SDCE Leads the Way for Growth and Expansion of Noncredit Programs in California
Carlos O. Turner Cortez, Ph.D., President of San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE), has demonstrated a profound effect on the continuing education field by authoring and spear-heading the production of the first-ever, comprehensive report of California Community College noncredit offerings in The Past, Present and Future of Noncredit Education in California, and preparing to host the first statewide noncredit conference in California.
SDCE is the adult education division of the San Diego Community College District and is the largest provider of noncredit education in California.
The motivation to publish the report followed a survey of every community college in California (113 two-year institutions plus SDCE) to find out what current noncredit offerings were being provided in the state. The California Community College Noncredit Offerings Survey was conducted by Dean Michelle Fischthal and SDCE’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness in partnership with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) Educational Services.
Every college responded to the survey, which served as a foundation for the first-ever compilation of the collective work that explains the development and expansion of noncredit in California’s community colleges, with survey results included in a report format. The report was honored with the Mertes Award, for Excellence in Community College Research by the Association of California Community College Administrators.
The survey findings showed that although new initiatives for noncredit growth were increasingly focused on the expansion of adult education, that resources for colleges’ programming and operational infrastructure questions were not yet available. The report documents the history of adult education in California, and also serves as a resource to colleagues and legislators to inform policy for growth, development and improvement of adult education programs and plans. In addition to informing policy, the report is expected to have continued long-term positive impacts on adult education institutions, faculty, students and the adult education profession.
As an additional support and resource to colleagues in the state, SDCE will host the first statewide noncredit conference, “The New World of Noncredit” October 6-7, 2017. Noncredit education is growing in California Community Colleges. Faculty, administration and staff need resources to plan, develop and grow both instructionally and operationally. The conference will provide information related to best practices instructionally and operationally focused on four areas: 1) Instruction, 2) Institutional Effectiveness and Research, 3) Policy, Finance and Administration, and 4) Student Services. The conference committee is accepting presentation proposals through the end of the summer.