Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a)
Comprehensive Program. The programs of a college shall be comprehensive and
shall include: pre-baccalaureate, occupational, and general studies curricula,
and public service programs.
b)
Degrees and Certificates. A college shall award associate degrees and
certificates in accordance with units of instruction approved by ICCB. This
authority is not extended to administrative units of the college.
c) Honorary Degrees. Honorary degrees awarded
by a board shall be limited to the associate degree.
d) Review and Evaluation of Programs.
1) A college shall have a systematic,
collegewide program review process for evaluating all of its instructional,
student services, and academic support programs at least once within a
five-year cycle.
2) The minimum
review criteria for program review shall be program need, program cost, and
program quality, as defined by each college.
3) The review of academic disciplines,
student and academic support, cross-disciplinary instruction (developmental
education, adult education and vocational skills), and career and technical
education shall be scheduled according to the published ICCB schedule. A
college shall follow the published schedule set by ICCB that shows when each
program will be reviewed during a five-year cycle. If a college seeks an
exception to the published schedule, the college must receive written approval
from ICCB.
4) The five-year
schedule of program review is determined through a combination of several
factors, including but not limited to:
A)
National trends that consider high need, high demand sectors;
B) Accreditation requirements in specific
occupational areas;
C) Areas that
the agency has determined are in specific need of review based upon industry
trends;
D) Feedback from local
community colleges;
E) Changes in
federal priorities, including specific updates to CIP
classifications;
F) Other factors
as appropriate.
5) ICCB
may request the college to include special reviews of programs that have been
identified as a result of State-level analyses, legislative resolutions, or
Illinois Board of Higher Education policy studies by notifying the college of
this request before January 1 of the year the special review is to be
conducted.
6) A college shall keep
on file for ICCB recognition purposes a copy of the current program review
process, its five-year schedule for program review, and complete reports of
program reviews conducted during the past five years.
7) A college shall submit to ICCB by
September 1 each year a summary report of its previous year's program review
results in a format designated by the ICCB and a copy of the current five-year
schedule of program reviews. If an institution cannot meet this deadline, a
written request for an extension shall be submitted to ICCB for
approval.
e) Academic
Calendar.
1) A college shall operate on an
academic calendar that provides at least two academic terms consisting of at
least 15 weeks (at least 75 days of instruction each), three academic terms
consisting of at least 10 weeks (at least 50 days of instruction each) or a
different combination of academic terms consisting of at least 30 weeks (at
least 150 days of instruction).
2)
The days of instruction prescribed in subsection (e)(1) shall include all days
when there is a full schedule of classes and support services, but will exclude
holidays, Saturdays, Sundays, and days scheduled exclusively for registration,
orientation, collegewide placement or assessment testing, faculty workshops,
and final examinations.
3) Colleges
may include terms during the summer or any other time during the year, in
addition to the ones identified in subsection (e)(1).
4) Courses/classes may be scheduled between
academic terms, spanning academic terms, for a shorter time frame than the
academic term, or for a longer time frame than the academic term, if the
schedule provides sufficient duration and contact hours to meet the
requirements in Sections
1501.309(b) and
1501.507(b)(10).
5) If an emergency such as a fire, flood,
pandemic, or strike makes it necessary for the college to shorten one of its
academic terms, the college may request that the Executive Director approve a
shorter term. In such cases, the length of the term may be shortened, but only
to the extent that enables all courses to meet the contact hours specified in
Section 1501.309(b).
6) Colleges must have a plan in place to
address modifications to the academic terms in the event of an emergency. This
plan must be approved by the Board of Trustees.
f) Preparation of Professional Staff.
Professional staff shall be educated and prepared in accordance with generally
accepted standards and practices for teaching, supervising, counseling and
administering the curriculum or supporting system to which they are assigned.
This preparation may include collegiate study and professional experience.
Graduate work through the master's degree in the assigned field or area of
responsibility is expected, except in those areas in which the work experience
and related training is the principal learning medium.
g) Library. A college shall maintain a
library or learning resource center with a collection of reference works and
other learning resources to meet the specific needs of its curricula and
students. This collection shall be kept up to date through a planned program of
acquisition and deletion.
h)
Supplies and Equipment. Classrooms, laboratories, and shops shall be provided
with equipment and supplies that are adequate for effective teaching and
learning.
i) General Education.
Organized curricula leading to an associate degree shall include general
education courses designed to contribute to the liberal education of each
student.
j) Apprenticeships. A
college that participates in apprenticeships coordinated by the Office of
Apprenticeship, U.S. Department of Labor and/or other programs related to
business, industrial, or trade groups or organizations shall meet applicable
federal, State, and local governmental rules, regulations, and
guidelines.
