What are Course Attributes?

Course Attributes

Course Attributes are codes in ctcLink that track characteristics of courses. Course attributes are defined at the state or the college level. The online Class Schedule includes a filter that searches for classes by course attribute.

State-Level Course Attributes

Washington State's Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) defines two state-level course attributes that are searchable in the class schedule. These are:

• -Low-Cost Textbooks - the combined cost of required course materials is $50 or less
• -OER: No Textbook to Purchase - required instructional materials are provided online at no cost

The State of Washington requires state community and technical colleges to identify in their online class schedules which courses meet the Low-Cost Materials and Open Educational Resources (OER) requirements defined in RCW 28B.50.789: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=28B.50.789 

Shoreline Course Attributes

Shoreline Community College has locally defined 23 course attributes that are searchable in the online class schedule. The four course attribute categories are: 1) the number of units; 2) a registration-related characteristic; 3) a class topic; and, 4) transfer degree requirements. 

Number of Units

Course attributes for number of units (formerly called credits):

• 1-unit classes
• 2-unit classes
• 3-unit classes
• 4-unit classes
• 5-unit classes

Registration Characteristics

Course attributes for registration characteristics:

• English with Support - co-requisite English classes with success strategies
• Late Starting/Fast Track - classes that do not follow the standard quarterly class calendar, either by starting later than the standard first day of classes or ending before the standard final day of classes
• Math with Support - co-requisite Math classes with success strategies
• Philosophy with Support - co-requisite Philosophy/Math classes

Class Topics

Course attributes for class topics:

• Honors College - formerly designated as H courses; classes that meet Honors College course learning outcomes; enrollment is limited to students in The Honors College
• W (Writing) Courses - formerly designed as W courses; classes that meet the University of Washington's criteria for W or Writing Intensive course learning outcomes 

Transfer Degree Requirements

Course attributes for transfer degree requirements:

• Transfer Req: Communications - meets the Communication requirement
• Transfer Req: Elective - defined as an elective for transfer degrees
• Transfer Req: Humanities Gen - General Humanities classes within the Humanities distribution
• Transfer Req: Humanities Perf - Performance/Skills classes within the Humanities distribution
• Transfer Req: Multicultural - meets the Multicultural Understanding requirement
• Transfer Req: Nat Sci Lab - defined as Lab Science within the Science distribution
• Transfer Req: Nat Sci Non-Lab - defined as Natural Sciences within the Science distribution
• Transfer Req: Other Nat Sci - defined as Other Science within the Science distribution
• Transfer Req: Quantitative - meets the Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning - QSR - requirement
• Transfer Req: Restr. Transfer - defined as a restricted elective for transfer degrees
• Transfer Req: Social Sciences - meets Social Sciences distribution for transfer degrees