See Part I
by George Lorenzo
A Cool Tool
One of the most recent developments of a transfer-related student service being offered by Arizona State University (ASU) is its Transfer Credit Guide web-based service, located at http://www.asu.edu/transfercreditguide. The site allows prospective students to input the college courses, via a drop-down menu, that a student has already taken or plans to enroll in from institutions located throughout the country and then evaluate how those credits will transfer to ASU. The site also includes a search-for-credit-by-exam function whereby students can enter a test type and name, such as an Advanced Placement test, a CLEP or DSST exam, or an International Baccalaureate exam, and then see if any of those qualify as an equivalent course at ASU. As students search though these options, they are able to save the results to an account they set up with the online service, essentially helping them keep track of a running total of courses they are currently taking or have taken in the past.
One of the most recent developments of a transfer-related student service being offered by Arizona State University (ASU) is its Transfer Credit Guide web-based service, located at http://www.asu.edu/transfercreditguide. The site allows prospective students to input the college courses, via a drop-down menu, that a student has already taken or plans to enroll in from institutions located throughout the country and then evaluate how those credits will transfer to ASU. The site also includes a search-for-credit-by-exam function whereby students can enter a test type and name, such as an Advanced Placement test, a CLEP or DSST exam, or an International Baccalaureate exam, and then see if any of those qualify as an equivalent course at ASU. As students search though these options, they are able to save the results to an account they set up with the online service, essentially helping them keep track of a running total of courses they are currently taking or have taken in the past.
One of the foremost experts on student transfer is ASU’s
Provost, Academic Partnerships, Maria Hesse. “One of the things we have worked
on is making the transfer process more transparent to the community college
student,” she says. “The idea is to be able to explain to a student upfront
while they are still at the community college what they need to be taking or
doing in order to be guaranteed admission into the university.” Some guarantees
come in the form of pathways at ASU, such as with the Maricopa-ASU
Pathways Program (MAPP), which is a program designed for
students who want to complete an associate degree at one of the ten Maricopa
Community Colleges in Arizona and then plan to complete a bachelor’s degree at
ASU. “Some students really appreciate having these pathways so easily
accessible and well laid out and clear to them,” Hesse says.
Guaranteed Transfer
Processes at the State Level
There are many similar types of guaranteed transfer processes at other public college systems throughout the country, such as at the State University of New York’s Transfer Paths program where common lower division requirements are shared by all SUNY two-year and four-year institutions (comprised of 64 geographically dispersed campuses – see https://www.suny.edu/student/transfer/transfer_mobility.cfm). Basically, students can set up the possibility of transferring into numerous SUNY degree options, because the SUNY Transfer Paths system clearly indentifies core coursework that prepare students for multiple SUNY campuses.
There are many similar types of guaranteed transfer processes at other public college systems throughout the country, such as at the State University of New York’s Transfer Paths program where common lower division requirements are shared by all SUNY two-year and four-year institutions (comprised of 64 geographically dispersed campuses – see https://www.suny.edu/student/transfer/transfer_mobility.cfm). Basically, students can set up the possibility of transferring into numerous SUNY degree options, because the SUNY Transfer Paths system clearly indentifies core coursework that prepare students for multiple SUNY campuses.
Similar high-tech state-college and university cases in
point can be found in California, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio,
Oregon, Texas, and Washington. Since 2006, laws to improve transfer and
articulation were passed in 29 states.[i]
For a summary of what all the states are
doing, along with information on where you can go to find out more information,
see state summaries of articulation, transfer and alignment policies published
by WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) at http://higheredpolicies.wiche.edu/content/policy/state/summaries/31.
Reading through these summaries will give you a fairly good sense for what each
state is doing with regard to transfer and articulation systems and agreements.
Another relatively interesting and helpful website that is devoted to transfer issues is http://www.collegetransfer.net/ published by AcademyOne, an education software company based in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Here you can enter coursework you have completed from just about any college in the country and see how that work may or may not transfer in to the college you are thinking about attending.
