CHAPTER V

INSTRUCTION

Out-of-District Courses

Class Size

Library

Copyright Policy

Intellectual Properties Policy

General Education Core Curriculum for Associate of Arts and Associate of Science Degrees

General Curriculum for A.A.S. Degrees

English Proficiency

                                             LAREDO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

                                                        MANUAL OF POLICY

Title: OUT-OF-DISTRICT COURSES

Number: V-1

Legal Authority:

Board of Trustees Approval Date:

Policy

                                                      Out-of-District Courses

Out-of-district resident credit courses must be comparable to on-campus courses.
They must meet all the standards an institution requires of its undergraduate
courses offered on campus to regularly enrolled students. Quality criteria and
standards include but are not limited to the following:

                                                        Standards and Criteria

    1.    Faculty members teaching out-of-district courses must be regularly employed
           faculty members or must meet the same standards, review, and approval
           procedures used by the institution to select faculty responsible for on-campus
           courses.  The ratio of full-time/part-time faculty in out-of-district locations
           should be comparable to similar offerings on-campus. Major differences must
           be justified.

    2.    Faculty contact hours with the classes must be equivalent to those of the same
           course when taught on-campus.

    3.    Course instruction must be done by the faculty member of record.

    4.    The supervision, monitoring, and evaluation processes for faculty who teach
           out-of-district courses must be comparable to those for on-campus instruction.

    5.    The provisions for support services and training for faculty who teach
           out-of-district courses must be comparable to those provided for on-campus
           faculty.

    6.    Facilities for out-of-district courses should be comparable to the facilities
           available for corresponding on-campus courses.

    7.    Students must have campus library privileges and have adequate library
           resources convenient for use at the out-of-district location.

    8.    The organization, content, and delivery of out-of-district courses and the
           processes for evaluating these factors must be equivalent to those used by
           the institution in on-campus courses.

    9.    If an out-of-district course has no on-campus counterpart, that course must
           meet all the quality criteria implied in these regulations.

   10.  Students enrolled in an out-of-district course must satisfy the same
           requirements for admission to the institution, to the program of which the
           course is a part, and to the course itself, as are required of on-campus students.

   11.  Students enrolled in out-of-district instruction must be provided adequate
           academic support services including:

           A.    Academic advising
           B.     Counseling
           C.    Library and other learning resources
           D.    Tutoring services
           E.     Financial aid

   12.  Each course offered for out-of-district instruction must include procedures for
monitoring, assessing, and providing timely feedback to students regarding their
progress and performance which are equivalent to those used in on-campus courses. Standards for success or failure must be of equal rigor as those for on-campus courses.

                                                LAREDO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

                                                           MANUAL OF POLICY

Title: CLASS SIZE

Number: V-2

Legal Authority:

Board of Trustees Approval Date: May 14, 1970, revised June, 1986

Policy

                                                                  CLASS SIZE

The minimum number of students enrolled in a summer session class is ten.
Exceptions will be approved by the Vice President for Instruction.

The Board shall be furnished information on class enrollments at the beginning
and at the end of each semester.

At the end of each spring semester the Board shall be furnished with a report for
the preceding fall and spring semesters indicating for each instructor the number
of students enrolled in each class, the number of semester-credit hours accrued to
each course, the course number and title, the department in which the course is
offered, and the identity of the instructor.  The report must compare student
enrollments in each class on the last day of each semester with enrollments at the
beginning of that semester. A small class report (classes with fewer than l0 students,
excluding individual instruction courses) will be filed with the Board of Trustees
and the Coordinating Board. (Texas Education Code, Title 3, Higher Education,
paragraph 5l.403.)

                                            LAREDO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

                                                       MANUAL OF POLICY

Title: LIBRARY

Number: V-11

Legal Authority:

Board of Trustees Approval Date:

Policy

                                                                   LIBRARY

All institutional employees may check out books and periodicals in the library by
use of a valid Laredo Community College Identification Card. Faculty and
administrators may place books on reserve, request inter-library loan, and request
purchase of library materials as required by their institutional duties.

