Reverse Transfer Implementation: Evidence from Credit When It s Due

Transcription

1 Reverse Transfer Implementation: Evidence from Credit When It s Due National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students Conference February 6, 2014 Jason L. Taylor, Ph.D. Robin LaSota, Ph.D. Office of Community College Research and Leadership University of Illinois

2 Agenda Background & Context Implementation Summary Reverse Transfer in the States Florida Hawaii Missouri Next Steps Discussion & Questions

3 Reverse What?? Townsend (2001) Reverse Transfer four-year students who transfer to two-year colleges (p. 33) Bautsch (2013); Bragg et al. (2011); Ekal & Krebs (2011); Taylor et al. (2013) Two-year student transfers to four-year institution (vertical transfer) without earning associate s degree and students credits transfer back to two-year institution for associate s degree conferral It s the credits that are reverse transferred rather than the students (Bragg et al., 2011, p. 20)

4 Background Students in an All or Nothing situation (Bragg et al., 2011) Only 20% of students who transfer from a two-year to fouryear transfer do so with an associate s degree (Hossler et al., 2012; McCormick & Carroll, 1997) Associate s degree completion related to higher bachelor s degree completion rates (Ehrenberg & Smith, 2004; Shapiro et al., 2013; Taylor et al., 2013) Students with associate s degrees have higher lifetime earnings and unemployment rates than students with just HS or some college and no degree (Carnevale et al., 2011; de Alva & Schneider, 2013)

5 Credit When It s Due 12 states funded in 2012 to expand programs that award associate degrees to transfer students when the student completes the requirements for the associate degree while pursuing a bachelor s degree (Lumina Foundation, 2012, n.p.) Research Baseline Study, Policy Implementation and Data Capacity Study, Impact Study

6 States: Arkansas Colorado Florida Hawaii Maryland Michigan Minnesota Missouri New York North Carolina Ohio Oregon Funders: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Helios Foundation The Kresge Foundation Lumina Foundation for Education USA Funds Research Partner: Office of Community College Research and Leadership

7 Baseline Study: Policy Context State Legislation RT Pilots State Infrastructure Data Capacity & Technology Existing Transfer & Articulation Policies Performance-Based Funding Participating Institutions and Anticipated CWID Policies & Practices

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10 CWID Baseline Study

11 CWID Baseline Study

12 How Does Reverse Transfer Work? IT DEPENDS! States and institutions are experimenting and testing models OK! How Does Reverse Transfer Generally Work? (Order depends on state and/or local context) 1. Identify Students who may be eligible (Based on state/institutional criteria) 2. Offer students opportunity to participate in RT (student consents to transcript exchange, degree audit, degree conferral) 3. Completion of degree audit using existing Associate s degree policies 4. Identify degree barriers and opportunities: Policy and program changes for near-completers Global equivalencies, course waivers, advising interventions 5. Conferral of Associate s degree

13 Implementation Approaches Continuum of implementation centralization & decentralization Defining cohorts: stop-outs, currently enrolled, single year, multiple years Planning for the future Implementation cycle length and timeline

14 Key Implementation Issues Reverse Transfer Process Design Setting Eligibility Criteria Consent methods Expected outcomes of the degree audit Technology Infrastructure and Roles Identifying students Transcript exchange Performing degree audits Course equivalencies Marketing and Communication Student outreach Staff outreach

15 Reverse Transfer in the States Hawaii Florida Missouri

16 Hawai i University of Hawai i has a centralized implementation of RT and a centralized data structure to support greater automation of degree conferral Seven CCs and three baccalaureate institutions Each term, UH uses a web application (called STAR) to run its screening process to find RT eligible students in seven groups 1. Eligible for RT and continued enrollment at four-year 2. Eligible for RT and dropped out of four-year 3. Eligible for RT and receiving BA from four-year 4. Not eligible for RT, but 95% complete, and dropped out of four-year 5. Not eligible for RT, less than 95% complete, and dropped out of four-year 6. Not eligible for RT, but receiving BA from four-year 7. Not eligible for RT, and continuing enrollment in four-year

17 Key Features of Hawaii s Process Pilot process to improve automation of degree audit process Identified barriers to RT degree conferral (e.g. CCs with unique degree requirement and upper-level courses not having transfer equivalent at CC) Created global course equivalencies across all campuses in the UH system (e.g. foundation course or diversification course equivalent at all campuses) Campus-specific agreements for articulation/rt equivalencies (e.g. communication, writing, ethics, etc.) Work with registrars to instill confidence about RT degree conferral from automated process, based on data about degree of risk of error System guide offers recommended process for each of the seven groups of students

18 Florida Four participating universities and ten transfer partner institutions FAU, FIU, UNF, and USF Most Florida transfer students transfer with an AA, however, the estimated transfer pool without an AA is about 5,000 across these four institutions, in an average term. Recommend state criteria -- at least 15 college credit hrs. at one sending institution completion of the 36-hour general education requirement Completion of 60 hours of college credit for an AA degree Good academic standing at both sending and receiving institutions No AA or BA already

19 Key Features of Florida s Process Memorandums of Agreement signed by the leadership of all partner institutions by region (four MOUs) Universities provide list of potentially eligible students to each partner college and establish timelines for work with the CC Partner colleges conduct degree audits for students on the lists, award the AA degree to eligible students, and report awardees to the Florida College system and university

20 Regional Consortia Plans (e.g. USF) Streamline the verification of completion of general education requirements Improve degree audit process at colleges to facilitate RT degree conferral Address idiosyncratic AA degree requirements across colleges sending to the partner university Universities that can grant AA degrees themselves may limit pool Number of RT eligible students is reduced after college s auto-graduation process (prior to students transfer)

21 Missouri Legislative Mandate House Bill 1042: Mandates reverse transfer for all publics and voluntary for private institutions Steering Committee & Work Groups Developed policy guidelines approved by MHEC and institutional leaders Developed Reverse Transfer Manual to be piloted by 5 regional partnerships in Fall 2013 & Spring 2014 Defines eligibility criteria Defines roles and responsibilities for students, community colleges, and universities Provides direction on processes Communication development and support Leading training and scale-up efforts scheduled for 2014

22 Key Features of Missouri s Process Technology Infrastructure All institutions using (or plan to use) National Student Clearinghouse Electronic Transcript Exchange Subgrants awarded for technology support Pilot Phase Pilot implementation underway Institutions developing consent processes, webpages, communication protocols, and student tracking method and process Inform RT Manual before statewide scale-up State Roll-Out Reverse Transfer Coordinator identified on each campus: training in April & July 2014 Implementation begins statewide in 2014

23 Next Steps CWID grant period ends Sept 30, new states added in late 2013: GA, TN, & TX CWID Research Ongoing CWID Implementation Study CWID Impact Study

24 CWID Website CWID Website:

25 Discussion and Questions Is your state and/or local institution engaged in reverse transfer or considering reverse transfer adoption? What are your experiences with reverse transfer? What are the opportunities and challenges associated with reverse transfer?

26 Questions/Discussion Contact Information Debra Bragg, Jason Taylor, Robin LaSota, CWID Website: