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MEMORANDUM 

UNIVERSITY

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.77

.......

Se . n . at 

. e ............. 

.............................

From

Seiate Committe...Con 

Studies 

Subject. .. 

...................................................

.Date. . Jafluar..... 

Motion: That the 

Terms 

of Reference of the Senate Committee on 

Continuing Studies be amended by deleting term C.0) in 

Senate Document S-74--170.. 

Background 

Appended are two items: 

(l)'Senate document S-74-170, with comments, outlining the 

membership, structure and terms of reference of the Senate 

Committee on Continuing Studies. (The structure of this 

committee 'was changed on September 8, 1975 - Senate document 

S-75-120) 

(2) A statement of "Criteria & Procedures for Approving 

•

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Credit-Free Instruction". This statement was approved by 

the Senate Committee on Continuing Studies on January 15, 1979. 

(A similarly worded statement was approved by the same 

• ? 

•Committee;on December 5, 1974.) 

For four years the procedures employed in approving non-credit 

instruction are those described by the attached statement on 

criteria and procedures. It has been pointed out, however, 

that these procedures, while consistent with item C.(4) in the 

Committee's Terms of Reference (S-74-170), are inconsistent with 

item C.(3). Since item C.,(4) allows various approval arrangements, 

including those suggested by item C.(3), it is being recommended 

that C.(3) be deleted from the Committee's Terms of Reference. 

(NOTE: The statement of criteria and procedures is provided herewith 

for information only) 

SIMQN FRASER UNIVERSITY

MEMORANDUM

ç.-7L_j7o

(

•MEMBERS OF 

Subject.

SENATE COMMIT 

T EE ON 

CONTINUING EDUCATION 

From

SENATE COMMITTEE ON 

NON-CREDIT INSTRUCTION 

Date ?

NOVEMBER 12, 1974 

MOTION.1. "That Sena 

' te approve, as set forth in S-74- 

the structure, composition and terms of reference 

of a Senate Committee on Continuing Education, to 

succeed the Senate Committee on Non-Credit Instruction, 

as follows: 

A.

Membership 

Six Senators, elected by Senate 

The Dean of Continuing Education - Chairman 

B.

Terms of Appointment 

The

six

senators elected by Senate are to be 

appointed for periods of two years, except 

that in the first instance, three members will 

(

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be appointed for two years and three (or one year. 

C.

Terms of Reference 

(1)

. To advise 

Senate 

on policy with re:;pect to 

the overall development of the tin iver;i.t'y'G 

continuing education credit and credit-free pr'ogrclm. 

(2)

In respect of credit-free programs, to reviow 

at regular intervals existing and propo;ed program!:; 

in terms of their need, objectives, clientele served, 

and other relevant factors. 

(3)

To review and approve credit-free courses 

each semester. 

(Li)

To develop procedures for the approval of 

various categories of credit-free instruction. 

(5)

To report to Senate at least once annually 

with respect to its above-noted responsibilities. 

(6)

To report to Senate as requested by Senate." 

MOTION 2. "That until Senate can conduct the required elect ion, 

those who served as members of the Committee on Non- 

Credit Instruction serve as members of the Conmi 

t tee

on Continuing Education. 

(I*

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Comments Regarding 

!

the Above Motion 

The Senate Committee on Non-Credit Instruction initially 

was established to bring some order into the offering of 

non-credit courses and to act as Senate's agent for controlling 

the quality of these courses. Both purposes have been achieved. 

However, with anticipated growth in the development of the 

University's continuing education activities, the Committee on 

Non-Credit Instruction is of the opinion that procedures for 

approving non-credit courses should become more flexible than 

those previously adopted (S73-44) 

,and that the Committee (or 

its successor) should concern itself not only with this function 

but also with broader policy questions concerning the overall 

development of the University's continuing education activitie;. 

In essence, the present Committee suggests that the proposed 

Committee on Continuing Education undertake the following kinds; 

of tasks: 

(1)

The development of criteria that should govern the kinds 

of credit-free programs provided by the University. 