                                                            Reading Devices

If at least two blind students are enrolled, the District shall provide a reading device
for use in its library by blind and visually handicapped persons.  The device shall
be placed in the part of the library that is most easily accessible to the majority of
the blind and visually handicapped persons expected to use the device.

                                                    State Library Assistance

The state library shall provide this device at no cost to the library and shall be
responsible for all costs of maintaining the device for two years after the library
receives the device.

After a reading device has been located in a library for two years, the library is
responsible for all costs of maintaining the device. If a library determines that it is
financially unable to pay maintenance, the library may apply to the state library for
an exemption.

                                            LAREDO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

                                                      MANUAL OF POLICY

Title: COPYRIGHT POLICY

Number: V-21

Legal Authority:

Board of Trustees Approval Date: June 6, 1989

Policy

                                                      COPYRIGHT POLICY

College personnel and students will adhere to the Copyright Law (Pl94-553)
relating to the fair use and reproduction of copyrighted materials.

                                                              Background

Copyrighted materials may not be used without the originator’s permission.
However, the "fair use" (l7 U.S.C.l07) of copyrighted work, including such use
by reproduction of copies for purposes such as criticism, comment, news
reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom or library use),
scholarship or research, with certain constraints, is not an infringement of
copyright, except in the case of computer software as noted below.

The doctrine of "fair use" encompasses four conditions, all of which must be
met if duplication of copyrighted material is to fall under the "fair use" doctrine.

    1.    The purpose and character of the use.  The use must be for such purpose
           as teaching or scholarship and must be nonprofit.  The use must be for one
           time only and for a single class.  Repeated use and anthologizing are not
           allowed without copyright permission.

    2.    The nature of the copyrighted work.  A copy of a newspaper article might be
           accepted as fair use while copying a workbook for use in class would not be
           accepted.

    3.    The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted
           work as a whole.   For instance, no more than l0% or l,000 words of text
           (whichever is less) or prose should be copied.

    4.    The effect of the use upon the potential market for the copyrighted work.  If
           resulting economic loss can be shown, making a single copy might be an
           infringement.

Each instance of reproduction should be evaluated on its own merits in relation to the
"fair use" doctrine as outlined above.

The guidelines offered by the Federal Copyright Office in making single copies for
teachers, multiple copies for teachers, multiple copies for classroom or library use,
educational use of music, or off-air recording of programs (whether recorded at the
College or elsewhere) apply if permission of the copyright holder has not been
obtained.  Employees and students should be familiar with the copyright law
(l7 U.S.C.l07 and l08) which prohibits systematic reproduction of copyrighted
materials.  The guidelines governing fair use are understood to be minimum
compliance with the copyright law.

In the case of computer software, generally only ONE archival copy of a program
can be made, with either that copy or the original copy being the only one in use.
Use is restricted to a single machine at any given time. Further restrictions or rights
are granted within the license agreement that accompanies a software package.
In the absence of a licensing agreement, the general rules prevail. Copyright law
makes no provision for multiple copies of computer software for classroom use.
(Derived from Austin Community College’s copyright policy.)

                                            LAREDO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

                                                       MANUAL OF POLICY

Title: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES POLICY

Number: V-22

Legal Authority:

Board of Trustees Approval Date: June 6, 1989

Policy

                                     INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES POLICY

                                                                Purpose

The policy reflects the following goals:

    A.    To create an environment that encourages the generation and dissemination
            of new knowledge by faculty, staff, and students.

    B.    To motivate the development and dissemination of intellectual property by
            providing appropriate financial rewards to creators, the College, and
            administrative assistance to creators.

    C.    To ensure that courseware developed and sold to students for profit is of high
            quality and appropriate for the purposes intended.

The policy is based upon the following principles relating to faculty, staff, and
students of the College:

    A.     Intellectual property is created by individuals or by groups of individuals who
            are entitled to choose the course of disclosure.

    B.    There exists a historical tradition allowing authors to retain ownership of
            intellectual property rights from textbooks and works of art.

    C.    The College is the support of the whole campus community and is thereby
            entitled to share in financial rewards.

