alberta’s new learner pathways system (lps) -...
TRANSCRIPT
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Collaboration, Communication,
and Technology: System Change
and Alberta's New Learner
Pathways SystemPCCAT 2017
June 8, 2017
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Agenda
❖What is the Alberta Learner Pathways System (LPS)?
• System PSIs, LPMI Projects, LPS Development, Next Steps
• AB and Provincial Partner Collaboration, Lessons Learned, Roll Out
• LPS Background, Principles, Data Standards, and Applications
❖Brief Demo of LPS Tools and Applications:
• Transfer Alberta Website and Search Tool/Mobile App
• Learner Pathways Catalog
• Learner Pathways DCaR Modules
• Transfer Credit Evaluation System (TCES)
❖AB Data Standards and Potential Interprovincial Applications
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The Alberta Transfer and Pathways System
• 41 PSI members from 6 provinces to date, supporting access to learner pathways and mobility, including transfer, in Alberta and across boundaries:
o All 26 publicly funded PSIs in AB (21 public, 5 Independent)
o 5 Indigenous PSIs in AB (UntnBlue Quills, YTC, Maskwacis, Red Crow, Nechi)
o 4 Private not-for-profit PSIs in AB (Columbia, Prairie Bible, Rocky Mountain, Taylor)
o 6 Out-of-Prov PSIs, including two newest members, URegina and CotRockies, and Yukon, Aurora (NWT), and Nunavut Colleges and TRU-Open Learning
PSI Agreements and System Membership
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❖ Non-member Agreements Policy in AB’s Transfer System:
• Non-member institutions who have agreements with Alberta Transfer System Member institutions as “to” (receiving) institutions may share their transfer agreements in Alberta’s LPS
❖ Becoming a Member of Alberta’s Transfer System:
• Institutions from outside of Alberta are already members in Alberta’s Transfer System, and others may apply to become members of Alberta’s Transfer and Pathways System and use the LPS if they meet membership criteria (see Alberta Transfer System Membership Application)
ACAT LPMI Projects and Development of Alberta’s new LPS
• Learner Pathways Modernization Initiative (LPMI): Collaborative four-phase (2014-19) initiative to modernize and redesign technology, processes, information access, and tools/supports for learner pathways and mobility, including development of Alberta’s new Learner Pathways System (LPS).
• Alberta Learner Pathways System (LPS): Comprised of stakeholders, including students and 41 LPS member PSIs, and identified ACAT-related technology systems and tools that support learner pathways and mobility.
• Completed LPMI Phase 1 Business Assessment Report
• Completing LPMI Phase 2 Transfer System Modernization (2015-17): LPS principles, data standards, and foundational applications (Transfer Alberta and Search Tool/App redesign, transfer agreement data cleaning and migration (2010-17 data), and development of new applications (SIAMS, Catalog, DCAR, TCES (est. July))
o Over 37,000 active transfer agreements/decisions for courses and programs made available via Transfer Alberta in 2016/17 Academic Year
• Now working on Phase 3 Stakeholder Tools (2017-18): ACAT website and SharePoint redesign, Dual Credit and PLAR modules, Business Intelligence and Communications tools, LPS Optimization
• Next year – Phase 4 Learner Pathways Connections (2018-19)
AB and Provincial Partner Collaboration and
Working Group Model for Alberta’s LPMI Projects
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❖ Collaborative stakeholder and interprovincial working group model for all LPMI projects, including an Advisory Work. Group
❖ AB students, PSIs, government, K-12, organizations, other provinces/jurisdictions taking part in ACAT’s Working Groups, meetings/sessions, and testing for LPMI Phase 2 – Transfer System Modernization and Phase 3 Stakeholder Tools projects
❖ Analysis of transfer agreement data standards for AB, ON, MB, and BC to help set AB’s core data standard, including core from other provinces and adding additional data fields for AB’s context
❖ Inclusion of new LPS Principles that require collaboration and consideration of exchanging pathways information across jurisdictions, multiple data integration points, data reliability, and data warehouse for multiple pathways
❖ Lessons learned regarding PSI LPS training, including multiple forms of communication and meetings and data standard/data management training before tools/applications training
Collaboration and LPS Communications
• LPS Roll Out, Communication Toolkit, and ACAT Spotlight Communication: Special LPS Spotlight Issue/Fact Sheet, Video, and Digital Assets for student groups/PSIs/stakeholders linking to Transfer Alberta website
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Background – LPMI Phase 1 Business Assessment:
Student Pathways Gaps Identified
• Information to help students navigate learner pathways more
readily
• Admissions information may not be easily accessible
• Students often do not know that admission requirements
must be considered when making transfer decisions
• Transfer and admissions information may be disconnected
• Students wanted access to admissions and transfer information
in one well-organized interface designed for mobile and
desktop access.
• Question to consider: How can we/should we share more
admissions information and supports for other pathways?
