Dean Kahn put forward an idea meant to address the fact that students facing discipline for in-class behavior have little support and few opportunities to explain any possible reasons for their behavior. He proposed the creation of a mediator/ombudsman role, possibly to be filled by faculty, to act as an advocate for students going through the disciplinary process. This person would help the student navigate the various stages, and be a resource for the student to draw on, even possibly to act as a mediator. The Senate found the idea interesting, and it was decided to let the idea sit and develop.
Grants are available to develop “Z degrees”, which are programs oriented around classes using open educational resources, so that the student has no textbook cost. Dean Kahn can provide more information to interested parties.
The student fee payment plan is active. Students enrolling pay a per-semester fee, and can choose various periods of time to spread out their payment. No interest is charged. The program is run by a private company on contract.
Academic Technology has recommended that Palomar join the Online Education Initiative, which is intended to improve the quality of online classes, and provides resources to colleges.
Ben Mudgett, our articulation officer, mentioned that a project is underway to ensure that TOP codes (codes which identify a program’s place in the overall taxonomy of academia) for CTE courses are properly aligned with existing course descriptions.