    D.    There should be incentives for all parties to pursue financial rewards together,
            consistent with the expressed goals of the College.  The distribution of these
            rewards should reflect, insofar as possible, the creative contributions of the
            creator, and the resources contributed by and risks assumed by both the
            creator and the College in developing intellectual properties.

                                                            Definitions

Certain terms are used in this document with specific meanings, as defined in this
section.  These definitions do not necessarily conform to customary usage.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY includes any patentable invention, any copyrightable
subject matter, or trade secret.  It also includes works of art and inventions or
creations that might normally be developed on a proprietary basis.

COLLEGE means Laredo Community College.

STUDENT means any full-time or part-time student, regardless of whether the
student receives financial aid from the College or from outside sources.  It is the
responsibility of students who are also employees of other outside entities to
resolve any conflicts between this policy and provisions of agreements with their
employers prior to beginning any undertaking at the College that will involve the
development of intellectual property.

FACULTY means members of the College’s instructional core as defined in the
PERSONNEL POLICY MANUAL plus any special faculty appointments and
part-time faculty.

STAFF means any employee of the College other than students and faculty as
defined above.  If a student is also a part-time College employee, he or she is
considered as staff with regard to intellectual property developed as a result of
his or her employment and as a student with regard to other intellectual property.
A full-time non-faculty employee who is also taking one or more courses is
considered to be staff.

CREATOR means any person who creates an item of intellectual property.

NET PROCEEDS TO THE COLLEGE mean all proceeds received by the College
on intellectual property that it assigns, sells, or licenses, minus any application,
litigation, interference, or marketing costs directly attributable to the intellectual
property being licensed.  Deducted costs shall be reasonable and fair and shall
be properly disclosed; the sources and amounts of compensation shall also be
properly disclosed.

SUBSTANTIAL USE OF COLLEGE FACILITIES means extensive unreimbursed
use of major College laboratory, studio, or computational facilities or human
resources.  (The creator must receive written permission from the appropriate
executive officer for use of clerical services for creation of intellectual properties
for profit.)  The use of these facilities must be important to the creation of the
intellectual property; merely incidental use of a facility does not constitute
substantial use, nor does extensive use of a facility commonly available to all
faculty or professional staff (such as libraries and offices), nor does extensive
use of a specialized facility for routine tasks.  Use will be considered "extensive"
and facilities will be considered "major" if similar use of similar facilities would
cost the creator more than $2,000 (two thousand dollars) if purchased or leased
in the public market.  Creators wishing to reimburse the College directly for the
use of its facilities must make arrangements to do so before the level of facilities
usage for a particular intellectual property becomes substantial.  (This provision
is not intended to override any other policy concerning reimbursement for
facilities usage.)

                                                General Policy Provisions

    A.     Intellectual properties which result from externally sponsored grants and
            contracts with the College are considered to be "works for hire," with
            ownership vested in the College, unless the specific terms of the grant or
            contract dictate otherwise.

    B.     Computer programs and other software developments are covered under
            the copyright law.   Such developments will belong to the College if the
            grants or contracts with the College are involved or if there has been a
            significant use of the College’s equipment or facilities.

    C.     Copyrightable material produced by people in academic or administrative
            units specifically employed to produce such material will belong to the
            College.  For example, work produced by the staff at the computer center,
            media center, or library would fall into this category.

    D.     In keeping with academic traditions, the creator retains all rights to the
            following types of intellectual property, without limitation: books (including
            textbooks), educational courseware, articles, non-fiction, novels, poems,
            musical works, pictorial, graphic and sculptural works, motion pictures and
            other similar audio-visual works, and sound recordings, regardless of the
            level of use of College Facilities. This provision does not include computer
            software (other than educational courseware) or data bases.

            This provision applies regardless of any College sponsorship of the work
            and may be modified only by a specific prior agreement between the creator
            and the College.   The use of College-owned computers and other facilities in
            the preparation of books and similar works does not alter this provision
            though other College policies may limit such use or require reimbursement
            to the College.   Similarly, the use of externally sponsored resources does
            not alter this provision unless the creator is effectively notified in advance of
            such limitations to his rights.

