Florida Senate - 2014 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 1292
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LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
03/25/2014 .
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1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Section 1004.448, Florida Statutes, is created
6 to read:
7 1004.448 Florida Center for Library Automation.—
8 (1) The Florida Center for Library Automation is
9 established to provide a single library automation system and
10 associated resources and services that all public postsecondary
11 institutions shall use to support their learning, teaching, and
12 research needs.
13 (2) The Florida Center for Library Automation shall:
14 (a) Develop and manage a library information portal and
15 automated library management tools for use by the Florida
16 College System institutions and state universities. The library
17 information portal and automated library management tools must
18 include, but are not limited to, the following services and
19 functions:
20 1. A shared Internet-based catalog and a discovery tool
21 that allow a user to search and, if authorized, access the
22 aggregate library holdings of the state’s public postsecondary
23 education institutions. The catalog and discovery tool must
24 allow the user to search the library holdings of one
25 institution, selected institutions, or all institutions and, to
26 the extent feasible, include an interlibrary loan function that
27 ensures that the authorized user can access the required library
28 holding.
29 2. An Internet-based searchable collection of electronic
30 resources which includes, but is not limited to, full-text
31 journals, articles, databases, and electronic books that the
32 center licenses pursuant to paragraph (b).
33 3. An integrated library management system and its
34 associated services that all public postsecondary education
35 institution academic libraries must use for purposes of
36 acquiring, cataloging, circulating, and tracking library
37 material.
38 4. A statewide searchable database that includes an
39 inventory of digital archives and collections held by public
40 postsecondary education institutions.
41 (b) Coordinate the negotiation of statewide licensing of
42 electronic library resources and preferred pricing agreements,
43 issue purchase orders, and enter into contracts for the
44 acquisition of library support services, electronic resources,
45 and other goods and services necessary to carry out its duties
46 under this section.
47 (c) Promote and provide recommendations concerning the use
48 and distribution of open-access textbooks and education
49 resources as a method for reducing costs and work with public
50 postsecondary education institutions in developing a
51 standardized process for the review and approval of open-access
52 textbooks.
53 (3) The Florida Center for Library Automation shall be
54 administered by an executive director who is accountable to the
55 executive director of the University of West Florida’s
56 Innovation Institute. The executive director of the Florida
57 Center for Library Automation shall:
58 (a) Independently exercise all powers, duties, and
59 functions of the center as prescribed by law.
60 (b) Administer the operational requirements of the center.
61 (c) Hire professional and administrative staff necessary to
62 carry out the duties of the center.
63 (d) Keep administrative staff to the minimum necessary to
64 administer the duties of the center.
65 Section 2. Section 1006.72, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
66 Section 3. Section 1006.73, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
67 Section 4. Section 1006.735, Florida Statutes, is amended
68 to read:
69 1006.735 Complete Florida Plus Degree Program.—The Complete
70 Florida Plus Program is created within the Innovation Institute
71 at the University of West Florida.
72 (1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Complete Florida Plus
73 Program is to:
74 (a) Facilitate degree completion for the state’s adult
75 learners through the Complete Florida Degree Initiative.
76 (b) Provide information and access to distance learning
77 courses and degree programs offered by the state’s public
78 postsecondary education institutions.
79 (c) Coordinate with the Florida College System and the
80 State University System to identify and provide online academic
81 support services and resources when the multi-institutional
82 provision of such services and resources is more cost-effective
83 or operationally effective.
84 (2)(1) COMPLETE FLORIDA DEGREE INITIATIVE.—The Complete
85 Florida Degree Initiative Program is established for the purpose
86 of recruiting, recovering, and retaining the state’s adult
87 learners and assisting them in completing an associate degree or
88 a baccalaureate degree that is aligned to high-wage, high-skill
89 workforce needs. As used in this section, the term “adult
90 learner” means a student who has successfully completed college
91 level coursework in multiple semesters but has left an
92 institution in good standing before completing his or her
93 degree. The program shall give priority to adult learners who
94 are veterans or active duty members of the United States Armed
95 Forces.
96 (a)(2) The Complete Florida Degree Initiative Program shall
97 be implemented by the University of West Florida, acting as the
98 lead institution, in coordination with Florida College System
99 institutions, state universities, and private postsecondary
100 institutions, as appropriate. The initiative includes program
101 shall include the associate, applied baccalaureate, and
102 baccalaureate degree programs that these institutions have
103 selected. Other partnering public postsecondary education
104 institutions shall provide areas of specialization or
105 concentration.
106 (b)(3) In determining For purposes of selecting the degree
107 programs that will be given priority, in the Complete Florida
108 Degree Initiative Program, the institutions identified in
109 subsection (2) shall partner with public and private job
110 recruitment and placement agencies and use labor market data and
111 projections, including those identified in the Board of
112 Governors’ gap analysis, to identify the specific workforce
113 needs and targeted occupations of the state.
