Unveiling the National Student Clearinghouse Reverse Transfer Initiative REPORT TO THE KANSAS BOARD OF REGENTS SYSTEM COUNCIL OF CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICERS AND GUESTS JUNE 11, 2015
Presenters Brenda Selman, University Registrar, University of Missouri; and Student Information Systems Representative for the University of Missouri System Sarah Scroggins, Associate Registrar, East Central College Scott Owczarek, University Registrar, University of Wisconsin - Madison V. Shelby Stanfield, Vice Provost and University Registrar, University of Texas at Austin
Agenda What is reverse transfer and what is the impact of it on higher education Three, different state perspectives Missouri Wisconsin Texas A national approach to a common problem
Reverse Transfer takes place when It is the transfer of credits from a four-year institution to any two-year institution from which a student transferred. It doesn't matter if the student transferred to another associate degree granting or bachelor's level institution first, attended public or private institutions, or transferred across state lines. If eligible, the student is awarded an associate degree.
Reverse Transfer Advantage Possible career advancement with earned associate degree Qualify for more jobs Individuals with associate degrees have lower unemployment rate than those with only a high school diploma or some college Associate degree can increase income Possibly meet general education requirements at 4-year institution Earn while pursuing a bachelor degree
How many students are impacted?
It s a big issue.
Pool of potential of Kansas completers* Enrolled sometime between 2003 & 2013 Completed at least 2 years of enrollments Transferred at least once Were not registered after the fall 2013 and No higher education credential of any type *National Student Clearinghouse Data
Students who started in Kansas 40,346 Potential Completers 9,318 subsequently enrolled in another state Approximately 2,100 subsequently enrolled in MO Approximately 2,000 in what we classify as multistate institutions (e.g. The University of Phoenix) Texas was next in line, with approximately 930 students
Kansans who started elsewhere Kansas had 7,961 students that began in other states and subsequently enrolled in Kansas Approximately 1,900 came from Missouri Approximately 780 from Texas
Missouri Reverse Transfer: One State s Story Brenda Selman, University Registrar, University of Missouri; and Student Information Systems Representative for the University of Missouri System Sarah Scroggins, Associate Registrar, East Central College
Background HB 1042 of 2012 required Missouri Coordinating Board of Higher Education to develop a policy to foster reverse transfer Missouri Department of Higher Education secured $500,000 Lumina and Kresge Foundation grant to implement Missouri Reverse Transfer Initiative (MRTI) MRTI Steering Committee named by Missouri Department of Higher Education based upon campus nominations and set MRTI charge
Objectives Increase post-secondary degree attainment for citizens of Missouri Ensure opportunity to be awarded degree that reflects educational effort; allowing citizens to compete more successfully in education and workforce Create streamlined, technology-enhanced process to assist students and higher education institutions
Steering Committee Make Up Cross section of types 2-year public 4-year public Private Variety of levels Presidents Vice Presidents Cross section of areas within institutions Academic Affairs Admissions Registrar Institutional Research UM System Directors Assistant Directors
Participating Institutions After full roll out: 14 2-year 13 public 4-year 15 independent Total 42 Size from a few thousand to 35,000+
Initial steps Surveyed what other states were doing Hawaii Indiana Etc. Surveyed institutions for readiness, especially in terms of technology Wide variety of ability to send information electronically Electronic exchange limited
Issues to resolve Assembled results of survey Reviewed resources available to move project forward Determined we needed: Low-cost, electronic way to exchange the transcript data Ability to track eligibility, participants and degrees awarded to determine impact of program Data/ transcript to be Compatible with a variety of student information systems Usable at varying levels of technological support and readiness
Additional Challenges Find a solution that is FERPA compliant (Opt in, not opt out) Resolve accreditation issue for 2 yrs./hlc requirement that last 15 hrs. be at degree-granting institution changed
Initial National Student Clearinghouse partnership with Missouri National Student Clearinghouse offered a free option for exchange of necessary data ETX/ drop box Locked PDF transcript produced by 4 yr. Picked up by 2 yr. Technology Committee recommended NSC option for use
Outreach/ Statewide Network Develop a contact Reverse Transfer Coordinator for each institution Position description provided Position is point person, does not have to complete all tasks personally Provide training via workshops and information sessions at various conferences Provide tool kit Communication plan Website template Templates for letters, etc.
