Texas Workforce Education Course Manual 1995-2008

1. Texas Workforce Education Course Manual1995-2008

2. www.thecb.state.tx.usItem under Quick Links

3. WECM Organization • WECM courses are arranged by 6-digit CIP Code relating to a specific occupation or job title • Based on learning outcomes • Federal taxonomy developed by the U.S. Dept. of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics • CIP does not identify the only discipline that may use the course

4. Course Elements • CIP Code • Course Rubric • Course Level • Course Number • End-of-Course Outcomes • Course Title • Course Descriptions • Contact Hours • Suggested Prerequisite

5. Course Rubric • Four letter prefixes identify courses with cluster of skills & knowledge • e.g. POFT • not an acronym • Does not identify the only discipline that may use the course

6. Course Rubric • Should not commonly be in use or have previously been used • Existing course rubric should not be changed unless compelling and substantiated reasons are presented and approved by all Instructional Specialists at a WECM Workshop AND all changes are approved by the WECM Leadership Committee, TACRAO, and the CB.

7. Course Title • Reflects the outcomes of the course • Should not contain vendor information unless a vendor specific course

8. Course Title • Published WECM title for SCH courses must appear in college publications and on transcripts. • For CEU courses, workforce marketing titles may be used; however, all CEU mirror courses must use the published WECM title.

9. Course Level • Indicates whether the course is introductory, intermediate, or advanced, as recommended by instructional specialists • First digit in the course number specifies the course level

10. Course Number • Four digit number after rubric • 1st digit indicates Course Level • 1 = Introductory Level • May be Intermediate Level • 2 = Advanced Level • May be Intermediate Level • 2nd digit indicates SCH/CEU

11. Course Numbers • Course Number is assigned by WECM Project staff based on the following system: • 1x00 to 1x39—Introductory • 1x40 to 1x59 and 2x00 to 2x29—Intermediate • 2x30 to 2x59—Advanced • The “x” indicates the SCH and CEU value and must comply with range allowed by the GIPWE

12. Course Number (continued) • 3rd digit indicates Course Type • 00-59 Lecture-Lab • 60-63 Clinical • 64-69 Practicum • 70-79 Local Need • 80-85 Cooperative Education • 86-89 Internship • 90-99 Special Topics • 4th digit is the suggested sequence number

13. Course Description Describes overall goals, content, & major topics (based on Outcomes without restating them) • Contains 25 – 100 words • Begins with a phrase like: • A course in… • An introduction to… • A study of… • Survey of …

14. End-of-Course Outcomes • Always start with onepresent tenseaction verb • Solve • Sketch • Create • Usually contain an object of the action • Solve a quadratic equation • Sketch a story line • Create a complex telecommunications network • Edit digital images for print

15. Contact Hours • Each WECM course has a suitable range of contact hours necessary to master minimum learning outcomes • Range allows each college a choice of instructional strategies via lecture/lab components • SCH courses must follow the established ratios for credit and contact hour assignments • Range chart can be found in GIPWE Chapter 4

16. Suggested Prerequisite • Specific list of prerequisite course(s), skill(s), or knowledge • Instructional specialists at a WECM Course Review Workshop must agree on all course prerequisites. (ITNW 2305)

18. UNIQUE TYPES OF COURSES • Special Topics Course • Local Need Course • Mirror Image Course • Vendor Specific Course • CEU Short-Hour Course • CEU Professional Certification Course • Less Than 7-Hour Mandatory Licensure/Credentialing Course • WECM/ACGM and FOS Course • External Learning Experience Course

19. Special Topics Courses • Available within each six-digit CIP code. College chooses discipline-specific learning outcomes for these courses. Identified by a “9” in the third digit of the course number. • Used when course content changes frequently.

21. Local Need Courses • Colleges may submit Local Need courses to respond to unique local or regional conditions. Evidence of need for these courses must be substantiated by support from business and industry in a limited geographical area. • Same course content is offered consistently over a period of time.

22. Local Need & Special Topics Courses • Course content must be related to workforce education • Reviewed at Course Review Workshops • Valid for 24 months after which time college must resubmit • Submit course title, description, and learning outcomes to appropriate college personnel.

