

Distance Education Committee (DEC)

The Academic Senate voted at its September 23, 2010 meeting to approve the formation of a Distance Education Committee (DEC) as a subcommittee of the Academic Senate that will oversee the development and implementation of distance education offerings at College of Marin. Reports are given periodically to the Academic Senate and are included in the Academic Senate minutes.

This Committee may include at least eight volunteer faculty appointed by the Academic Senate from various disciplines who presently offer distance education classes or have distance education experience. Additionally, membership should include a Counselor, a representative from Student Accessibility Services (SAS), and a representative from Information Technology. The committee is co-chaired by the Distance Education Coordinator, Assistant Vice President of Instructional Support, and Instructional Designer.

The Distance Education Committee will:
  • Develop long-term strategies for the development of distance education at College of Marin.
  • Research and make recommendations regarding distance education platforms and applications.
  • Provide guidelines and training in use of the District Learning Management System (LMS) platform.
  • Develop protocols and consistent procedures for all faculty to use for Distance Education classes.
  • Develop and implement a method for ensuring academic integrity and student authentication.
  • Research and develop policies regarding regular and substantive interaction in distance education classes.
  • Research and make recommendations to the Curriculum Committee on course outlines for distance education courses including ADA  and Title 5 Compliance
  • Provide guidance on best practices in student support including tutoring, technical support, counseling, and library services.
  • Research and publish best practices for student success and retention in distance education classes.
  • Make recommendations to the professional development committee for flex workshops.
  • Provide recommendations on selection and evaluation procedures for DE offerings.
  • Work closely with the Curriculum Committee to review proposals for new and revised DE courses. All DE courses are vetted by the Distance Education Committee (DEC).
  • Provide regular reports to Academic Senate meetings.

The Senate will consult with UPM on all negotiable items.

DEC charge revised and approved in April, 2024

Equivalency Review Committee (Ad-hoc as needed)

The Equivalency Review Committee is being formulated and coming soon.

 

Updated Spring 2026