SUN Processes

SUN WORKGROUP RECOMMENDATIONS
Approved by the CAOs – November 18, 2011

Recommendation I: Current technology will be enhanced to support changes to SUN courses:

1. Develop a SUN pre-notification/pre-approval process, utilizing ACETS, which will ensure proposed changes to SUN courses are vetted prior to those changes being implemented.
2. Establish a SUN Alert System to notify the Director of Articulation and Transfer Services when SUN pre-notification/pre-approval forms are submitted, so the process can be monitored and reviewed (currently in place).
   

Recommendation II: Community colleges changing SUN course content:

1. If a community college is considering changes to a SUN course, that institution will submit a SUN pre-notification/pre-approval form through the ACETS SUN Alert System, to the three universities to ensure that the changes do not result in the loss of the direct SUN equivalency.
2. If the universities accept the community college’s SUN course changes, the other community colleges will continue to accept that community college’s course as a SUN course.
   

Recommendation VIII: Tribal College participation in the SUN System:
Tribal Colleges should be invited to participate in the SUN system if:

1. They have the technology to ensure the identification of SUN courses in their printed and online documents; and
2. They are willing to comply with the standards already in place regarding the SUN system.
   

Recommendation IX: Continuing the SUN Workgroup
It is anticipated that in the early years of the SUN System, issues will arise which need discussion and resolution. so it is important to have a group composed of individuals who understand the curriculum and articulation processes and practices of both their institution and the statewide transfer system. Since the members of the Institutional Articulations Facilitators (IAF) typically meet this criterion, and the majority of the representatives on the current SUN Workgroup are also IAF members, it is recommended that Institutional Articulation Facilitators represent their institutions on the SUN Workgroup.

Recommendation X: Definition of the SUN System
The Shared Unique Number (SUN) System identifies some of the transferable lower-divison courses commonly offered at the three Arizona public universities and at least two Arizona community colleges, one of which is urban. The system ensures that a SUN course at a participating institution will be accepted as a direct equivalent to the comparable SUN course at the other participating institution.

Recommendation III: If the changes to a community college SUN course could result in the loss of the SUN designation for at least one university:

1. The community college will be asked to reconsider the changes to that course; or
2. The community college will work with the faculty at the universities to resolve the issues resulting in a potential lost equivalency and ensure that the additional modifications will not result in lost equivalencies from the other universities; or
3. Remove that community college SUN course from the SUN matrix, since not all community colleges are required to offer SUN courses.
   

Recommendation IV: Universities changing SUN course content:
If a university plans to change a SUN course, the new SUN Action Form will be submitted via ACETS, and an email will be sent to all Institutional Articulation Facilitators (IAFs) and to APASC as an information item. The other two universities will review the proposed changes. One of two processed will be followed depending on the outcome of the review by the other two universities:

1. Universities agree to retain the current CEG equivalency and its SUN designation.
   If the other universities indicate that the proposed changes are not substantive and would not affect current equivalencies, an email will be sent to the appropriate ATF, the IAFs and APASC as an information item.
2. One or both of the “receiving” universities determine that the changes are substantive and would put the course at risk of losing its SUN designation.
   University IAF representatives will be notified and will ask faculty to discuss the course further to determine if the curricular issues can be resolved so that the changes do not affect the SUN designation.
   1. If an agreement is reached, the community college ATF and IAF members will be notified of any course changes they would need to make in order to keep their SUN equivalency, if necessary. APASC will also be informed.
   2. If an agreement is not reached:
      1. APASC will be notified that a course is at risk of losing its SUN designation, the effective date of the anticipated change, and the measures the universities have taken to resolve the issue.
      2. APASC may request further information including the number of students impacted by the proposed changes.
      3. APASC may recommend another attempt at a resolution.
      4. If an agreement still cannot be reached for the course to retain its SUN designation, the original SUN course will be removed from the SUN Matrix.

Recommendation V: Timeline for universities making changes to a SUN course:
The two types of SUN course changes have different timelines.

1. SUN course changes which maintain current CEG equivalencies and SUN designations.
   These non-substantive changes may occur at any time throughout the year.
2. SUN course changes which require community college to modify their course if they choose to maintain CEG equivalencies and SUN designations.
   1. Notification to all community college of university agreed upon changes must occur by October 15 to be effective the following fall term. This should allow universities time to modify their curriculum, share the proposed changes with the other universities, and negotiate with the other universities if needed, and allow community colleges adequate time to modify their courses, submit changes through ACETS, update catalogs and/or make degree audit changes if necessary.
   2. If a university SUN course change is requested and implemented at the university after the agree upon deadline, all institutions agree to keep the current CEG equivalency and SUN designation in effect for the following academic year.

Recommendation VI: Minimum community college participation to maintain SUN designation:

1. A SUN course must have a direct course equivalent at all three universities and at least two community colleges, one of which is an urban institution (Maricopa or Pima Community College Districts).
2. If a community college removes a SUN course from its course bank, or if it changes the course such that it loses its SUN equivalency, then the course will be deleted from the institutional “cell” on the SUN Matrix. If the remaining SUN Matrix does not have two community colleges, one of which is urban, then the course will be removed from the SUN Matrix.
   

Recommendation VII: Adding courses to the SUN System:
There are three ways to add courses to the SUN System.

1. A SUN course exists on the matrix, but not all community colleges have a course with the SUN designation. A community college may develop a course to submit through the ACETS SUN Action Form to establish whether the new course is equivalent to the three university SUN courses. If all three universities agree to the SUN equivalencies, APASC staff will be notified and will add the course to the SUN Matrix.
2. A community college has more than one course with the same university SUN equivalencies, but only one course with a SUN designation. (e.g. Maricopa CC has three College Algebra courses with the same university equivalencies in the CEG, but only MAT 151 has the SUN designation.) All courses with the same university equivalencies should have the SUN designation. APASC staff will be notified of the additional course and will add them to the SUN matrix.
3. A new SUN course can be added to the matrix if all three universities and at least two community colleges, at least one of which is urban, have equivalent courses in the CEG. A potential new SUN course can be recommended in a number of ways (e.g. by an ATF, by an institutional representative, by APASC staff, etc.). Each university will be requested to review the identified equivalent course offered by the other universities to determine whether they will accept them as equivalent. If all the universities agree that the other university courses are equivalent, APASAC staff will be notified and will add the new SUN course to the matrix for the universities and for all the community colleges which have a course equivalent to the three universities’ new SUN course.