What is a DeCal?
Every professor should have to teach a class under the conditions of a DeCal, where they have to motivate the students to learn the subject without the threat of grades.
Nate Singer, DeCal Director 2004
The DeCal Program is based on the idea that students should manage and direct their own learning with the hope that they can be more engaged with and pursue the questions that they find most intriguing and relevant. If you have any suggestions or comments, please contact us.
DeCal Program
John Hurst, Professor at the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley and some of his students created a student group that explored and focused on an alternative education model. Eventually, his group developed into the current DeCal Program with the support of the Education Department and the University. The DeCal Program is a registered student group through the Office of Student Life, OSL, and receives its funding from the Associated Students of University California, ASUC.
Professor Hurst recounts:
In the fall of 1980 CRS offered a course called Education for Democratic Action that I developed in collaboration with a small group of CRS students. The class had two sections. I worked very closely with one of the sections, whose students had developed a mission to create a student-run center to promote democratic education on campus. It was a vision I had been nourishing for several years. By the spring quarter of 1981 we had created an organization called Chautauqua-A Center for Democratic Education, which published a magazine and a catalogue that described a number of student-initiated classes whose offerings it was coordinating. Chautauqua also sponsored workshops featuring distinguished democratic educators like Myles Horton.
In June 1981 the ASUC Senate accepted Chautauqua as a student-run ASUC operation. In a few years the name was changed to Democratic Education at CAL or DeCAL, so its name would clearly reflect its purpose and have meaning for students. By 1985 the function of DeCAL had narrowed to the important task of facilitating the offering of student-initiated courses. An extensive source book was published that dealt with all the details of creating a class, obtaining a faculty sponsor, and the discussion and promotion of a democratic pedagogy.
DeCAL continues to flourish today as an outlet for serious and creative students who wish to add to the campus offerings. Each semester some 30 to 40 student-initiated courses are offered for credit. Almost all of them rapidly fill to their maximum enrollment. I frequently hear students say that their DeCAL class was the best course they ever took at Berkeley. Many courses initiated by students through DeCAL have gone on to become regular courses offered by faculty in various departments on campus. DeCAL is perhaps the best known and most well respected of all the 21 Student Initiated Service Groups approved and funded each year by the ASUC Senate. Many of my advisees, both undergraduate and graduate, have been directors of DeCAL over the years, including this academic year.[1]
To this day, Professor Hurst still remains very close to the student organization that he put himself on the line to support. DeCal directors from different generations always make a point to meet with him for advice or to discuss education issues. At the end of every semester, he would dine with members of the DeCal Board and offer to share with them his insights and experiences with education. His presence in the DeCal and campus community is highly regarded.
Our History page traces the program’s root and its transformation. You can also read DeCal Retrospective, which analyzes the benefits, perceptions and limits of the DeCal Program.
DeCal Courses
DeCal courses are listed by departments as Special Studies 98 and 198 courses. Per request, the DeCal Program also advertises Special Studies 97 and 197 courses, which are service oriented. In general, not all Special Studies classes are DeCals: some are unadvertised independent or small group studies; others are community service projects or internships that have not gone through the DeCal channels. In all cases, if a student wants to start a group studies course, they must get a faculty sponsor, who becomes responsible for overseeing the class but does not need to attend or instruct it. Any undergraduates facilitating a course can use the Undergraduate Course Facilitator Training & Resources office as a resource.
Courses affiliated with the DE-Cal Program typically fall into one of the following types or categories:
- they cover subject matter that is not addressed in the regular departmental or major curriculum;
- they give students “hands-on” field or practical experience that may help them realize professional or personal goals;
- they respond to a timely event or issue of concern. DE-Cal affiliated courses, like all student-initiated group study courses, provide a valuable opportunity for students to take initiative to design and propose a course for faculty approval and to develop leadership and teaching skills as part of this process.[2]
Facilitators
All graduate and undergraduate students can fill out a Special Studies Course Proposal to initiate a DeCal course. At the discretion of the sponsoring department and faculty member, almuni and community members may co-facilitate a class with a currently-enrolled UC Berkeley student. The student initiating the course should consult the sponsoring department for specific instructions. For information on the requirements and responsibilities of the students as DeCal facilitators, such as course fee, university policies, risk management, classroom reservation, accommodating students with special needs and other concerns, please visit the Policies Facilitators Should Know page.
