July 10, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Suzanne Ernst (702) 889-8426

UCCSN Unveils Common Course Numbering System

LAS VEGAS – The University and Community College System of Nevada has established a consistent, common course numbering process that is designed to ensure uniformity among courses at each of its institutions.

Common Course Numbering (CCN) was developed as a result of a decision by the Board of Regents at its October 1999 meeting. At that time, the Board directed universities and community colleges in the UCCSN to establish a uniform numbering system for all baccalaureate degree courses. Courses offered at the community colleges that are equivalent to upper division university credits were evaluated to determine whether they should be upper- or lower-division courses. For example, certain courses that were determined to be appropriately upper-division were dropped from the community college curriculum. Alternatively, courses determined to be appropriately lower-division were reclassified as such. Additionally, students will be able to transfer courses among institutions without losing credits.

"One of the goals of our Master Plan for Higher Education in Nevada is to make our institutions more student friendly," says Board Chair Stavros Anthony. "This process will make it much easier for students—whether at the community college, state college or the universities—to identify those classes they'll need to complete their degrees."

A committee comprised of representatives from each UCCSN institution and headed by Dr. Tim Haller, professor emeritus of political science and philosophy at Western Nevada Community College, and Dr. Jannet Vreeland, associate professor of accounting and computer information systems at the University of Nevada, Reno, led efforts to establish faculty discipline committees throughout the UCCSN to examine this issue.

These discipline committees worked together to review the course offerings in their respective subject areas to determine which courses were similar and which were unique at the various institutions. The committees then made the appropriate changes to ensure that students are able to readily transfer from one institution to another.

"With courses at different institutions having the same course name and number, we've eliminated ambiguity and confusion for students as they work toward earning their degree," says Dr. Haller. "What's more, we were able to work together as a system to get this accomplished."

Another step of this process is the compilation of a master course file. By the beginning of 2004, this file will be integrated into the newly developed Web-based Academic Program Information System. This is a new information resource for both internal and external audiences that allows individuals to determine which academic programs have been approved by the Board of Regents and which institution or institutions offer them. The CCN master course file will enable students and faculty to see what courses have gone through the numbering process, as well as enable institutions and the System to make updates and monitor data for accuracy.

The Nevada Board of Regents is the elected, 13-member governing body for the University and Community College System of Nevada. Comprising two doctoral granting universities, a state college, four comprehensive community colleges and one environmental research institute, the UCCSN serves the educational and job training needs of the nation's fastest growing state. As Nevada's only system of higher education, the UCCSN provides educational opportunities to more than 93,000 students.

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