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OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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The messages sent below were to Oregon State University faculty, staff, students, and to an external partner listserv regarding institutional awareness of Common Course Numbering processes.
If you would like to request to be added to the external partner listserv, please do so on this form. In addition to CCN related content, updates and information on OSU's Core Education implementation are also shared via the listserv.
January 31, 2024: [OSU Faculty & Staff] Update on Common Course Numbering
From: Office of Academic Affairs
Dear Colleagues,
In the 2021 legislative session, the state enacted SB 233 requiring public higher education institutions to create a common course numbering (CCN) system for high-volume transfer courses.
The first set of ten courses was implemented successfully and available to students in summer 2023. All courses in the new CCN system are notated with a “Z” at the end of the course number (e.g., WR 121Z) so they can be easily identified.
Work on the second set of fourteen courses began in early 2023, and I am writing to share that many of these courses will soon move into the implementation phase at OSU (three math courses are still under discussion- Math 251, 252, and 253). The third set of courses has been identified, and faculty subcommittees will begin course alignment efforts soon. To see lists of these courses please visit the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) CCN resources webpage.
The Curriculum Management team, with approval from the Faculty Senate Curriculum Council, developed detailed plans for implementing curriculum changes related to CCN at OSU. The implementation is fast-tracked to meet legislative deadlines once courses are approved by HECC. The Curriculum Management team will do the bulk of the work making course updates, working directly with academic units to process all additional course- and program-level changes resulting from CCN changes. Details about these processes can be found here.
My sincere thanks to the many OSU faculty and staff involved in this work. If you have any questions, please contact Erin Bird, Associate Director of Transfer Pathways & Success.
Thanks for your attention to these changes, and best wishes for a successful winter term.
Alix I. Gitelman
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Senior Vice Provost
January 31, 2024
September 29, 2023: [OSU Academic Advisors] OtR Digest Week 1
From: Office of the Registrar
Common Course Numbering (CCN) & Repeated Courses
Course numbers that maintained the same level (i.e. lower division/upper division) and were changed via Common Course Numbering (Z) and (HZ for Honors courses) are equivalent to their predecessor numbers, even if their credits have changed.
Examples:
CCN Courses Not Offered at OSU
As COMM 100Z and WR 122Z will not be taught at OSU, there are no equivalent versions and they will transfer as "LDTZ".
Mutually Exclusive Courses
WR 327 to WR 227Z are not equivalent due to a change in level but are mutually exclusive, meaning students cannot register for WR 227Z if they have previously passed WR 327. If students were to take mutually exclusive courses, the grades from both courses would apply to their GPA. We have a new mutual exclusion webpage with more information.
Content sectioned from the Office of the Registrar Academic Advisor Digest
September 29, 2023
June 27, 2023: [OSU Academic Advisors] OtR Digest Week 1
From: Office of the Registrar
Common Course Numbering (CCN) & Repeated Courses
Course numbers that maintained the same level (i.e. lower division/upper division) and were changed via Common Course Numbering (Z) and (HZ for Honors courses) are equivalent to their predecessor numbers, even if their credits have changed. For example, WR 121Z is equivalent to WR 121 and follows repeat logic as if they are the same number. COMM 111H is equivalent to COMM 111HZ even though the credits have changed.
Visit the OSU Common Course Numbers page for a list of our CCNs.
CCN Courses Not Offered at OSU
As COMM 100Z and WR 122Z will not be taught at OSU, there are no equivalent versions and they will transfer as "LDTZ".
Mutually Exclusive Courses
WR 327 to WR 227Z are not equivalent due to a change in level but are mutually exclusive, meaning students cannot register for WR 227Z if they have previously passed WR 327. If students were to take mutually exclusive courses, the grades from both courses would apply to their GPA. We have a new mutual exclusion webpage with more information.
Content sectioned from the Office of the Registrar Academic Advisor Digest
June 27, 2023
June 6, 2023: [COMMUNITY COLLEGE/EXTERNAL PARTNERS] Common Course Numbering Impacts on Oregon State University courses and programs
From: Office of Academic Affairs
Dear Community College Partners,
Last month we reached out to share how OSU was implementing the first round of the statewide Common Course Numbering (CCN) courses. We included a list of 134 programs impacted and whether we anticipated those programs needing a simple informational update, or one that required action. We’re following up to share a quick refresher on the impact to OSU courses, but also specifically how the impacted programs made curricular changes. Below you will find a quick summary of changes to our courses, but please refer to the CCN Course List for OSU website for more context.
Impacts of the 2022 CCN courses at OSU:
The changes listed affect programs in two possible ways:
78 programs had to make informational updates to their curriculum.
56 programs had to make action updates to their curriculum.
All impacted programs have updated their curriculum to accommodate the newly aligned CCN courses. Attached you’ll find the same list of identified programs and how they are affected based on the 2022 CCN courses. However, we added a column that contains notes on how programs absorbed the increase in credit count, upper or lower division requirements, and/or accommodation of a course discontinuation.