Most facilitators can get credit for facilitating by enrolling in Independent Study with their faculty sponsors. Each department has its own paperwork. The facilitators and the faculty sponsor should work out the number of units, and what, if any, additional reflection or reporting is necessary. This process can be completed during the course initiation procedure. One very important reminder: Facilitators cannot enroll in their own class!We also strongly recommend prospective DeCal facilitators to attend a brief and fun facilitation training session and other brief meetings throughout the semester. We actually do this for your benefit; you’ll gain insight to the nature of the challenges ahead of you and get some advice on ways to meet them. During any given semester, there is an average of over 125 courses, with 150 course facilitators and over 4,000 students participating in the DeCal Program. Classes taught in the past include community service, ethnic/cultural studies, literature, media and its impact on society and current world events.
Enrollment
DeCal courses are advertised through www.decal.org. Facilitators post the enrollment procedures for their courses on the Find a Course page. The DeCal Board always tries to get the course schedule up as early as possible. In the past, fall DeCals are posted in early August and spring DeCals in late December. The course control numbers (CCN’s) are usually withheld until classes commence. Since DeCals are highly impacted, students are required to attend the first day of class and may be rejected several times before gaining admission to a course. For example, if there are 20 seats available in a course, a typical number of students who shows up on the first day of class is around 50.
In accordance to the rules agreed with their sponsoring departments, the facilitators may ask prospective students to write a one-to two-page essay or a brief introductory paragraph, fill out a questionnaire, submit a course application or even take a short test and admit students based on a comparative assessment of all the responses received. The sponsoring departments are responsible to ensure the equalization of admissions. If the integrity of the facilitator is under doubt, students should contact their academic advisor on the best way to proceed and the sponsoring departments and read the section on student rights on this page.
There are also more direct ways to admit students. Facilitators can simply post the CCN’s on the Find a Course page or their separate course websites independent of the DeCal site and admit students on a first-come, first-served basis via TeleBears enrollment. Students may also receive CCN’s by contacting the facilitators via e-mail to reserve a spot in the class. The applicants’ seniority, the number of times they have applied before or a lottery may determine admission. Prospective students should know that there are many different ways to enroll in a DeCal course; facilitators and their sponsoring departments set the terms as their administrative needs/demands dictate. The general rule is that if you find a DeCal that particularly interests you, feel free to contact the facilitators and express your enthusiasm, unless otherwise told not to. Facilitators are usually delighted to receive inquiries about their classes.
Even though some sponsoring departments require an earlier start time, DeCals usually commence a week after official instruction begins and facilitators may not give out course control numbers until the first day of class. Therefore, most students wishing to take a DeCal to fulfill the minimum University unit requirement or meet any other transfer prerequisites will not have a complete schedule until a few weeks into the Tele-BEARS Adjustment Period. These students will have a partial course load throughout the entire Phase II of Telebears and should questions or a need for clarification arises, contact the appropriate offices and departments directly. The Office of Registrar will still expect all students to be enrolled in at least the minimum number of units approved by their colleges or school by the end of the third week of instruction. You can view the minimum and maximum unit requirements for the College of Chemistry, College of Engineering, College of Environmental Design, College of Natural Resourcees, College of Letters & Sciences and the Haas School of Business at the University Courseload Regulations.
If you are concerned that you would not get into a DeCal, attend the first few sessions of a regular University course as a backup. There are many 2-to 3-unit, lower-division seminars that different departments offer. Hundreds of students attend those; therefore, enrolling in and dropping them would not be a problem. Check them out in the Online Schedule of Classes.
Course Repetition Policy
If you repeat a DeCal course in which you have passed or failed previously, the course will count as part of your class schedule for the semester and both the first and second grade that you earn will be listed on your transcript. You will be able to use a repeated DeCal as part of your minimum units requirement for the semester. The course units will also count toward graduation. Please read the section for academic credits on this page for restrictions.Add/Drop Deadlines
All DeCal classes follow the Office of Registrar’s Add/Drop/Grading Option Change Deadlines.
Academic Credits
It is important to understand that these rules may be further limited by the faculties of the various schools and colleges and by the Graduate Council. For complete details and more information about grading policies and options, please consult with your academic advisor and the General Catalog. Most students can take a maximum of four units Special Studies 97/197 or 98/198 credit in a semester with a maximum of sixteen units can count toward graduation. DeCal courses can only be taken in Pass (P) or Not Pass (NP), which is not counted into your Grade Point Average (similarly, graduate courses graded on a Satisfactory [S] or Unsatisfactory [U] basis). In order to graduate you cannot take more than 1/3 of your class Pass/NotPass.
Student-facilitators cannot enroll in their own DeCals for academic credits, but they can sign up for a separate independent studies course, such as 99 or 199, with their faculty sponsors.
Please note that although some DeCal courses and letter-graded courses taught by professors and GSI’s explore similar topics, DeCals do not count towards any degree requirements. For example, taking a History 98 DeCal on the development of ancient Roman society does not satisfy the Premodern History requirement for an undergraduate student pursuing a history degree. DeCal courses also cannot be used to meet the Reading and Composition, American History and Institutions, breadth or any other university and departmental requirements. However, DeCal units, not more than sixteen, will count towards graduation by fulfilling the elective portion of a student’s total course work at the University. Department rules may vary, check with your undergraduate/graduate advisors.
