Commonwealth Transfer Advisory Group

Francesca B. Purcell, Director for Academic PolicyStudent Transfer Symposium | May 9, 2008Museum of Science, Boston

Background

Commonwealth Transfer Advisory Group established in April 2007 to:

Evaluate policies and practices

Diagnose barriers

Compare other state approaches

Make recommendations

Identify costs

CTAG Charge

Background

From May 2007 to May 2008, CTAG has:

Studied national literature, data, policies, & websites

Provided analysis on Massachusetts transfer data

Surveyed Massachusetts transfer professionals

Heard presentations from out-of-state and in-state experts

Investigated technology solutions

CTAG Work

Findings

Common Findings on the National Scene

Increasingly complex student enrollment patterns

Crucial role of community colleges

Inefficient transfer costs time and money

Growing federal and state interest in transfer

National Transfer Themes

Findings

Scope and Direction of Transfer A significant percentage of new students previously earned

credits at another higher education institution. Student transfer is multidirectional. Community college students tend to transfer prior to

earning an associate degree. Students mostly transfer within their geographical region

although this varies greatly by region.

Academic Performance of Transfer Students There is generally a positive relationship between the

range of transferable credits completed at a community college and subsequent grade point averages and graduation rates from the state colleges and the University of Massachusetts campuses.

Massachusetts Transfer Trends

Findings

Policies & Agreements Supporting Students who Graduate from a Community College

Commonwealth Transfer Compact (guarantees credit transfer)

Joint Admissions (guarantees admission)

Tuition Advantage Program (33% tuition discount)

Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education Compacts

Additional Articulation Agreements

MA Transfer Policies/Agreements

Findings

At the Institutional Level: Lack of clear and comprehensible information. Lack of understanding about which credits will transfer

toward a bachelor’s degree. Inconsistency in course acceptance and application to the

degree. Students not consistently taking transferable courses.

At the System Level: Current policies and agreements inadequate and confusing. Inconsistent and/or insufficient advising. Lack of understanding and communication among sectors. Difficulty sustaining and adhering to statewide transfer

policies.

Sample MA Transfer Challenges

Findings

National Responses to Transfer Barriers

Statewide transfer agreements

Common general education transfer core

Centralized transfer website

Electronic transcripts/Online degree audits

Comprehensive reporting of transfer student success rates

Standing Oversight Committee

Legislation

Sample Transfer Solutions

The primary goal of removing obstacles to transfer and creating a coherent and clear transfer process is to help students succeed in meeting their educational goals.

Guiding Principles

1. Student Success

Transfer is a shared responsibility amongst higher education institution leaders, faculty, and administrators; state agency policy makers and legislators; and students.

Guiding Principles

2. Shared Responsibility

Guiding Principles

A statewide transfer policy compatible with academic quality and institutional integrity can be instrumental in improving student success.

3. Academic Quality

Guiding Principles

The student learning outcomes associated with the general education programs at the Massachusetts public institutions of higher education as a whole are comparable and are more important than individual courses.

4. General Education

Guiding Principles

Any transfer student within the system of Massachusetts public higher education who earns a degree should be deemed successful and the respective institutions should be counted as contributors to the student’s educational achievement.

5. Recognition of Contributions

Guiding Principles

The development and assessment of program-to-program and course-to-course transfer across institutions is best accomplished by regular and sustainable faculty collaboration based on the establishment of common student learning outcomes.

6. Faculty Collaboration