LPMI Phase 1 Business Assessment:
Key Findings/Themes
❖ Student and institution frustration regarding lack of student/stakeholder access to key information and
knowledge/awareness about learner pathways and mobility
across the system, including lack of information & understanding,
unreliable & outdated information, & lack of transparency
❖ Institution administrator frustration regarding outdated pathways
and transfer system database, website, tools, and supports,
including arduous processes; outdated process roles and role-
based workflows; lack of transparent, easily accessible information;
and lack of knowledge & resources
❖ Inconsistent application of pathways’ policies/ procedures across
institutions, reflecting a lack of coordination and repeatability
❖ Uncoordinated and inconsistent delivery of pathways and mobility-
related government and agency program resources
LPMI Phase 1 Business Assessment:
Key Findings/Themes
❖ No provincial data to measure scale of problems or success of learner pathways or mobility, including identification of specific
provincial learner pathways data gaps that hinder evidence-
based decision making (e.g., transfer credit, admissions, dual
credit, PLAR, interprovincial mobility, organizational processes and
student pathways information)
❖ Newer pathways, including dual credit and PLAR, are largely
unsupported by provincial tools, technology,
governance/processes, including no reliable system records and
lack of clear, easy to follow guidelines
❖ Philosophical difference and to some extent rift between those
that value credential-based evaluation versus learning outcomes-
based evaluation and a need to bridge the value and role of both
to support learner pathways and mobility
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New Learner Pathways System Principles
1 Support learner pathways and improve students ability to find
relevant information quickly
2 Partner and collaborate with other provinces / stakeholders in
support of interprovincial learner mobility and transfer
3 Respect autonomy of PSIs and their own systems by allowing more
than one point of entry
4 Provide a system that can compare and share learner pathways
and mobility information across institutions and jurisdictions
5 Simplify administrative processes with effective workflows and make
information be available as soon as possible
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New Learner Pathways System Principles continued
6 Create multiple data integration points between AB systems to share relevant
information and minimize on administration
7 Data owners must ensure that their information is up-to-date and honored for
student mobility
8 Design a data warehouse framework that can be extended to accommodate
other pathways
9 Cultivate the culture of best practices and continuous improvements for
Learner Pathways with a focus on transfer
10 Keep the key stakeholders informed of the progress of the initiative
throughout the projects
LPS Data Dictionary
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❖ Alberta’s new Data Dictionary is built on the foundations of the
ARUCC/PCCAT Transcript and Transfer Guide national research project findings (Transfer Glossary) and on findings from other
CATs systems, including some needed adaptation for Alberta’s
context and System. Key LPS definitions are located in the Data
Dictionary.
Learner Pathways Catalog
(Catalog)
The Learner Pathways Catalog is the central repository for integrated, uploaded data
from many systems (e.g., post-secondary systems, DCaR, TCES). This data can be
used for student enquiries, learner pathways reporting, business intelligence and data
analysis. In addition, the Learner Pathways Catalog data supplies data to the Transfer
Alberta website’s search tool and mobile app, which help inform learners regarding
post-secondary pathways and mobility.
Learner Pathways
Refers to the different routes that a learner can take during lifelong learning in the
education system, with a focus on access to routes that support movement into,
within, from, and back into post-secondary education.
LPS Data Dictionary
• Supporting Definitions:
o Learner Pathways are different routes that a learner can take during lifelong learning in the education system, with a focus on access to routes that support movement into, within, from, and back into post-secondary education (E.g.: Alberta and interprovincial transfer, admissions, high school equivalencies, dual credit, Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR), online learning, occupations and careers, labour market opportunities, etc.)
o Student Mobility is a learner’s ability to access different learner pathways (routes) during his/her program of study(s) in post-secondary education, including movement into, within, from, or back into post-secondary education. Mobility allows students to earn credits toward a credential at more than one institution, ladder from one credential to another credential, build on foundational learning and high school upgrading to enter post-secondary studies, and/or access to many other learner pathways.
o Transfer/Transferability is a student’s ability to successfully receive transfer credit for an applicable course(s) and/or program(s) when he/she moves between postsecondary institutions and/or between program areas.
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LPS Data Standards
• Data Standards (File Formats) for Courses, Programs, Agreements,
targeted High School Transitions data (IB, AP), and Upgrading data
• What is collected from PSIs reflects what is presented in the Transfer
Alberta Search Tool and Mobile App (iTunes and Google Play )
Agreement Data Standard – Example
• Sharing of data standards across jurisdictions could allow for enhanced interprovincial data sharing of transfer and learner
pathways agreements, regardless of whether or not LPS tools are used.
