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I. STUDY AWAY PROGRAM COURSES

Courses in the Los Angeles Valley College Study Away Program are defined as instruction that takes place at an off-campus location (domestic or international) for a minimum of 2 weeks and no longer than 6 weeks. A course approved for the Study Away Program shall be designated as a Study Away Course.

1. A Study Away Course may be taught entirely off-campus or as a hybrid construct.
2. The hybrid construct would be taught partly on the LAVC campus and partly off-campus. Students enrolled in a hybrid construct must participate in both the on- and off-campus portions of the course.
3. A Study Away Course must be offered in conjunction with a vendor that has been approved by the Academic Senate and College President based on recommendation of the Study Away Program Subcommittee of the Valley College Curriculum Committee (VCCC) and the Instructional Programs Committee (IPC).
4. The same enrollment policies of the college for LAVC on-campus offerings apply to Study Away Courses.

II. STUDY AWAY SUBCOMMITTEE

A. COMMITTEE COMPOSITION

The Study Away Subcommittee shall be a subcommittee of the VCCC, and chaired by a member of the VCCC. Additional membership will be comprised of 2 faculty members appointed by the VCCC, 1 IPC representative, 1 faculty member appointed by the AFT, and 1 administrator appointed by the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

B. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Study Away Subcommittee will perform the following tasks:

1. Meet as needed and report to VCCC.
2. Provide general direction and information regarding the College's Study Away Program to interested faculty members.
3. Recommend policies and procedures for Study Away Courses at the college.
4. Review and make recommendation to VCCC regarding the integrity of Study Away Courses for each academic year, including vendor selection.
5. Make recommendation to IPC for FTEF allocations specifically set aside for Study Away Courses.
6. Provide the Office of Academic Affairs with the necessary information to obtain Board approval for each Study Away Course.

III. ACADEMIC STRUCTURE AND INTEGRITY

1. A Study Away Course must be a credit course that is already part of the approved LAVC curriculum.
2. The existing Course Outline of Record will be followed by courses offered through the Study Away Program. Credit shall be granted based on criteria established in the Course Outline of Record.
3. All Teachers of Record must be members of the LACCD faculty.
4. LAVC will comply with all federal and state statutes regarding students with disabilities.

IV. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

The Office of Academic Affairs shall be responsible for the following:

1. Assist with logistics related to student enrollment, financial aid, and the planning of the pre-departure orientation meeting for faculty.
2. Assist faculty with marketing and promotion, including the maintenance of the College's Study Away web page.
3. Act as a liaison between faculty and vendors.
4. Forward faculty proposals to the Study Away Subcommittee for their review.
5. Make proposals available to IPC for their review.
6. Collect and make faculty and student program evaluations available to the Study Away Subcommittee, VCCC, and IPC.
7. Submit materials needed for Board of Trustee approval.

V. PROCESS FOR INITIATING A STUDY AWAY COURSE

A faculty member, full or adjunct*, may propose a class to be offered in the College's Study Away Program. An application for all proposals will be available online on the College's Study Away web page or the VCCC web page. *Adjunct instructors must be on an LAVC seniority list.

1. The faculty member contacts vendors and obtains preliminary contract proposals from at least three vendors.
2. The faculty member will submit the Study Away Course Proposal form, along with the preliminary vendor proposals, to the Office of Academic Affairs.
3. The Study Away Subcommittee will review all submissions to ensure the academic integrity of the courses, including vendor contract proposals, and forward a recommendation to the VCCC.
4. The VCCC will act on the recommendation of the Study Away Subcommittee and forward the recommendation to IPC.
5. Based on the VCCC recommendation of which Study Away Course proposals meet academic standards, IPC will determine which courses to fund and forward the recommendation to the Academic Senate.
6. The Academic Senate will act on the recommendation of IPC and forward the recommendation to the College President for approval.
7. Once a Study Away Course is approved by the College President, the administrator assigned to the Study Away Subcommittee will obtain the final proposal/contract from the selected vendor.
8. After all materials are received, the Office of Academic Affairs will submit necessary information to the District Contracts Office and place the new Study Away Course on the Board Agenda.
9. Once a Study Away Course has been approved, faculty are responsible for marketing, promotion, and enrollment.

