2.2 - LACCD DE Essentials and the LATTC Online Quality Course Guidelines

 AP 4105 Background

Administrative Procedure 4105 (AP 4105) Download AP 4105) is the closest thing the LACCD has to its own "regulations" about distance education. Most California Community Colleges have an AP 4105 or equivalent, and they share many commonalities. But don't take for granted that if you've seen one, you've seen 'em all - the details can vary a lot from district to district. The document is quite long, but give it a glance so you understand the breadth of it.

The major external references that inform AP 4105 are federal, state, and accreditor standards for distance education, which are all reviewed in more detail in the next module.

Why Should You Care About AP 4105?

Well, when a course is approved for offering via distance education at LATTC, the department proposing the course agrees that all online and hybrid sections of that course will be taught in accordance with this AP. There are other documents (namely the Canvas Course Evaluation Checklist Download Canvas Course Evaluation Checklist) which provide interpretive guidance to faculty that complies with AP 4105, but there's really no substitute for familiarity with the original, and the detailed requirements that it provides. 

If you haven't already opened AP 4105 in a new tab, you may wish to do so. To summarize:

1. Online education in general
2. The expectations of departments when proposing DE courses, and instructors, when teaching DE course sections
3. Institutional responsibilities for quality DE courses

The LATTC Online Quality Course Guidelines Download LATTC Online Quality Course Guidelines were developed in 2024 by the Distance Learning Committee. Most of the document describes recommended practices and principles for equity-minded online instruction (as described later in the handbook), but the first section outlines requirements that every instructor must follow for any LATTC class which includes distance education. These guidelines also form the basis for the quality checklist, which is found at the end of the document. Although these guidelines and the checklist are not required, they are highly recommended toward creating seamless classes to meet the needs of our students.

The guidelines cover:

• Requirements: Required elements for Distance Education classes at LATTC College as per AP 4105
• Practices: Effective and equity-minded teaching practices and examples
• Principles: Evidence-based guiding principles, key equity practices, and quality indicators in online education.
• The Canvas Course Evaluation Checklist v2.0. We also have an accessible version of the Checklist Download accessible version of the Checklist.

Many workshops held on campus and through the district (through the Vision Resource Center) are available to help you meet these guidelines. Do you want to know more about creating an equitable space for your students? Take a workshop on Humanizing Online Classes or read an article on this topic.