InstitutionAgreementID AgreementType FromInstitution FromOffering ToOffering CreditValue Comment CreditType Credentials ReviewDate EffectiveStar
tDate
EffectiveEnd
Date
DeleteRecor
d
0000152_ACAT_E_F_0061 Unspecified
course
Burman
University
ENGL 205 Option 2xx 3 Credit Undergradu
ate Degree
######## 9/1/2016 ######## No
AB Mandatory Functionalities(identified via business requirements gathering activities)
Up
loa
d P
roc
ess
fo
rma
tte
d t
o D
ata
Sta
nd
ard
PSI’s Own System
Currently provided
Institution Info
Courses and Programs
Agreement Articulation
Agreements management
Reports**
Search
Workflow
Notification
Communications
High school Transitions
PSI Contacts
Business Intelligence**
Manage Roles
Profile
Triangulation
ON MB BCABAB Mandatory Functions
PSI leveraging
ACAT solution
PSI utilizing
Own SystemAND / OR
Leveraging ACAT solution
Support for PSI TCES**
Credits Awarded
Admissions Requirements
System-wide Analytics
Upload agreements
Download agreements
Integrate to AB systems**
ON MB BCAB Mandatory Functions
AB
System Offers Function
System Offers Function
Notes: (information gathered and consolidated from requirements questionnaire on September 10th)
- 18 Functions have been identified as common business requirements (in bold)
- 4 Functions have been identified as non common business requirements outside of Alberta (**)
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Transfer System Modernization:New Alberta Learner Pathways System (Stream)
PSI’s Own SystemMass upload
PSI leveraging
ACAT solution
PSI utilizing
Own System
AND / OR
Leveraging
ACAT solution
New TCES SystemIndividual record management
3 M
ajo
r U
plo
ad
Pro
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sse
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form
att
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to
Da
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tan
da
rd
-A
gre
em
en
ts
-C
ou
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-P
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Screens
Dashboard
Agreements
Courses
Programs
HS Transitions
• IB
• AP
• Upgrading
Transfer Credit Awarded
Analytics
System Settings
Institutional Info
Course Outlines
Reports
New Catalog SystemPSI Contact Person /
Representative
Learner Pathways
Navigation Website
(Transfer Alberta)
Student
UsersStudent
Advisors
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Demo:
Transfer Alberta Website and Search Tool/Mobile App (iTunes and Google Play )
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Demo of LPS Catalog
❖DCAR - Mass upload and validation of standard format files:
1. Courses
2. Programs
3. Agreements
❖Publish files to Catalog
❖Catalog data feeds Transfer Alberta Search Tool/Mobile App
❖PSI Training (sessions, manual, Transfer Alberta YouTube
Channel videos) and Data Progress for 41 Alberta Transfer
Member PSIs and their ACAT Contact Persons
Benefits of the Catalog
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❖ New Catalog may better meet student, institution, and post-secondary system needs by providing the following benefits:
• Integrate data from multiple source systems
•Maintain a copy of information from an institution’s system (source transaction system)
•Congregate data from multiple sources into a single database, so a single query engine can be used to present data to students and other stakeholders
•Maintain data history in the Catalog, even if an institution’s own source transaction systems does not do so
• Improve data quality, by providing consistent codes and descriptions
• Present each institution’s/organization's information more consistently and reliably for students and other users via Transfer Alberta
• Provide a single common model for all data regardless of its original source
• Restructure the data so that it makes even greater sense to the users
• Restructure the data so that it delivers excellent query performance, even for complex analytic queries, without impacting an institution’s individual/own operational system
•Make decision–support queries easier for institutions to write/share with others (students, other institution’s academic advisors), allowing for greater and easier access to learner pathways and mobility information in Alberta, notably transfer information.
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Demo: Learner Pathways Catalog
(central repository for PSIs LPS data)
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Demo: Learner Pathways Data Collection and Reporting (DCaR) Modules
(PSI mass uploading tool for publishing LPS data into the Catalog)
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Demo: Transfer Credit Evaluation System (TCES) Prototype
(articulation tool for PSIs for LPS data)
In Development: Similar Look and Feel to LP Catalog
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Next Steps…ACAT Website Redesign in Progress, including links
to Provincial Partners and WestCAT webpage
AB Data Standards and Potential
Interprovincial Applications
❖ AB’s core data standard for transfer agreements/decisions takes into consideration data standards in other provinces, potentially allowing for greater ease of data exchange across boundaries
❖ Modular approach to LPS and open API (interface) allows for greater potential for other organizations/provinces to create an agreement to use one or more elements of the LPS and share a core data standard
❖ Ability for other provinces’ PSIs to share agreements they have with AB member PSIs and/or to apply to become members of AB’s LPS
Questions and Reflections…
❖ What future possibilities could you see occurring
through a shared core data standard among
jurisdictions? Challenges? How can we get there?
❖ What changes has your organization made to your
pathways/transfer system that have worked well?
❖ If you have transfer agreements with Alberta LPS
members, would you be interested in sharing your
agreements in Alberta’s system?
❖ What are the most useful pieces of
interprovincial/cross-jurisdictional information that
you would recommend for Transfer Alberta to best
support students and mobility across Canada?
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Thank You and Contacts
ACAT Secretariat:❖ Ann Marie Lyseng,
Learner Pathways/ACAT Secretariat Senior Manager
❖ Clare Ard, Articulation Manager ([email protected])
❖ Eric Dohei, ACAT Manager ([email protected])
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