114 (c)(4) The Complete Florida Degree Initiative Program shall
115 provide adult learners with a single point of access to
116 information and links to innovative online and accelerated
117 distance learning courses, student and library support services,
118 and electronic resources that will guide the adult learner
119 toward the successful completion of a postsecondary degree.
120 (5) By the end of the 2013-2014 academic year, the Complete
121 Florida Degree Program shall be implemented and must:
122 (a) Use the distance learning course catalog established
123 pursuant to s. 1006.73 to communicate course availability to the
124 adult learner.
125 (b) Develop and implement an advising and student support
126 system that includes the use of degree completion specialists,
127 is based upon best practices and processes, and includes
128 academic and career support services designed specifically for
129 the adult learner. The program must identify proposed changes to
130 the statewide computer-assisted student advising system
131 established pursuant to s. 1006.73 to assist the adult learner
132 in using the system.
133 (c) Use the streamlined, automated, online admissions
134 application process for transient students established pursuant
135 to s. 1006.73. The program shall identify any additional
136 admissions and registration policies and practices that could be
137 further streamlined and automated for purposes of assisting the
138 adult learner.
139 (d) The Complete Florida Degree Initiative shall:
140 1. Use existing and, if necessary, develop new competency
141 based instructional and evaluation tools to assess prior
142 performance, experience, and education for the award of college
143 credit in order to reduce the time required for adult learners
144 to complete their degrees. The tools may include the use of the
145 American Council on Education’s collaborative link between the
146 United States Department of Defense and higher education through
147 the review of military training and experiences for the award of
148 equivalent college credit for members of the United States Armed
149 Forces.
150 2.(e) Develop and implement an evaluation process that
151 collects, analyzes, and provides to the chancellors of the
152 Florida College System and the State University System, the
153 participating postsecondary education institutions, the chairs
154 of the legislative appropriations committees, and the Executive
155 Office of the Governor information on the effectiveness of the
156 program and the attainment of its goals. Such a process shall
157 include a management information system that collects the
158 appropriate student, programmatic, and fiscal data necessary to
159 complete the evaluation of the program. Institutions involved in
160 the program shall also collect job placement and employment data
161 on the adult learners who have completed their degrees as a
162 result of the program.
163 3.(f) Develop and implement a statewide student recruitment
164 campaign targeted toward adult learners, particularly veterans
165 and active duty members of the United States Armed Forces, for
166 enrollment in the degree programs offered through the program.
167 (e)(6) For purposes of the Complete Florida Degree
168 Initiative Program, each institution’s current tuition and fee
169 structure shall be used. However, all participating institutions
170 shall collaboratively identify the applicable cost components
171 involved in the development and delivery of distance learning
172 courses, collect information on these cost components, and
173 submit the information to the chancellors of the Florida College
174 System and the State University System. The chancellors shall
175 submit a report to the chairs of the legislative appropriations
176 committees no later than December 31, 2014, on the need for a
177 differentiated tuition and fee structure for the development and
178 delivery of distance learning courses.
179 (3) STATEWIDE INTERNET-BASED CATALOG OF DISTANCE LEARNING
180 COURSES.—The Complete Florida Plus Program shall develop and
181 manage a statewide Internet-based catalog of distance learning
182 courses, degree programs, and resources offered by public
183 postsecondary education institutions to assist with the
184 coordination and collaboration of articulation and access to
185 postsecondary education pursuant to parts II and III of chapter
186 1007. The program shall establish operational procedures for the
187 catalog which must:
188 (a) Require participating institutions to provide specific
189 information concerning the distance learning courses and degree
190 programs including, but not limited to, prerequisite courses or
191 technology competencies or skills; the availability of academic
192 support services and financial aid resources; and course costs,
193 fees, and payment policies.
194 (b) Require that distance learning courses and degree
195 programs meet applicable accreditation standards and criteria
196 established in law.
197 (c) Require that the catalog be reviewed at least annually
198 and updated as needed to ensure that distance learning courses
199 and degree programs comply with operational procedures.
200 (d) Define and describe the catalog’s search and retrieval
201 options that, at a minimum, allow users to search courses and
202 programs by academic term or start date; institution or
203 institutions; delivery method, level, availability, subject or
204 discipline, and course number or program classification number.
205 (e) Use an Internet-based analytic tool that allows for the
206 collection and analysis of information, including, but not
207 limited to:
208 1. The number of students who use the catalog to search for
209 distance learning courses and degree programs;
210 2. The number and type of requests for information on
211 distance learning courses and degree programs that are not
212 listed in the catalog; and
213 3. A summary of specific requests by course type or course
214 number, delivery method, offering institution, and semester.