VI. SELECTION AND CRITERIA FOR VENDORS

A. SELECTION
Faculty may use vendors that are known to them, or may get a list of potential vendors from the California Colleges for International Education (CCIE).

 

CCIE - Rosalind Raby, Director
20630 Romar Street
Chatsworth, CA 91311
818-882-9931
Fax: 818-882-9837
rabyrl@aol.com
http://www.ccieworld.org/

 

B. CRITERIA

1. All vendors must provide liability insurance as follows:

Liability insurance shall be provided by the approved vendor. The approved vendor shall handle and manage all arrangements. A vendor shall provide the District's Contracts Office with a valid certificate of insurance for each program naming the District as additional insured with a single limit of liability of not less than $3,000,000, with evidence that the policy covers the world-wide exposures of the travel study program. The contractor shall also provide a hold harmless agreement in a form determined by the District's Contracts Office. The certificate shall be submitted with the executed contract to the Contractors Office, Los Angeles Community College District, prior to commencement of the program.

2. All participating students will be required, for their own protection, to secure medical and accident insurance in amounts specified by the vendor.
3. Vendors should make arrangements for all medical and hospital care that may be required, and make trip cancellation and baggage loss insurance available to participating students.
4. Vendors should have staffed offices and be readily accessible in the host location.
5. Vendors should provide references for their programs, and faculty should speak with or obtain letters from those on the reference list.
6. Vendors should provide to the faculty information regarding their regulations and requirements. In particular, information regarding safety issues should be provided.
7. Vendors should provide information regarding their policy on providing accommodations for students with disabilities.

VII. VENDOR CONTRACT APPROVAL

All Study Away Course arrangements shall be included in a written contract developed by the District Contracts Office and shall be reviewed by the Office of General Counsel for compliance with the law and Board policies prior to class departure.

VIII. BOARD APPROVAL

Each approved Study Away Course shall be submitted by the Office of Academic Affairs for approval by the Board of Trustees.

IX. RELEASES

A. Los Angeles Valley College is only responsible for students from the start date to the end date of the course.

B. GENERAL RELEASE

All participating students shall complete a District "Field Trip and Travel Study Program Release" form, holding the District harmless from any claim arising out of or resulting from the student's participation. The signature of a parent or legal guardian is required for minors.

C. STUDENTS RETURNING PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF PROGRAM

Students wishing to leave prior to completion of the program will be required to sign a notice of intent and release. Legal minors must have the signature of a parent or legal guardian.

X. FISCAL COMPONENTS

It is recommended that IPC allocate 2 - 4 FTEF designated as Study Away each academic year.

XI. STUDY AWAY PROGRAM EVALUATION STRUCTURE

A. INSTRUCTOR REPORT AND EVALUATION

The Teacher of Record must submit a written report and evaluation of the Study Away Course to the Office of Academic Affairs within four (4) weeks after the conclusion of the course. The Office of Academic Affairs will forward copies to the VCCC and IPC Chairs.

B. STUDENT EVALUATION OF PROGRAM

Participating students will complete a Study Away Course Evaluation to be filed with the Office of Academic Affairs at the conclusion of the course.

XII. NON-LAVC SPONSORED TRAVEL PROGRAMS

Non-LAVC sponsored travel programs cannot grant credit. All credit granting programs must go through the process stated herein. Announcements of non-LAVC sponsored travel programs in which an LAVC employee leads or participates shall not give the impression in any way that the program is sponsored by the College. Such announcements may be distributed or posted on campus or at any authorized College function only in accordance with rules established for other privately prepared announcements. College employees may place paid advertisements in student newspapers on the same basis as any other commercial venture.

Revised Fall 2006