Online A-G Courses

UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

Session Topics

• Overview and key definitions

• Review process for “a-g” online courses

• Highlights of key online course types

• Online courses & “a-g” course lists / UC applications / student transcripts

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UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

UC and Online Learning

UC priority = accessibility of a broad range of college-preparatory online courses.

Online course policy revised in 2012.• Focuses on quality of online courses for “a-g” purposes.• Incorporates national quality standards for online courses and

programs.

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UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

Then & Now: Online Institutions with A-G Course Lists

Institution TypeUnder Former Policy

2006-2012Under Revised Policy

2013 - 2014

# of Online Publishers 12 33

# of Online Schools 24 45

TOTAL 36 78

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UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

Then & Now: A-G Online Courses

Institution Type# of Courses

Under Former Policy 2006-2012

# of Courses Under Revised Policy

2013 - 2014

Online publishers 291 1030

Online schools 657 2455

Non-online schools 2288* 12,604

TOTAL 3236 16,089

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*Excludes home-grown online courses

UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

Key Definitions

What is an online course?

More than 50% of instruction is done through Internet-based methods with time and/or distance separating teacher and student.

Types of online courses:Home-Grown Online Courses Commercial / Publisher Online Courses

• Developed by a school/district or by a publisher serving as the curriculum author.

• Completes 2-step course submission process.

• Purchased from an online publisher.

• Delivered by a local school/district.

• Completes an abridged course submission process.

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UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

More Key Definitions

• What is an online course publisher?– Develops their own online curriculum and sells or licenses

their courses for delivery by a teacher or administrator at a local high school.

• What is an online school?– Credit-granting institution offering all or the majority of their

courses through Internet-based methods, with time and/or distance separating the teacher and student.

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UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

Review Process for A-G Online Courses

Online courses are approved in 2 steps and for a 3-year term:

1. Assessment against iNACOL course standards.

2. Review by UC for final “a-g” approval.

Review process applies to both:

• Home-grown courses developed by online or non-online schools

• Courses authored by online course publishers

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UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

Step #1: Assessment Against iNACOL Standards

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• Institution conducts self-assessment against 52 iNACOL course standards.– Must fulfill all 15 UC-identified “power standards,” and– Satisfy at least 27 of the remaining standards.

• Self-assessment form completed as part of the new course submission form.– Submit self-assessment for review before completing remainder

of the course submission form.

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Step #2: UC A-G Course Review

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Online courses reviewed using same criteria and process as non-online courses.

If online & classroom-based courses are the same, one submission for both versions.

• If online & classroom-based courses are different, separate submissions for each version.

UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

Commercial / Publisher Online Courses

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Responsibility of online course publisher to undergo 2-step review process for “a-g” online courses every 3 years.

Adding an approved online publisher course to a course list:

• Complete an abridged course submission process.

• Not required to re-add courses every 3 years.

UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

Laboratory Science Online Courses

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• OK if it has required, teacher-supervised, hands-on labs.

• Laboratory science courses from an online publisher– Online publishers may submit courses to UC without lab component.– School required to submit the lab component when adding the

publisher’s approved online lab science.

UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

Visual and Performing Arts Online Courses

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• High school online courses in the visual and performing arts: – Not currently accepted.

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Online Courses & the A-G Course List

Publisher online courses

Home-grown online courses

Courses taken through an online school

• Add to your institution’s “a-g” course list.

• Listed separately from classroom-based courses.

• Added to your institution’s “a-g” course list.

• Single listing on course list, if classroom-based and online version are the same.

• Listed separately from classroom-based course, if online version is different.

• Not added to your institution’s “a-g” course list.

• Appears on the “a-g” course list of the online school.

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UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

Online Courses & the UC Application

Publisher online courses

Home-grown online courses

Courses taken through an online school

• Reported with student’s high school “a-g” courses.

• Reported with student’s high school “a-g” courses.

• Reported as completed through the online school.

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UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

Online Courses & Student Transcripts

Publisher online courses

Home-grown online courses

Courses taken through an online school

• Listed on student’s high school transcript.

• Does not need to include special designation in transcript title.

• Listed on student’s high school transcript.

• Does not need to include special designation in transcript title.

• Student must obtain transcript from online school.

• Can also appear on student’s high school transcript, but not required.

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UC ARTICULATION CONFERENCE

A-G Guidehttp://www.ucop.edu/agguideComprehensive website for everything “a-g”

Available as of February 1, 2015:

A-G Course Management Portal (A-G CMP)https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcmp/Submit courses and manage course list information

A-G Course Listshttps://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist/View any school’s or program’s “a-g” course list

Resources