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AB-386 Public postsecondary education: cross-enrollment: online education at the California State University.(2013-2014)

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Assembly Bill No. 386
CHAPTER 363

An act to add Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 89225) to Chapter 2 of Part 55 of Division 8 of, and to add Chapter 9.6 (commencing with Section 66760) to Part 40 of Division 5 of, Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.

[ Approved by Governor  September 26, 2013. Filed with Secretary of State  September 26, 2013. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 386, Levine. Public postsecondary education: cross-enrollment: online education at the California State University.
Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law authorizes any student enrolled in any campus of any of these 3 respective segments who meets prescribed requirements to enroll without formal admission or payment of additional fees, except as provided, in a maximum of one course per academic term at a campus of either of the other segments on a space-available basis at the discretion of the appropriate campus authorities on both campuses.
This bill would express legislative intent that, by the beginning of the 2015–16 academic year, students enrolled at a California State University (CSU) campus be provided an opportunity to enroll in online courses available at other CSU campuses. The bill would authorize any student enrolled at a CSU campus who meets specified requirements to enroll, without formal admission, and without payment of additional tuition or fees, except as provided, in a course provided entirely online, as defined, by another CSU campus on a space-available basis. The bill would require each CSU campus to inform students who may enroll in an online course pursuant to this authority of certain information related to the online course. The bill would require the trustees, on or before January 1, 2015, to establish an easily accessible online database of online courses available at all CSU campuses to provide CSU students with a streamlined process within the CSU system to allow them to find and enroll in courses that will earn them credit toward graduation, general education, and major requirements.
This bill would require the trustees to establish a series of uniform definitions for online education for CSU on or before January 1, 2015, as specified. The bill would require the trustees to report performance data about online education to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2017, and every 2 years until 2021, and would, on or before January 1, 2017, require the trustees to report the performance data to the Legislative Analyst. The bill would, on or before October 1, 2017, require the Legislative Analyst to submit to the Legislature a status update regarding CSU’s implementation of the provisions of this bill and an assessment of the extent to which CSU’s online programs are operating in a manner consistent with legislative intent and statutory requirements.
This bill would require the trustees to report to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2015, on the feasibility of developing an accelerated bachelor’s degree completion program consisting of online courses aimed at students who started college but never obtained a degree.
This bill would require the California State University to use specified moneys appropriated in the Budget Act of 2013 for one-time startup costs related to the provisions of this bill.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 It is the intent of the Legislature:
(a) That, by the beginning of the 2015–16 academic year, students enrolled at a California State University (CSU) campus shall be provided the opportunity to enroll in online courses available at other CSU campuses. Students enrolling in online courses at a campus other than their home campus shall be provided a streamlined process of transferring units for credit at the home campus.
(b) That the 23 campuses of the CSU system coordinate their online course offerings in order to provide students improved access to coursework and the opportunity to accelerate their degree completion.
(c) To foster greater coordination among all segments of higher education in the state, in order to improve student outcomes.
(d) That, in addition to intersystem coordination, the segments of higher education shall take all steps possible to improve coordination within their respective segments.
(e) That the segments of higher education appropriately allocate available resources to accomplish the above-stated goals.
(f) That the segments of higher education appropriately use existing online education resources to accomplish the above-stated goals.

SEC. 2.

 Chapter 9.6 (commencing with Section 66760) is added to Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:
CHAPTER  9.6. Cross-Enrollment in Online Education at California State University

66760.
 For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Chancellor” means the Chancellor of the California State University.
(b) “CSU” means the California State University.
(c) “Home campus” means the California State University campus at which the student matriculates.
(d) “Host campus” means the campus to which the student seeks access.

66760.5.
 By the beginning of the 2015–16 academic year, a California resident enrolled at a CSU campus who meets the requirements of subdivision (a) of Section 66761 may enroll, without formal admission, and without payment of additional tuition or fees, except as provided in Section 66761.5, in a course provided entirely online by another CSU campus on a space-available basis. Nonresident and international CSU students who meet these conditions may also enroll in an online course provided by another CSU campus, but shall pay the per unit fees for this course at the host campus.