215 (4) STATEWIDE ONLINE STUDENT ADVISING SERVICES AND
216 SUPPORT.—The Complete Florida Plus Program shall make available
217 to all postsecondary students on a statewide basis online
218 supports and services that:
219 (a) Provide a streamlined, automated, online admissions
220 application process for undergraduate transient students who are
221 currently enrolled and pursuing a degree at a public
222 postsecondary education institution and who enroll in a course
223 offered by a public postsecondary education institution that is
224 not the student’s degree-granting institution. The University of
225 West Florida shall work with the Florida College System
226 institutions and state universities to:
227 1. Use the transient student admissions application
228 available through the statewide computer-assisted student
229 advising system established pursuant to paragraph (d). This
230 admissions application is the only application required for the
231 enrollment of a transient student as described in this
232 paragraph.
233 2. Implement the financial aid procedures required by the
234 transient student admissions application process.
235 3. Transfer credit awarded by the institution offering the
236 course to the transient student’s degree-granting institution.
237 4. Provide for an interface between the institutional
238 advising system and the statewide computer-assisted student
239 advising system established pursuant to paragraph (b) in order
240 to electronically send, receive, and process the transient
241 student admissions application.
242 (b) Develop and manage a statewide computer-assisted
243 student advising system that supports the process of advising,
244 registering, and certifying students for graduation and includes
245 a degree audit and an articulation component. The Florida
246 College System institutions and state universities shall
247 interface institutional advising systems with the statewide
248 computer-assisted student advising system. At a minimum, the
249 statewide computer-assisted student advising system must:
250 1. Allow a student to access the system at any time, search
251 public postsecondary education institutions, and identify course
252 options that will meet the requirements of a selected path
253 toward a degree.
254 2. Audit transcripts of students enrolled in a public
255 postsecondary education institution to assess current academic
256 standing, the requirements for a student to transfer to another
257 institution, and all requirements necessary for graduation.
258 3. Serve as the official statewide repository for the
259 common prerequisite manual, admissions information for
260 transferring programs, foreign language requirements, residency
261 requirements, and statewide articulation agreements.
262 4. Provide information relating to career descriptions and
263 corresponding educational requirements, admissions requirements,
264 and available sources of student financial assistance.
265 5. Provide the admissions application for transient
266 students pursuant to paragraph (a) which must include the
267 electronic transfer and receipt of information and records for:
268 a. Admissions and readmissions;
269 b. Financial aid; and
270 c. Transfer of credit awarded by the institution offering
271 the course to the transient student’s degree-granting
272 institution.
273 (c) Identify and evaluate new technologies and
274 instructional methods that can be used to improve distance
275 learning instruction and professional development for faculty,
276 student learning outcomes, student access, the delivery of
277 student support services, the alignment of degrees to career
278 needs, and the overall quality of postsecondary distance
279 learning courses and degree programs.
280 (d) Provide appropriate help desk support and training and
281 consultation services to institutions and students using the
282 services and resources of the Complete Florida Plus Program.
283 (e) Coordinate the negotiation of statewide licensing
284 resources and preferred pricing agreements, issue purchase
285 orders, and execute contracts for the acquisition of distance
286 learning resources, student support services, electronic
287 resources, and other goods and services necessary to perform
288 duties under this section.
289 (f) Develop and implement a plan, in consultation with the
290 public postsecondary education institutions, that describes the
291 services and resources available through the Complete Florida
292 Plus Program to encourage current and prospective students’ use
293 of such services and resources.
294 (5) All records, personnel, property, existing contracts,
295 and unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations, grants,
296 and other funds of the Florida Virtual Campus shall be
297 transferred to the University of West Florida. The University of
298 West Florida shall be the successor in interest to the Florida
299 Virtual Campus and shall be responsible for the provision of all
300 services as authorized by this section.
301 (7) The University of West Florida, in collaboration with
302 its partners, shall submit to the chairs of the Board of
303 Governors, the State Board of Education, and the legislative
304 appropriations committees no later than September 1, 2013, a
305 detailed program plan that defines the major work activities,
306 student eligibility criteria, timeline, and cost for
307 implementing the Complete Florida Degree Program.