We want to reiterate our commitment to supporting our shared transfer students and recognize you as valuable partners in this endeavor. We hope that you’ll share these changes broadly with your faculty and academic advisors to ensure students have transparency on which courses at your institution will complete bachelor’s degree requirements post-transfer. We encourage you to utilize OSU’s Transfer Guides as another tool to aid student course selection. These documents will be updated and available on our website this summer for academic year 2023/2024.
To learn more about OSU’s implementation and next steps, please visit OSU’s Common Course Numbering website.
Attachment: OSU_2022CCNcourses_ProgramSpecificImpacts
June 6, 2023
May 16, 2023: [OSU Academic Advisors] OtR Digest Week 7
From: Office of the Registrar
Common Course Numbering Overview
A quick reminder that OSU is implementing Common Course Numbering (CCN) this summer as mandated by the state. Work has been completed on the first ten courses, 8 of which will be offered at OSU:
When supporting students searching for these courses in Schedule of Classes, it is important to remind them to add a “Z” or an asterisk (*) to the course number. The * serves as a ‘wildcard’ in the search functionality and will serve up results inclusive of any course with your search language. For example, you may search for WR121Z or WR121*.
Common Course Numbering & MyDegrees
The common course numbers are all in MyDegrees. The advisor may need to hit the PROCESS button to see the latest changes. Any of the old numbers taken Fall 2001 or later (either as an OSU course or a transfer course) will automatically still apply. Exceptions should be made for older courses.
Most of the CCNs have been added to the active Planner Templates in place of the original course. This is not true for the WR 327 to WR 227Z conversion, nor was any change made where WR 222 was present. The required credits have also been changed where appropriate
This same change is also true of any plans students or advisors have made for all active students (taking courses this term)
Content sectioned from the Office of the Registrar Academic Advisor Digest
May 16, 2023
April 17, 2023: [OSU Academic Advisors] OtR Digest: Week 3
From: Office of the Registrar
Common Course Numbering
OSU is implementing Common Course Numbering (CCN) this summer as mandated by the state. CCN brought together faculty from Oregon public universities and community colleges to align course content, course numbers and course credits that are most transferred between Oregon public community colleges and universities.
When supporting students searching for these courses in Schedule of Classes, it is important to remind them to add a “Z” or an asterisk (*) to the course number. The * serves as a ‘wildcard’ in the search functionality and will serve up results inclusive of any course with your search language. For example, you may search for WR121Z or WR121*.
Content sectioned from the Office of the Registrar Academic Advisor Digest
April 17, 2023
April 17, 2023: [COMMUNITY COLLEGE/EXTERNAL PARTNERS] Impact of Common Course Numbering on Oregon State University courses and programs
From: Office of Academic Affairs
Dear Community College Partners,
In February, the first round of the statewide Common Course Numbering (CCN) courses was officially approved! As you all know, this is an historic moment for students transferring credits between Oregon’s public community colleges and universities that provides transparency on how these courses will transfer across institutions.
As OSU embarks on implementing these common courses, we wanted to reach out with information on the changes to our courses and impacts on programs. Below you will find a quick summary of changes to our courses, but please refer to the CCN Course List for OSU website for more context.
Impacts of the 2022 CCN courses at OSU:
The impacts noted above fall into two options for programs:
Attached you’ll find a list of all identified programs and whether they need an informational or action update based on the 2022 CCN courses. Programs were asked to finalize curricular decisions in April. Once we have received all action updates, we will communicate those program changes with you.
We are committed to supporting our shared transfer students and recognize you as valuable partners in this endeavor. We hope that you’ll share these changes broadly with your faculty and academic advisors to ensure students have transparency on which courses to take at your institution that will complete bachelor’s degree requirements post-transfer. We encourage you to utilize OSU’s Transfer Guides as another tool to aid student course selection; these documents will be updated and available on our website this summer for academic year 2023/2024.
To learn more about OSU’s implementation and next steps, please visit OSU’s Common Course Numbering website.
Attachment: CCN Impacts on OSU Programs_2022
April 17, 2023
April 12, 2023: [OSU Students] Slight changes to course numbering for commonly transferred courses
From: Office of the Registrar
Dear Students,
As you prepare for upcoming summer and fall term course registration, we wish to inform you of a change you will begin seeing related to some courses. A statewide legislative effort called Common Course Numbering brought together faculty from Oregon public universities and community colleges to align course content, course numbers and course credits that are most commonly transferred between Oregon public community colleges and four universities as students progress in their education.
What
Courses affected by this common course numbering will now have a “Z” following the course number, such as WR 121Z.
Why
The purpose of including the “Z” is to make it transparent that these courses are the same, regardless of the Oregon community college or university where the student took the course. As a result transfer of those course credits will be an identical transfer at all public institutions in Oregon.
Which courses
The following courses will be offered starting in summer 2023 at OSU and will include the letter “Z” to indicate their common course numbering: COMM 111Z, COMM 218Z, MTH 105Z, MTH 111Z, MTH 112Z, ST 243Z, WR 121Z, and WR 227Z.
When will this course numbering be in effect
Summer registration opens April 17 and will include these eight transfer-friendly courses.