(2)

The formulation and supervision of procedures for dppl'oving 

credit-free instruction that would ensure Senate control 

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over quality but which, at the same time, would encoura',e 

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initiatives in program development and meaningfully involve 

those individuals best able to make judgements about program 

content and administrative feasibility. 

(3)

The identifiation and assessment of goals and prioritits 

for the University's continuing education activities with 

the view to formulating recommendations for Senate's 

consideration. Excluded from the committee's tasks would 

be any scrutiny of credit courses and curricula; rdther, 

its concern 

i

would be for broader issues such as accessibility 

to current and proposed programs. 

(Li)

The consideration of policy and other questions submitted 

to it by Seráte. 

Criteria and Procedures for Approvin 

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Credit-Free Instruction* 

A. Rationale 

In purôse and organization credit-free instruction 

differs sufficiently from credit courses to justify different 

approval procedures. The primary focus of curriculum development 

for credit-free instruction are the interests, needs and circum- 

stances of persons and organizations in the community. Typically 

these courses are orqanized over short periods of time and involve 

prospective learners in their planning. Most credit-free instruction 

offered by academic departments is not repeated, at least in a form 

similar to • 

a preious offering. Also, in most cases, direct 

instructional costs of credit-free instruction must 

met

student 

fees. For these and other reasons, initiators of credit-free 

instruction require reasonable assurance that their course - even 

at the preliminary idea stage - will go forward and be approved 

prior to their spending any considerable amounts of time on planning 

the course and/or preparing detailed outlines and budgets. 

B.C.'s other public universities, whose credit-free 

programs have been established for a longer period than Simon 

Fraser's, have adopted course-approval procedures which are less 

formal and more flexible than their procedures for credit courses. 

• The procedures pro 

p

osed below for approval of credit-free instruction 

are more formal than those for UBC, and similar to those for U Vic. 

B.

Criteriafo 

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roving Credit-Free Instruction 

(1)

Instruciion should be appropriate to the offerings of this 

university. "Appropriate" may be generally defined as a course or 

other event(s) w 

i

th one or both of the following characteristics: 

- deals with complex subject matter or relates to the 

resources (largely teaching faculty) and expertise 

found within this university. 

- designed las an experimental pilot project employing 

research and development methodology. 

(2)

There should be some indication that the instruction will 

meet an important community need. 

The term "instruction" is used here to refer to any educational 

event or set of vents; "course" to refer to any single instructional 

event (evening class, conference, symposium etc.); and "program" to 

refer to any cohrent set of courses. 

.

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(3)

Instructional content should reflect the current state 

of knowledge within the field(s) under consideration. This 

criterion largly relates to the demonstrated competence of 

instructors. 

(4)

Instructional design and methodology should be consistent 

with accepted principles of effective instruction and university 

adult education. 

(5)

A course or program should be economically and administra- 

tively feasible. 

C. ? 

Procedures for Approving Credit-Free Courses 

(1)

All credit-free instruction shall be approved by the 

appropriate department chairman 

and the Dean of Continuing Studies. 

Instruction of an interdisciplinary nature shall be approved by 

the most appropriate department(s), or the Dean of the Faculty of 

Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Dean of Continuing Studies. 

Courses or programs so approved should be forwarded,once a semester 

to the Senate Committee on Continuing Studies or any succeeding 

body for review, and once a year to Senate. 

(2)

Specific credit-free courses or programs shall be 

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submitted to the Senate Committee on Continuing Studies when: 

A

.

. there is disagreement between a department chairman and 

the Dean of Continuing Studies about whether a course or 

program should be approved; 

b .

the Committee requests such action. 

(3)

Notwithstanding the above approval procedures, all 

proposed credit-free programs and component courses that would 

result in the award of a diploma or certificate, or a program of 

a sustained nature that likely will be repeated, shall be submitted 

to the Senate Committee on Continuing Studies for approval. All 

proposed diploma and certificate programs will be forwarded, by 

the Senate Committee on Continuing Studies, together with its 

recommendations, to SCUS and SCAP, with ultimate approval resting 

with Senate. ? 