23. NotValid for WECM Special Topics/Local Need • Conversational Spanish • Understanding Your Digital Camera • English as a Second Language • Personal Finance • Invest for Your Retirement • Alcohol Awareness for Minors • Computers for Grandparents

24. Valid WECM Special Topics/Local Need Courses • Customer Service Spanish • Digital Photography for Non-Profit Agencies • Manufacturing Terminology and Communication • Small Business Finance for Office Managers • Alcohol Abuse Counseling Theories • E-Mail for Business Effectiveness

25. Mirror Image Course • Many Semester Credit Hour (SCH) courses have exact replicas (mirror images) offered for Continuing Education Units (CEUs). • Referenced in the WECM below course number.

28. Vendor Specific Course • Specifically accommodates the instructional requirements of commercial vendors • Occurs primarily in the Information Technology areas. Designed for students seeking certifications in the use of various software packages, network engineering, etc. (ITMT 1300)

30. Generic Non-Vendor Course • For some vendor specific courses, parallel courses that are not vendor specific are also included in the WECM. These are designed for institutions wishing to offer courses addressing similar outcomes as those in vendor specific courses but the institutions are not vendor authorized. • “Not a vendor specific course. A vendor specific course is available as follows: _____.” (ITNW 1308)

32. CEU Short-Hour Course • Available for Continuing Education training • 7-40 contact hours • Used for appropriate workforce education courses. • Usually written in Course Review Workshops as a result of a large volume of Special Topics/Local Need courses dealing with a specific topic. • Search for Short-Hour Courses.

33. CEU Professional Development Courses • Intensive training in an identified area(s) to meet continuing education and/or review/update requirements associated with professional licensure or certification. • Limited to 7-24 contact hours. (CSME 2000)

35. Less Than 7-Hour Mandatory Licensure/Credentialing Courses • Contained in the WECM for such topics as Real Estate, Hepatitis Training, etc. • Colleges send these courses as Local Need to CB. • CB verifies mandatory training for licensure/certification with state agency. • CB sends to WECM Maintenance Project for incorporation into WECM. • List can be obtained at WECM website.

36. EXTERNAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE COURSE • Cooperative education, Practicum (or field experience), Internship, Clinical • Included in each six-digit CIP code as appropriate • Generically described • Guidelines described in Chapter 3 of GIPWE • Refer to tables in Chapter 4 of GIPWE for allowable credit and related contact hour ranges (POFT 1x81)

38. COURSE CATEGORIES • New WECM Course • Revised WECM Course • Archive Pending Course • Archived Course

39. New WECM Courses • Only written in WECM Course Review Workshops as a result of review of Special Topics/Local Need courses. • In rare instances, written as a result of recent licensure or certification in a specific field. • May also be written to meet the demand of emerging and high-tech occupations. • Recommended by statewide Curriculum Consortium. • Search for New Courses. • See list of New Courses.

40. Revised WECM Course • A course that has been modified since September of the current year to enhance course title, level, description, learning outcomes, reference information, recommended lab, and/or contact hours for increased usability. • Search for Revised courses • See List of Revised courses.

41. Archive Pending Courses • A course that is unused, obsolete, inadequate, or duplicated and has been recommended to be removed from the WECM database to an archive database for future reference. Available for use and FUNDING until the indicated archive date. • Courses archived this fiscal year will be available for funding until August 31, 2009. • Search for Archive Pending Courses. • See list of Archive Pending Courses.

42. Archived Courses • A course that is unused, obsolete, inadequate, or duplicated and has already been removed from the WECM database to an archive database for future reference. • No longer available for use and no longer eligible for funding. • Search for Archived Courses.

43. Definitions • Archive • Removal of course from WECM database • No longer reimbursable • Archive Pending • Notice that course will be archived following September 1 of the next fiscal year.

44. Instructional Programs Listserve • Receive updates on all Instructional Programs topics including: • WECM issues • Instructional Programs Web site updates • THECB sponsored workshops and meetings • GIPWE and ACGM updates • Field of Study Curricula • Electronic Submission updates • Join via WECM website

45. 1995-2008