    E.     Courseware locally produced and sold to students must be subjected to formal
            peer review and approved by the Vice President for Instruction.  The creator
            should provide documentation illustrating that similar courseware is not
            commercially available or is of substantially less quality or suitability for the
            intended purposes.

    F.     The creator of an intellectual property which may belong to the College is
            required to make prompt disclosure of the work to his immediate supervisor.
            The College will initiate steps to act on the disclosure within 10 days.

    G.     The College will identify the most appropriate manner of exploitation of the
            intellectual property.   This process will involve close collaboration with the
            originator.

    H.     The College will be responsible for all expenses related to the
            commercialization or other exploitation of intellectual property works owned
            by the College.

    I.     Net proceeds received by the College will be shared with the creators on a
          50-50 basis.  The 50% retained by the College will be split equally, with one-half
          going to the creator’s department or division and one-half going to the College.
          Note: This distribution to the creator’s department or division applies only to
          faculty creator; for non-faculty creators, the entire 50% retained by the College
          will remain with the College.

    J.    Resolution of Disputes: This policy constitutes an understanding which is
          binding on the College and on the faculty, staff, and students upon whom it is
          effective as a condition for participating in research programs at the College or
          for use of college funds or facilities. 

            Any question of interpretation or claim arising out of or relating to this policy or
            dispute as to ownership rights of intellectual property under this policy will be
            settled by the following procedure:

           1.    The issue must first be submitted to the President of the College in the form
                  of a letter setting forth the grievance or issue to be resolved.  The President
                  will call for the appointment of the Committee members as set forth below. 
                  The Committee will review the matter and then advise the parties of its
                  decision within 60 days of submission of the letter.

            2.   The Intellectual Property Adjudication Committee will consist of a Chairman
                  who is a member of the tenured faculty, four other members of the faculty
                  all appointed by the Faculty Senate President, and four other members
                  representing respectively, the College administration, appointed by the
                  President, Administrative and Professional, Classified Staff Organization,
                  and the Student Advisory Board appointed by their presidents.  The
                  committee will use the guidelines set forth in this policy to decide upon
                  a fair resolution of any dispute.

            3.    Committee makes recommendations to the President.  The President’s
                  decision can be appealed to the Board, and the Board’s decision is final.

    K.     This policy will become effective June 6, l989.  Once effective, this policy will
            be binding on new faculty, administration, and staff when hired and students
            when admitted.   Current faculty and staff will also become bound by this
            policy when they sign new employment contracts as the result of the renewal
            of appointments or promotions.

    L.     Amendments to this policy may be proposed by the Faculty Senate,
            Administrators and Professionals, Quality Improvement Council, or Classified
            Staff Organization to the President of the College.  There will be an opportunity
            for public discussion open to all interested faculty, administration, staff, and
            students.   Amendments must then be approved by the President of the College
            and adopted by the Board of Trustees. Intellectual property that is already
            developed or under development at the time this policy is ratified will not be
            bound by this policy unless by written voluntary consent of both the creator
            and the College.

                                            LAREDO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

                                                        MANUAL OF POLICY

Title: GENERAL EDUCATION CORE CURRICULUM FOR ASSOCIATE OF ARTS AND ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE DEGREES

Number: V-31

Legal Authority

Board of Trustees Approval Date: February 25, 1986
/Revised March 25, 1999

Policy

           GENERAL EDUCATION CORE CURRICULUM FOR ASSOCIATE OF ARTS AND ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE DEGREES

Associate in Arts Degree: The primary purpose of the AA and AS degree programs is to provide curricula in the university parallel and in pre-professional areas which will facilitate transferability of courses to four-year colleges or universities. To receive the degree, a student must have completed at least 60 hours of college work as outlined below. These degrees include the 44 semester credit hours of the state-mandated core curriculum, which transfers as a block to all public universities and colleges in the state of Texas.

Students must identify as early as possible the institution to which they will transfer to determine which courses that institution requires at the freshman and sophomore levels in their major field of study.

                                                    AA or AS degrees

                            Core (Refer To Chart)               44 SCH
                            Major (Field of Study)        16-21 SCH

                                                           Total         60-65 SCH