Course descriptions drive three important considerations.

The first is the college catalog. Having an up-to-date catalog will allow us to make sure area school districts have the opportunity to vet new courses and approve them for their high school graduation requirements. This is a critical component of attracting Running Start students to those courses, and districts need the information in spring to make adjustments for fall.

An up-to-date catalog also means that students know what they are signing up for—the catalog is our contract with them, and sharing the contract that will govern their next academic year is an act of good faith.

The second is the scheduling information for the course. While course schedules often are updated throughout the year, the information in the course description is used to provide a general guideline for when a particular course can be expected to run. This helps students and advisors plan a course of study.

The third is official credit and workload information for the course. Course descriptions include information about credit and contact hours. This information is used for teaching load and contract (pay) calculations for courses.