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Much like the conflict encountered when general education core curriculum systems or statewide 2+2 alignment agreements are proposed, significant resistance must be overcome when policymakers tackle issues related to common course numbering, even when it is in students’ best interests. Traditions of local control and faculty autonomy in the academic discipline make it difficult for policy boards to exercise significant authority or influence over individual academic departments. States with strong state-level governing or coordinating authority are much more likely to adopt policy frameworks that encourage statewide solutions and articulation arrangements such as common course numbering. States with a strong tradition of local control and institutional governance often have no statewide body with the authority to encourage or implement such agreements. In the majority of states where such systems have been adopted, the state legislature has passed statutory language mandating the development of such systems.

Policymakers may want to consider the following questions:

• Under whose auspices will the committee charged with developing a common course description or numbering system meet?
• Are there institutional commitments from the key postsecondary partners to participate in and comply with such a system?
• Is there a common general education core curriculum in place that can provide the foundation for a common course numbering or common course description system?
• What mechanisms are needed to ensure the system can be maintained and updated as needed?