Course Fee
A common campus policy violation in DeCal classes is the collection of unauthorized course fee. That means facilitators cannot ask students to pay a fee to take the class without the explicit permission from the Course Materials Fee Committee (CMFC). The CMFC requires that a fee request be made and approved under exceptional situations a year before the course is offered. Unless they were planned very well in advance, most DeCals cannot charge their students to cover the costs for guest speakers or course materials! Students should not be required to pitch in for a guest speaker’s travel or any other up-front costs. If there is a need to purchase art supplies, cooking ingredients, or equipment rentals, students should pay for them directly. They CANNOT go through the facilitator to buy in bulk. Therefore, facilitators CANNOT collect any money from their students! Students must pay for their own expenses on field trips to directly cover travel, food, lodging and activities. All information about course fees and other related expenses should be in a prominent location on the class description and syllabus!
In the past, when the Registrar’s Office learned of the unsanctioned levying of fees in a DeCal-listed class, the undergraduate course facilitators were given the option of either refunding the fees, or canceling the class. The administration takes this policy very seriously. If you have any questions about course fee or would like to report any violations, please contact the Budget Office Help Desk. The help desk can be reached by phone at 510.643.4243. Department officials are also be able to help. Their contact information is on the Department Policies and Contacts page. The DeCal Board strongly advises students who are asked to pay any kinds of fees to contact the Budget Office Help Desk and department officials. Facilitators are not supposed to make a profit from facilitating a course. Make sure you protect yourself and know your rights!
The Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) provides funding to cover academic-related expenses up to $100.00 or $200.00 (the maximum amount may fluctuate depending on the ASUC Senate’s budget allocation for the year) per DeCal course through the Educational Enhancement Fund (EEF). More information can be found in the Funding page.
Student Rights
Enrollment selection on the grounds of race, gender, sexuality, marital or parental status, age, creed, political beliefs, social or economic class or disability is strictly prohibited. Facilitators cannot accept gifts, food, financial incentives, sexual favors and other extraneous services for personal benefit that would influence the outcome of the enrollment process or the final grade for the course. If you believe that you have been treated unfairly or notice violations that would constitute the university’s breach of academic contract with the students, contact the department sponsoring the DeCal immediately. If you are taking an English 98 DeCal, you will need to address your concerns to the English department, which sponsors the course. A list of departmental contacts is available in the Department Policies and Contacts page. Departments are committed to abide by university equal opportunity statures and will help resolve differences by working with the conflicting parties through the Berkeley Campus Student Grievance Procedure. The DeCal Board does not have the authority to settle any disputes between the students and facilitators.
Start a DeCal
The DeCal Board wrote the Seven Steps to outline the procedure to start a course with the hope of clarifying the oftentimes confusing process for future facilitators. However, department rules may require additional/different processes that deviate from DeCal’s Seven Steps.
DeCal Board: Role and Responsibility
Run by experienced student-facilitators and interns with support from faculty, staff and administrative representatives, the DeCal board provides support, outreach, and publicity for student-initiated group study courses by familiarizing students with the course initiation process and listing courses on this website. Look for members of the board at People.
We also work closely with the office of the Undergraduate Course Facilitator of Training and Resources (UCFTR) to ensure that student facilitators have the proper support, resources and services. New facilitator training/orientations are offered every semester.
Furthermore, we have now successfully classified and archived a sample of DeCal syllabus from the past and many original documents, some of which are dated back to the 60s. The newly renovated DeCal Office at 320 Eshleman Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 also provides a scanner and printer, various materials to advertise DeCals and a library of teaching and education materials that facilitators can use. Feel free to drop by and check it out!
Lastly, we need to clarify that the DeCal Program provides student support, outreach, and publicity. The DeCal Program is not responsible for the academic and administrative aspects of DeCal courses. However, the board is more than happy to help people understand them.
It needs to be made clear to the campus community that the responsibility for reviewing, approving, and supervising student-initiated group study courses, including those associated with the DE-Cal Program, lies with the sponsoring faculty and department chair and not with the DE-Cal Program.[3]
1 Hurst, John. “On Popular Education,” http://www.nl.edu/academics/cas/ace/resources/johnhurst.cfm.
2 Special Studies Courses Task Force. “Final Report Special Studies Courses Task Force.” (University of California, Berkeley, 2 June, 2003) http://education.berkeley.edu/accreditation/pdf/Special_Studies_report.pdf.
3 Ibid.
Updated November 13, 2007.