308 Section 5. Paragraph (h) of subsection (3) of section
309 1007.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
310 1007.01 Articulation; legislative intent; purpose; role of
311 the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors;
312 Articulation Coordinating Committee.—
313 (3) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the
314 Chancellor of the State University System, shall establish the
315 Articulation Coordinating Committee, which shall make
316 recommendations related to statewide articulation policies and
317 issues regarding access, quality, and reporting of data
318 maintained by the K-20 data warehouse, established pursuant to
319 ss. 1001.10 and 1008.31, to the Higher Education Coordination
320 Council, the State Board of Education, and the Board of
321 Governors. The committee shall consist of two members each
322 representing the State University System, the Florida College
323 System, public career and technical education, K-12 education,
324 and nonpublic postsecondary education and one member
325 representing students. The chair shall be elected from the
326 membership. The Office of K-20 Articulation shall provide
327 administrative support for the committee. The committee shall:
328 (h) Recommend roles and responsibilities of public
329 education entities in interfacing with the single, statewide
330 computer-assisted student advising system established pursuant
331 to s. 1006.735 s. 1006.73.
332 Section 6. Paragraph (a) of subsection (16) and subsection
333 (17) of section 1009.23, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
334 1009.23 Florida College System institution student fees.—
335 (16)(a) Each Florida College System institution may assess
336 a student who enrolls in a course listed in the distance
337 learning catalog, established pursuant to s. 1006.735 s.
338 1006.73, a per-credit-hour distance learning course user fee.
339 For purposes of assessing this fee, a distance learning course
340 is a course in which at least 80 percent of the direct
341 instruction of the course is delivered using some form of
342 technology when the student and instructor are separated by time
343 or space, or both.
344 (17) Each Florida College System institution that accepts
345 transient students, pursuant to s. 1006.735 s. 1006.73, may
346 establish a transient student fee not to exceed $5 per course
347 for processing the transient student admissions application.
348 Section 7. Paragraph (t) of subsection (14) and paragraph
349 (a) of subsection (17) of section 1009.24, Florida Statutes, are
350 amended to read:
351 1009.24 State university student fees.—
352 (14) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (15), each
353 university board of trustees is authorized to establish the
354 following fees:
355 (t) A transient student fee that may not exceed $5 per
356 course for accepting a transient student and processing the
357 transient student admissions application pursuant to s. 1006.735
358 s. 1006.73.
359
360 With the exception of housing rental rates and except as
361 otherwise provided, fees assessed pursuant to paragraphs (h)-(s)
362 shall be based on reasonable costs of services. The Board of
363 Governors shall adopt regulations and timetables necessary to
364 implement the fees and fines authorized under this subsection.
365 The fees assessed under this subsection may be used for debt
366 only as authorized under s. 1010.62.
367 (17)(a) A state university may assess a student who enrolls
368 in a course listed in the distance learning catalog, established
369 pursuant to s. 1006.735 s. 1006.73, a per-credit-hour distance
370 learning course fee. For purposes of assessing this fee, a
371 distance learning course is a course in which at least 80
372 percent of the direct instruction of the course is delivered
373 using some form of technology when the student and instructor
374 are separated by time or space, or both.
375 Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.
376
377 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
378 And the title is amended as follows:
379 Delete everything before the enacting clause
380 and insert:
381 A bill to be entitled
382 An act relating to postsecondary education; creating
383 s. 1004.448, F.S.; establishing the Florida Center for
384 Library Automation; providing the duties of the
385 center; providing that an executive director
386 administers the center; providing the duties of the
387 executive director; repealing s. 1006.72, F.S.,
388 relating to licensing electronic library resources;
389 repealing s. 1006.73, F.S., relating to the Florida
390 Virtual Campus; amending s. 1006.735, F.S.; creating
391 the Complete Florida Plus Program, rather than the
392 Complete Florida Degree Program, within the Innovation
393 Institute of the University of West Florida; providing
394 a purpose for the program; establishing the Complete
395 Florida Degree Initiative; requiring the initiative to
396 use labor market data and projections to identify
397 specific workforce needs and targeted occupations;
398 deleting implementing provisions relating to the
399 Complete Florida Degree Program; providing duties of
400 the Complete Florida Degree Initiative; requiring the
401 Complete Florida Plus Program to develop and manage a
402 statewide Internet-based catalog of distance learning
403 courses, degree programs, and resources offered by
404 public postsecondary education institutions; providing
405 requirements for the operational procedures for the
406 catalog; requiring the Complete Florida Plus Program
407 to make available to postsecondary students specified
408 online supports and services; providing that records,
409 personnel, property, existing contracts, unexpended
410 balances of appropriations, allocations, grants, and
411 other funds of the Florida Virtual Campus are
412 transferred to the University of West Florida;
413 providing that the University of West Florida is the
414 successor in interest to the Florida Virtual Campus;
415 deleting an obsolete provision; amending 1007.27,
416 F.S.; revising the articulated acceleration mechanisms
417 that are available for secondary and postsecondary
418 students attending public educational institutions to
419 include industry certifications; amending ss. 1007.01,
420 1009.23, and 1009.24, F.S.; conforming cross
421 references; providing an effective date.