Making Reverse
Transfer Work
Janet L. Marling, Ph.D.
National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students Inside Higher Ed Webinar
What is Reverse Transfer?
• The process whereby academic credits for applicable
coursework at the university are transferred back to the community college for purposes of awarding an
associates degree.
o Usually requires a minimum number of hours be completed at the CC
• A mechanism that allows community colleges to receive
more accurate credit for their role in educating students.
• A complement to existing institutional transfer practices. • A state mandate.
Terminology: What’s
in a Name?
•
Reverse Transfer
•
Reverse Transfer of Credits
•
Reverse Credit Transfer
•
Reverse Articulation
•
Reverse Articulation Agreement
•
Reverse Awarding of the Associate Degree
•
Reverse Transfer Graduation
Not to be confused with the practice of transferring
What are the Benefits of
Reverse Transfer?
• Students achieve a milestone en route to the
baccalaureate that encourages further degree acquisition.
• Students are given an edge in the workforce over native
university students by having earned a recognized
credential, especially in cases where students are unable to complete the baccalaureate.
• Allows for the freedom of early transfer, especially in
academic disciplines that encourage expedient pathways to the university (e.g. engineering, music, studio arts).
• Particularly beneficial for minority and economically
What are the Benefits of
Reverse Transfer?
•
Strengthens institutional partnerships.
•
Demonstrates commitment to students’ success.
•
Allows for a more accurate depiction of degree
completion than is currently accounted for by
IPEDS data.
•
Can contribute significantly to state-level completion
Reverse Transfer
Institutional Relationships
•
Who/what is instigating the relationship (e.g.,
institutional priority, state mandate)?
•
Missions – institution and program
o complementary or competing
•
Division of labor and expectations
•
Data to be collected at each institution
Information Sharing
•
Procuring student consent
•
FERPA considerations
o FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the
following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):
• School officials with legitimate educational interest;
• Other schools to which a student is transferring;
• Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
• Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;
• Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school; and
• Accrediting organizations.
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
Program Foundation
• Selecting degree(s) to be awarded
o AA, AS, AAS
• Determining the number of credits required at the CC to be
eligible for reverse transfer program
o Range = 12-45
o Must consider accreditation agencies’ guidelines
• How does this program fit into the institution’s other transfer
initiatives?
• Piloting the program
• Oversight entity (e.g. task force, advisory committee) o What level of responsibility/accountability?
The Process
•
Notifying student of eligibility
•
Triggers to send transcript
•
Credit verification
•
Notifying student of degree
The Process
• Institution-initiated
o University notifies student university audits CC transcripts, determines
eligibility notifies CC and the process of awarding degree is initiated
o University contacts student to provide permission to send transcripts to CC
CC evaluates transcript for eligibility and awards degree
o Run Banner report at end of school year to identify eligible students send
report to CC registrar for confirmation of degree student sent letter of confirmation from CC (completely automated)
• Student-initiated
o CC students, at the time of application to the university, indicate interest in
their future credits being applied to an associate degree student agrees to have transcript sent to CC the first two semesters of enrollment coursework evaluated by CC, which decides if degree is to be granted
o Student presents transcript to CC for review evaluation executed decision
made (no automation)
Technology
•
Challenge is to determine most efficient way of
tracking and extracting student transcript data
•
Student information systems (e.g., Banner)
o Large-scale, common use
•
Degree auditing systems (e.g., CAPP, SPEEDE)
o Often unique to each institution/System
•
Can be the answer to limited personnel issues;
however, can also be a burden for smaller
institutions
Audience Question
•
What software systems are you using, or considering
using, to assist with identifying appropriate students
for reverse transfer and conducting degree audits
to verify degree eligibility?
Student Engagement and
Outreach
Student Engagement
• Community college graduation • Recruitment of other students
• Understanding the value of an earned associates
degree
• Communicating that value to others
Outreach - Marketing
• Effective marketing requires collaboration to develop
common messages from both the community college and the university.
• Messages should define reverse transfer, explain the
process for participation, and share the benefits of participation.
• In some cases, the program is not marketed, but rather is
an automatic process.
• Reverse transfer information is often buried on
Challenges to Instituting a
Reverse Transfer Program
Challenges
•
Time intensive process
•
Establishing and maintaining an effective process
•
Gaining student permission
•
Completing the degree audit
Designing and Evaluating
Your Reverse Transfer
Questions for Consideration
• Who are your partnering institutions? What institutions within
your System will be encouraged to participate?
• What degree(s) will you offer through reverse transfer?
• How many credits must be accrued at the CC to be eligible
for reverse transfer program?
• What accrediting agency guidelines need to be
incorporated into the process?
• What mechanisms will be used to share information
Questions for Consideration -
Continued
•
What responsibilities will lie with each institution?
•
Who will initiate the reverse transfer process – the
student or the institution?
•
How will students receive notification of eligibility?
•
What follow up will occur with students who are
candidates for the associates degree, but have not
elected to participate?
Questions for Consideration -
Continued
• What additional marketing of the program will occur (e.g.,
to students, faculty, staff and with outside constituents)?
• What technology will be used to facilitate the process?
• What triggers are in place to signal transcript transmission? • Who is responsible for completing the credit verification
process and conferring of the degree?
• What tracking mechanisms are in place to determine
Measuring Your Success
•
Degrees awarded
•
Satisfaction with the process
•
Understanding of program benefits
•
Awareness of the program
•
Student participation in reverse transfer activities
National Institute for the
Study of Transfer Students
• The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS) conducts,
promotes, and disseminates disciplined inquiries to inform and improve transfer policy and practice.
• The NISTS strives to increase access to and attainment of certificate,
associate, and baccalaureate credentials by promoting successful
transfer and articulation for community college and university students.
• NISTS attempts to bridge knowledge, policies, and practice by bringing
together individuals, two-and four-year institutions, state agencies, higher education associations and foundations, and other interested entities to thoroughly study the issues related to the transfer process so as to
facilitate student success and degree completion.
• These goals and objectives are achieved through a combination of
Thank you for your
participation!
Janet L. Marling, Ph.D. [email protected] transferinstitute.unt.edu 940.300.7553