Important Notes
Searching for these courses in the Schedule of Classes requires that you add a Z or an * to the search for one of these eight courses. The * serves as a ‘wildcard’ in the search functionality and will serve up results inclusive of any course with your search language. For example, you may search for WR121Z or WR121*.
Both COMM 100Z and WR 122Z are part of the state of Oregon’s new common course numbering project but are not courses that OSU offers.
Support
If you have questions regarding Common Course Numbering, please visit this website.
If you have questions regarding your program of study and any of the courses listed above, please schedule an appointment with your academic advisor.
April 12, 2023
April 11, 2023: [OSU Academic Advisors] Information and registration tips for Common Course Number (CCN) courses
From: Office of Academic Affairs
Hello Academic Advising & Academic Counseling community,
During the March Advising Town Hall, I shared information on the statewide Common Course Numbering (CCN) courses. This is a historic moment for students transferring credits between Oregon’s public community colleges and universities, as CCN provides transparency on how these courses will transfer across institutions. Below you will find a refresher on what CCN is, a quick summary of changes to our courses, and some helpful tips to support student’s future registration.
What is CCN?
Faculty-led subcommittees representing Oregon’s public community colleges and universities are tasked with the following on each identified CCN course:
The first cohort of CCN courses will be ready for student registration starting Summer 2023.
CCN Course List
The first 10 courses aligned are: COMM 100Z, COMM 111Z, COMM 218Z, MTH 105Z, MTH 111Z, MTH 112Z, ST 243Z, WR 121Z, WR 122Z, and WR 227Z.
Impacts of this year’s CCN courses at OSU:
For additional details and context, please refer to the Common Course Numbering at OSU and the CCN Course List for OSU websites.
Supporting student registration
The changes noted above are reflected in OSU’s course registration system, including the discontinuation of WR 222. When supporting students searching for these courses, it is important to remind them to add a “Z” or an asterisk (*) to the course number.
The following text is on the Schedule of Classes homepage to guide students searching for classes:
Looking for Common Course Numbers? Useful tips: enter a 'Z' following the course number in your keyword search (e.g. wr 121Z or wr 121HZ ) in your keyword search.
Pro Tip: Use an asterisk (*) in the keyword search box as a wild card (e.g. wr 121* or wr*). For example, math* will find everything that contains "math" in the subject code, course title, or description.
General information on Common Course Numbering and tips for searching for impacted courses will be shared with students later this week, along with the encouragement to reach out to their academic advisor if they have specific questions related to their major and any of the CCN courses.
To learn more about OSU’s implementation and next steps, please visit OSU’s Common Course Numbering website.
April 11, 2023
January 12, 2023: [OSU Faculty & Staff] Important updates from Academic Affairs: Student Learning Outcomes Policy and Common Course Numbering
From: Office of Academic Affairs
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing with two important updates from Academic Affairs—one about a new policy on course and program learning outcomes and the other about OSU’s internal work related to statewide progress on common course numbering.
Student Learning Outcomes Policy
In November 2022, the Faculty Senate Curriculum Council approved a new student learning outcomes policy. The policy requires that all courses and programs have measurable student learning outcomes with appropriate breadth, depth, sequencing, and synthesis of learning. You can access the policy here.
To support this policy, the Curriculum Management team, with approval of the Curriculum Council has initiated a project to update learning outcomes for all courses not currently recorded in Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM). The team will reach out to colleges one by one over the next 18 months. Currently, the team is working with the College of Agricultural Sciences and the College of Business. College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences is slated to begin its work in spring term 2023. Questions about this project can be sent to Caryn Stoess in Curriculum Management.
Separately, as academic units update program learning outcomes, they can do so in CIM. A link for this will be made available in CIM beginning in Spring 2023. Questions about program learning outcomes and updates can be sent to Kristin Nagy Catz in Assessment and Accreditation.
Common Course Numbering (CCN) – Statewide Legislation
In the 2021 legislative session, the state enacted SB 233 requiring all two- and four-year public higher education institutions to create a common course numbering system for commonly transferred courses. The law mandated formation of the Transfer Council and faculty subcommittees to do the work of aligning course names, numbers, credits, descriptions, and learning outcomes. To learn more about this statewide effort, please visit the Higher Education Coordinating Commission’s (HECC’s) Transfer Council website.
Work has already been completed on ten courses, with another 14 slated for completion this academic year. To see lists of these courses please visit the HECC CCN resources webpage. My sincere thanks to the many OSU faculty involved in this work. Note that courses in the new CCN system will have a “Z” at the end of them, so they can be easily identified by students, staff, faculty, and other stakeholders.
The Curriculum Management team, with approval from the Faculty Senate Curriculum Council has developed detailed plans for implementing these curriculum changes at OSU. The implementation needs to be fast-tracked to meet legislative deadlines once courses are approved by HECC. The Curriculum Management team will do the bulk of the work making course updates, and they will work directly with academic units to process all additional course- and program-level changes resulting from CCN changes. Details about these processes can be found here. If you have questions, please contact Erin Bird, Transfer Transitions Coordinator.
Thanks for your attention to these changes, and best wishes for a smooth start to winter term.
Alix Gitelman
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Senior Vice Provost