CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE

College of Micronesia-FSM

CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE (CAC)

Terms of Reference

A.                Authority

The Curriculum and Assessment committee (CAC) operates through the authority of and reports to the President. Recommendations from the committee are submitted through the Director of Academic Programs (DAP) and /or Director of Vocational, Community and Continuing Education (DVCCE) to the Vice President for Instructional Affairs (VPIA) for approval by the President.

B.                 Purpose 

The CAC advises the President on matters relating to curriculum, instructional program review and assessment, instructional course review and assessment, academic policies and procedures.

C.                Membership

The members of the CAC are selected at the beginning of each academic year and must include:

• All Division Chairs
• All instructional coordinators
• All vocational coordinators
• Faculty representation
•  Staff representation

The CAC will elect members to be Chair, Vice-chair and Secretary. Membership must be kept within a 20 number limit.

Responsibilities of committee members are to:

·         Carry out assignments.

·         Regularly prepare for and attend committee meetings;

·         Actively participate in meetings;

·         Share information on committee discussions, recommendations and decisions with the COM-FSM and gather input from their area of representation.

D.                Organization

The chairperson is elected by the CAC. The chairperson’s responsibilities are to:

·         Forward recommendations through the DAP or DVCCE to the VPIA for approval/action by the President within 5 working days.

·         Communicate with the VPIA’s office for feedback on recommendations. The VPIA should act as a “secretariat “position (secretariat = administrative support) to the CAC.

·         Preside over meetings.

·         Ensure the terms of reference for the committee are met and matters brought before the committee are judiciously addressed.

·         Prepare and distribute the agenda prior to each meeting.

·         Ensure committee minutes, reports, and recommendations are completed and appropriately disseminated in a timely manner.

·         Distributes the official minutes to the VPIA, President and COM-FSM.

·         The chair maintains a file on all minutes.

The vice chairperson is elected by the CAC. The responsibilities of the vice chairperson are to:

·         Preside over meetings in the absence of the chair.

·         Review the meeting agenda with the chair and secretary.

·         Assist the chairperson with the above responsibilities.

The secretary is elected by the CAC. The responsibilities of the secretary are to:

·         Take and prepare accurate minutes.

·         Distribute the minutes to the CAC members 3 working days after the meeting.

·         Review the meeting agenda with the chair and vice chair.

·         Record attendance of committee members.

E.                 Meetings

Meetings are held biweekly.  The schedule is determined at the beginning of each academic term.  The chairperson can call special meetings or upon consent of the majority of the members reschedule the regular meetings.  Meetings can be held face-to-face or via teleconferences or other communication technologies.  Twenty-five percent of members present constitute a quorum for discussion purposes.  A majority vote of all members is required to act on a motion.   Electronic voting can be utilized when necessary. When a member does not vote, it is recorded as a “non-vote” and that all other votes should be recorded as yes, no or abstain. When voting is required the chair will work to ensure that all members vote so there is a minimum of non-votes. Results of electronic voting are to be documented in the next committee meeting minutes. 

F.                 Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the CAC are to:

·         Develop or revise policies and/or procedures assigned to or identified by the committee.

·         Review and recommend for approval all new and modified programs and outlines--this includes regular college offerings, short-term training and Continuing Educational Units (CEU’s).

·         Review instructional program assessments and evaluations and make recommendations.

G.                Communications & Distribution of Information

Agenda items may be submitted to the chairperson by other members, other committees, or the President.  The chairperson compiles the agenda with the assistance of the vice chair and secretary and forwards it to committee members prior to meetings. 

All meetings are to have minutes which are to be distributed electronically within three working days of the meeting to members for their review.  Members are to comment within the next three working days.  The minutes, if approved are officially adopted at the next meeting.  Electronic voting may be utilized when necessary. The chairperson distributes the official minutes to the VPIA, President and COM-FSM. The chair maintains a file on all minutes.

Following each meeting, the chairperson informs all concerned of decisions and forwards recommendations from the committee to the President. The chairperson also updates the members of the action taken on the committee’s recommendations.

Committee members convey concerns and input on current issues from their respective areas to the committee.  They also discuss the issues being addressed by the committee and share committee minutes with the community they represent.