Another relatively interesting and helpful website that is devoted to transfer issues is http://www.collegetransfer.net/ published by AcademyOne, an education software company based in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Here you can enter coursework you have completed from just about any college in the country and see how that work may or may not transfer in to the college you are thinking about attending.
Common Course
Numbering Systems
In addition, more public state college and university systems are developing common course numbering systems whereby courses taken previously at community colleges are clearly identified and aligned with various disciplines. In California, for instance, 63 % of its higher education students are enrolled in one of its 112 community colleges, serving approximately 2.76 million students annually. Roughly 50,000 community college students transfer annually to the California State University system. Through the development of a relatively new Course Identification Numbering System, the transfer process for these students has become easier and smoother to accomplish. The same thing has happened in Florida, where a Statewide Course Numbering System has helped to facilitate better, more efficient transfer processes. In Texas, similar initiatives related to clearly identifying courses for transfer include the Texas Core Curriculum, the Field of Student Curricula, and the Texas Common Course Numbering System, along with a common application for transfer. [ii] In short, depending on what state you live in, ask your advisor if any of the courses you are taking, or anticipate taking, or have taken in the past are aligned to any state-level course numbering systems.
In addition, more public state college and university systems are developing common course numbering systems whereby courses taken previously at community colleges are clearly identified and aligned with various disciplines. In California, for instance, 63 % of its higher education students are enrolled in one of its 112 community colleges, serving approximately 2.76 million students annually. Roughly 50,000 community college students transfer annually to the California State University system. Through the development of a relatively new Course Identification Numbering System, the transfer process for these students has become easier and smoother to accomplish. The same thing has happened in Florida, where a Statewide Course Numbering System has helped to facilitate better, more efficient transfer processes. In Texas, similar initiatives related to clearly identifying courses for transfer include the Texas Core Curriculum, the Field of Student Curricula, and the Texas Common Course Numbering System, along with a common application for transfer. [ii] In short, depending on what state you live in, ask your advisor if any of the courses you are taking, or anticipate taking, or have taken in the past are aligned to any state-level course numbering systems.
Saving Through Credit
by Exam
Another important area of consideration that can save you money and time is earning credit by exams through such entities as Advanced Placement tests, (http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/home) CLEP (https://clep.collegeboard.org/), DSST (http://getcollegecredit.com/), ECE (https://www.ece.org/), IB (http://www.ibo.org/) and UExcel exams (http://www.excelsior.edu/exams/uexcel-home). These are all excellent ways for getting credit for what you already know.
Another important area of consideration that can save you money and time is earning credit by exams through such entities as Advanced Placement tests, (http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/home) CLEP (https://clep.collegeboard.org/), DSST (http://getcollegecredit.com/), ECE (https://www.ece.org/), IB (http://www.ibo.org/) and UExcel exams (http://www.excelsior.edu/exams/uexcel-home). These are all excellent ways for getting credit for what you already know.
All these credit-by-exam college-credits are handled
differently, depending on the institution.
At some colleges and universities, for instance, the granting of
assessment-oriented credit is left up to the community college that awarded,
for example, an associate in applied science degree that the student completed
partially through an assessment(s). All the credits earned from that degree are
then transferred over to the four-year program.
“We don’t really look for equivalencies or quibble over that as long as
they come with the whole package (meaning a community college
degree),”ASU’s Hesse explained.
Yes, What You Have
Learned Can Count
As noted earlier, another new development in the world of transfer is couched in the term “Prior Learning Assessment” (PLA). This has similarities to credit by exam, but is more focused on creating an electronic portfolio that reveals, without any uncertainty, what you know and can do through the work you have accomplished and the tests you have taken over your lifetime.
As noted earlier, another new development in the world of transfer is couched in the term “Prior Learning Assessment” (PLA). This has similarities to credit by exam, but is more focused on creating an electronic portfolio that reveals, without any uncertainty, what you know and can do through the work you have accomplished and the tests you have taken over your lifetime.
The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), is a
Chicago-based non-profit organization that serves the needs and interests of
adult learners. It has recently been getting increased recognition as an
innovator in the prior learning assessment (PLA) arena for its
LearningCounts.org initiative launched
in January 2011 (see http://www.learningcounts.org).