66761.
 (a) A student is qualified to participate in the program established by this chapter if he or she is enrolled at a CSU campus and meets the following requirements:
(1) The student has attained a grade point average of 2.0 on a 4-point scale for work completed.
(2) The student has paid appropriate tuition or fees, or both, required by the home campus for full-time enrollment for the academic term in which the student seeks to cross-enroll.
(3) The student has no outstanding tuition or fees to be paid at the home campus.
(b) Each CSU campus shall inform students who may enroll in an online course pursuant to this chapter of all of the following:
(1) The technical requirements a student must satisfy in order to successfully participate in, and complete, the online course.
(2) Any prerequisite courses or other academic preparation deemed necessary for the online course.
(3) Any materials, skills, knowledge, or other elements necessary to ensure a student’s opportunity to succeed in the online course.

66761.5.
 The host campus may charge participating students a reasonable administration fee and specific course-based fees, not to exceed an amount sufficient for the campus to recover reasonable administrative costs it incurs pursuant to this chapter.

66762.
 The chancellor’s office shall establish a convenient online methodology so that students meeting the requirements of subdivision (a) of Section 66761 may do both of the following:
(a) Be informed of the opportunity to access courses provided entirely online by another CSU campus.
(b) Simultaneously enroll in courses at their home campus and enroll in courses provided entirely online at another CSU campus, as provided for in Section 66762.5.

66762.5.
 A matriculated CSU student shall have priority access to online courses provided at his or her home campus. A CSU student who meets the requirements of subdivision (a) of Section 66761, and seeks to enroll in courses provided entirely online by another CSU campus, shall be able to enroll, provided that cross-enrollment students generally have an opportunity to enroll in these online courses at any time after the priority enrollment period for continuing students, as determined by each host campus. The host campus enrollment policy shall, to the extent possible, encourage cross-enrollment as provided for in this chapter.

66763.
 A course provided entirely online pursuant to this chapter shall be accepted for credit at the student’s home campus on the same basis as it would be for a student matriculated at the host campus.

66763.5.
 The enrollment of a student at a host campus pursuant to this chapter may be counted in the calculation of headcount or full-time equivalent student enrollment at the host campus. The home campus and the host campus at which the student is cross-enrolled may count in the calculation of headcount or full-time equivalent student enrollment only those units for which the student is enrolled at each respective campus.

66764.
 On or before January 1, 2015, the trustees shall establish both of the following:
(a) An easily accessible online database of online courses available at all CSU campuses. This database shall provide CSU students with a streamlined process within the CSU system to allow students to find and enroll in courses that will earn them credit toward graduation, general education, and major requirements.
(b) Plans for an intrasystem cross-enrollment process to expedite student learning that will be operational at the beginning of the 2015–16 academic year.

SEC. 3.

 Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 89225) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 55 of Division 8 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:
Article  3.5. Online Education

89225.
 On or before January 1, 2015, for purposes of measuring the effectiveness of online education, the trustees shall establish a series of uniform definitions for online education. The definitions developed by the trustees under this section shall, at a minimum, include a systemwide definition for an online course where the course can be entirely completed remotely.

89226.
 (a) On or before January 1, 2017, and on or before January 1 every two years thereafter, the trustees shall report to the Legislature key performance data on online courses as defined in Section 89225, including, but not necessarily limited to, all of the following:
(1) The number of students enrolled at each campus.
(2) Course completion rates for courses other than online courses.
(3) Completion rates for degree programs that include no online courses.
(4) Grade point average for students enrolled in online courses.
(5) The number of students cross-enrolled in online courses at a California State University campus other than the campus at which they are matriculated.
(6) Course completion rates for students enrolled in online courses.
(7) Completion rates for degree programs that include online courses.
(b) (1) On or before January 1, 2017, the trustees shall report to the Legislative Analyst the key performance data described in subdivision (a).
(2) On or before October 1, 2017, the Legislative Analyst shall submit a status update to the Legislature regarding the California State University’s implementation of the provisions of the bill that added this section and an assessment of the extent to which the online programs of the California State University are operating in a manner consistent with legislative intent and statutory requirements.
(c) Student enrollment and completion rate data included in a report to be submitted pursuant to this section shall be made available by demographics, including age, gender, and ethnicity.
(d) (1) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under subdivision (a) is inoperative on July 1, 2021, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.
(2) The report prepared pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

SEC. 4.

 On or before January 1, 2015, the Trustees of the California State University shall report to the Legislature on the feasibility of developing an accelerated bachelor’s degree completion program consisting of online courses aimed at students who started college but never obtained a degree. The report prepared pursuant to this section shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

SEC. 5.

 The California State University shall use moneys appropriated in Item 6610-001-0001 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2013 (Chapter 20 of the Statutes of 2013) for one-time startup costs related to Sections 2 and 3 of this bill.