Report back: Non credit forum

Posted on May 2, 2020 by AFT 2121

Last Friday, 4/24, AFT 2121 and the Academic Senate held a joint forum to discuss the status of non-credit at CCSF. The purpose was information-sharing, so no decisions were made. It was a productive beginning, and 67 faculty members attended. Some of the points that came up:

For many of us, teaching remotely has proved to be more work than our regular classes.
Faculty expressed worry about being pushed online, and the possibility that admin will use this crisis to permanently shrink non-credit. Fully-enrolled classes have been cut, especially in OLAD. Classes necessary for certificate programs have been cut in NC Business.
Tom Boegel’s 4/10 memo struck many of us as disrespectful and evidence that administration doesn’t care about non-credit.
Barriers to non-credit enrollment include: Canvas, RAM ID, ccsf email, and the application process. None of these are accessible or easy to navigate. Many NC students are excluded from computer loan program.
We’ve had some success getting students onto canvas, especially in TRST. But for some programs it seems impossible. Canvas is an inadequate tool. AFT has offered to help design a method outside of canvas to report attendance, but administration continues to act like there’s no alternative.
Academic Senate has been working to address academic standards and teaching methods. Faculty who want to get involved can email Simon Hansen.
AFT 2121 has been holding impact bargaining sessions with administration to help manage the effects of the pandemic on faculty pay and working conditions. We’re especially concerned with the summer and fall class schedules. We’re waiting for admin to respond on a number of issues, including when we can meet next.
For summer 2020, admin has said they want to offer only classes that are fully approved as distance ed classes. There are very few of those in non-credit. Only 40 NC classes are currently scheduled for summer 2020. Faculty expressed interest in pushing back and offering more classes. AFT has proposed that CCSF expand the offerings by scheduling classes that are currently being taught in remote or hybrid modes. Administration has not responded.
For fall 2020, admin has agreed to offer remote and hybrid classes in addition to the ones that have gone through formal approval. However, they’re insisting that all of those classes be in canvas, which again cuts out many non-credit classes.
We discussed the need to plan a face-to-face schedule for fall. We understand that we may not be able to hold face-to-face classes, but it’s not clear yet what will happen. If we don’t schedule face-to-face classes, enrollment will plummet.
The curriculum committee has approved new definitions of distance education new definitions of distance education. Those definitions all require canvas. We’re not sure what effect these definitions will have.