Through LearningCounts, adult learners can utilize an alternative method for
earning college credit, primarily through an electronic portfolio assessment
process. Its web-based platform gives transfer students a way to create an
electronic portfolio that is assessed by an expert faculty member that has been
hired by CAEL to review the content and breadth of each student’s on-the-job
learning, corporate training, independent study, military service, and
volunteer service to determine credit transfer recommendations for college.
LearningCounts has affiliations with hundreds of colleges,
universities, and associations across the U.S., partnering with online and
traditional higher education institutions to facilitate credit transfers.
A list of these institutions is located on the LearningCounts website at http://www.learningcounts.org/affiliated-universities/.
In the state of New York, for instance, Berkeley College, Excelsior College,
and SUNY Empire State College use the LearningCounts PLA system to award
transfer credit.
According to representatives at LearningCounts, students who
use this process comprise a mixed bag of backgrounds. Some have high levels of
work-related skills and knowledge but have never attended college. Others have
some college credit under their belts. They may be career changers or displaced
workers, seeking a way to earn higher education credit that can lead to a
special credential, certificate or degree.
Some Trends
According to Hesse, some of the recent trends she is observing with transfer students is that a great number of students are taking or have taken online courses and programs. “That’s really not so surprising given the nature of transfer students who are often place-bound with family and/or work obligations that make it difficult for them to relocate to another city to finish our their bachelor’s degree,” she said. At ASU, for example, there are now more than 30 undergraduate degrees as well as a good number of graduate degrees that can be completed online without ever setting foot on campus. Excelsior is a fully online regionally accredited non-profit institution that was founded in 1971.
According to Hesse, some of the recent trends she is observing with transfer students is that a great number of students are taking or have taken online courses and programs. “That’s really not so surprising given the nature of transfer students who are often place-bound with family and/or work obligations that make it difficult for them to relocate to another city to finish our their bachelor’s degree,” she said. At ASU, for example, there are now more than 30 undergraduate degrees as well as a good number of graduate degrees that can be completed online without ever setting foot on campus. Excelsior is a fully online regionally accredited non-profit institution that was founded in 1971.
Additionally Hesse is seeing an overall increased emphasis
on degree completion by the institutions themselves. “It depends on the state
as to whether or not completion is a big issue,” she explained. “In Arizona there is increased public
pressure for students to complete their full associate degree at the community
college prior to advancing to the university. That was not necessarily the case
in the recent past. It is more of a current phenomenon. I think universities
are trying hard to develop these pathways that actually incorporate associate
degrees with an order to incentivize students to finish the whole package at
the community college.”
A Final Word On
Getting Help
In conclusion, here’s a last common-sense word of advice about transfer: Pay Attention! When you are communicating with admissions counselors and other student advisors, pay close attention to how you are handled. Does the person on the other line sound like a sales professional or someone who really and truly cares about showing you how to transfer in as many credits as feasibly possible to save you time and tuition dollars? After all, in the final analysis, most institutions want you. The world of higher education is more competitive than ever. You are an asset to their success, and you deserve the most sound and professional and truthful advice possible. Anything less is not acceptable.
In conclusion, here’s a last common-sense word of advice about transfer: Pay Attention! When you are communicating with admissions counselors and other student advisors, pay close attention to how you are handled. Does the person on the other line sound like a sales professional or someone who really and truly cares about showing you how to transfer in as many credits as feasibly possible to save you time and tuition dollars? After all, in the final analysis, most institutions want you. The world of higher education is more competitive than ever. You are an asset to their success, and you deserve the most sound and professional and truthful advice possible. Anything less is not acceptable.
[i]
George Lorenzo. (October 2011). Transfer and Articulation from Community
Colleges to Four-Year Institutions: Hope on the Horizon. The SOURCE on
Community College Issues, Trends and Strategies. http://www.edpath.com/images/Transfer.pdf.
[ii] Ibid.
No comments:
Post a Comment