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District Board of Trustees Policies

Copy of District Board of Trustees policies

 

Curriculum Control

General Education Program

  1. Bachelor of Applied Science Degree.  A minimum of 36 semester hours in General Education shall be completed by a student who earns the Baccalaureate Degree.
  2. Bachelor of Science Degree. A minimum of 36 hours in General Education shall be completed by a student who earns the Baccalaureate Degree.
  3.  Associate in Arts Degree. A minimum of thirty-six semester hours in General Education shall be completed by a student who earns the Associate in Arts Degree.
  4.  Associate in Science Degree. A minimum of fifteen semester hours in General Education shall be completed by a student who earns the Associate in Science Degree.
  5. Associate in Applied Science Degree. A minimum of fifteen semester hours in General Education shall be completed by a student who earns the Associate in Applied Science Degree.
  6. The semester hours in General Education must be drawn from and must include at least one course from each of the following areas: humanities/fine arts, social behavioral sciences, and natural sciences/mathematics.

 

Academic Freedom

TITLE – Academic Freedom

NUMBER - 6Hx-18-2.03

LEGAL AUTHORITY 1001.64 FS
DATE ADOPTED/AMENDED – Adopted 2/26/21

Policy:

This policy defines and protects Academic Freedom at Palm Beach State College for the faculty and students.   The District Board of Trustees recognizes that the essential role of Palm Beach State College is the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge, and that institutions of higher education are established for the common good and not to further a special interest of an individual member of the faculty, the institution, or the public. PBSC is dedicated to the preservation of a college atmosphere which encourages freedom of expression for faculty and students in the development of knowledge, scholarship and creative activities.   All non-bargaining unit instructional personnel shall be governed by Policy 6Hx-185.49.

Definition

Academic freedom is defined as the following: the right to freely engage in intellectual inquiry and debate without fear of censorship, sanction, or retaliation. Academic freedom and responsibility as defined applies to teaching, research, and creativity.  With Academic Freedom, the College encourages objective and diverse points of view on the part of faculty, students, invited speakers and within its libraries/learning resources centers, to better stimulate the educational process so long as they do not attempt by word or deed to intimidate or restrain others who express a differing point of view.  

 Educational & Institutional Responsibility

All members of the faculty, regardless of status, are entitled to academic freedom as follows:  

  1. Instruction: Materials & Subject Matter

    • Faculty members are free to develop their subjects in their classes within the goals and objectives of the curriculum.

    • While faculty members are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing subject matter, they should use discretion and maintain objectivity when presenting controversial issues and in the use of learning resources material, and avoid controversial matters which has no relation to his/her subject.

    • Faculty members recognize that students are also entitled to academic freedom in the classroom in the discussion and research of their course topic and should not permit personal prejudice to interfere with the evaluation of a student’s performance or assignment.

    Scholarship & Publication

  2. Faculty members are entitled to academic freedom in scholarship and in the publication of the results, subject to adequate performance of  their academic duties at the College and adherence to relevant conflict of interest/outside employment rules stipulated in Collective Bargaining Agreement and Human Resources policies. 

    Opinions as Private Citizens

Faculty members are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence, they should always be accurate, should exercise appropriate judgement, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution.

Academic Freedom for Students

In placing equal important on academic freedom for students as it does for the faculty's academic freedom, the College acknowledges the obligation to afford each student the opportunity to develop his or her educational potential  in an environment that protects academic freedom and freedoms as a citizen or resident of the United States.   The College’s student handbook shall include approved regulations for student activities, academic achievement, and personal responsibilities that support the examination of ideas in an atmosphere of freedom and confidence, and that respect the dignity and rights of students.    Note: Procedures to this policy can be found in the Faculty Handbook and the Student Handbook.

Procedure/Accountability/Enforcement

The President, through the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Vice President Student Services, Enrollment Management, shall be responsible for developing procedures  to ensure  the awareness, and remediation  relevant to this policy. To the extent that there is a conflict between this policy and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) the terms and conditions in the CBA shall prevail. Students, regardless of status, have the right to have access to a procedure for redress in the event of an alleged abridgment of said student’s academic freedom.  Such instances will be considered through the Procedures for Student Complaints in DBOT Policy 6Hx-18-3.30 Student Complaints.

Cultural and Intellectual Environment

Instruction

Collegewide Course Outline and Syllabus

Instructional Program

Administration of the Library Learning Resource Center (LLRC)

Deletion of Courses from Catalog and Statewide Course Numbering System

Textbook Selection

Policy:

Each faculty cluster will develop and maintain an instructional material selection process, which may include the option by a full-time faculty member to select no instructional material. 

Before implementation, each cluster’s instructional material selection process will require the approval of the Vice President of Academic Affairs in consultation with Dean’s Council.  

With the purpose of maintaining an up-to-date instructional material selection process, each cluster will review its process once every academic year.

Each cluster’s instructional material selection process will include the following guidelines:

1. Texts Instructional material will be adopted for a minimum of three (3) academic years.

     a. All adoptions of instructional material (new or new edition) become effective in the fall term of each academic year, or in a different term with approval of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

     b. For academic disciplines in which technology changes rapidly, instructional material may be changed more often.

2. Each cluster will select the instructional material that all adjuncts within their discipline must use for each course collegewide.

3. Sequential courses using the same set of instructional materials collegewide for more than one term shall have the allowance made for the selection of open educational resources (OER) to maximize textbook affordability.

4. Faculty that are reassigned classes must use the instructional materials already selected for those classes.

 

Field Trips

  1. Possible interference with other courses should be considered when scheduling field trips.  Field trips should not be scheduled during the last week of classes of any term.
  2. Students cannot be required to attend a field trip nor can the trip be included in computing grades if the trip is announced to the class after the add-drop period.  Allowance should be given when trips are included in computing grades to those students who are unable to attend because of illness, work schedules, family responsibilities, or other obligations.
  3. Only those students enrolled in a class taking a field trip may use College-provided transportation.
  4. Transportation by College-provided vehicles may be paid by the individual department or cost center offering the course.  Meal and motel expenses of students on field trips may not be paid by College funds.  Other related expenses, such as convention registration fees, are paid by the individual students attending.  Expenses incurred by a group performing an activity at the request of some other area of the College are paid by the requesting area.
  5. Students on approved field trips or other official school business or functions should not be marked absent from class.  However, they are required to make up work missed while on the trip.
  6. Students must complete and sign appropriate permission forms.
  7. Faculty and staff are not authorized to transport students in their personal vehicles. If students are to be transported by the College, they must be transported by commercial carriers or by College vehicles.

Speakers or Guests

Online Course Equivalency