Reverse Transfer Coordinator Training Developed handbook based off HB 1042 and MDHE Handbook continues to evolve website Provide training via workshops and information sessions at various conferences Provide tool kit of communication plan, website templates and letters Frequent meetings to update RTC Provided opportunities to network with participating institutions Piloted several institutions and documented challenges and successes Pilot institutions participated in a panel for a Q&A during one meeting Addressed concerns and conducted surveys Followed up with surveys and used them as catalysts for future meetings
Sub Grants of Lumina monies Provided resources to enhance technology Grant monies distributed as mini-grants to institutions to enable 4 yr. institutions to drop the transcripts into a box at NSC for retrieval by the 2 yr. institution
Example institution - East Central East Central College received $12,500 through the Lumina Sub-grant to assist with technology concerns: Enabled us to send representatives from the Registrar's Office and IT to the national conference for our student enterprise system which offered sessions on electronic transcripts Purchased consultation time through our student enterprise system Purchased subscription to online professional development library for our student enterprise system The funds from the sub-grant helped us meet the technology requirements for MRT
Policy Per Higher Learning Commission (HLC) guidance, a minimum of 15 credit hours is required at an institution for the awarding of an associate s degree for Residency Requirement No requirement for the credit hours to occur at any particular point within the accumulation of the credit hours. In alignment with this guidance, 15 credit hours from a single institution is established as the minimum residency for the MRT Statewide policy was vetted with all Chief Academic Officers, and approved by Missouri Coordinating Board of Higher Education Supersedes any previous RT agreements within the State
Definitions Missouri Reverse Transfer (MRT) eligible student Student who has earned 15 or more college-level, degree-eligible, transferable credits from a two-year institution. Upon entry into MRT, the student is degree-seeking for the appropriate associate s degree. Degree granting institution (DGI) - The two-year institution that awards associate degree to reverse transfer students. The DGI will count reverse transfer students in its yearly graduation report. Host institution - The institution transferring credits back to the degree granting institution. The host institution may be either a four-year or twoyear institution.
Role of the Degree Granting Institution (DGI) Document Opt-In Evaluate Transcripts from 4 year institution Communicate with students Re-evaluate at end of term transcripts Post degree(if requirements met) Send final transcript to 4 year institution via secure PDF
Degree Granting Institution (DGI) Challenges (2 yr.) Identification of Reverse Transfer Students within our student enterprise system Communication Management automated from student enterprise system Electronic Transcripts (PDF exchange the NSC) Time and personnel
Host Institutions Role (4 yr.) To identify the student eligible for MRT Inform the DGI of the student s desire to participate in the program Will not charge the student a transcript fee as part of MRT Submission of all necessary transcripts to the DGI Opt-out student monitoring and Reporting data to the State
Host Institution Challenges Identification of students and determining to which 2 yr. transcript file to be sent: If 15 hrs. two schools, goes to where currently attending (or if not enrolled) Or where last attended or (if a tie) To the student s choice of institutions Collecting the opt-in Communicating to potential students what the program is and why they would they would participate
Processes Potential students will be identified by Host Institution (4 yr.) based upon minimum qualifications and guidelines from Steering Committing / Committee on Transfer and Articulation 15 hours completed No previous degree (associate or bachelors) Transcripts submitted from 4 yr. to 2 yr. to conduct a degree audit to determine student eligibility for associate degree Electronic submissions are the standard method of exchange Acceptance of transfer credit will be determined by the DGI Release of transcripts will be in accordance with the host institution s policies (e.g. respective of holds, etc.)
Processes Cont. The requirements for degree completion determined by the DGI Communicated to the MRT student No time limit on students completing the associate degree through the MRT Students remain in the program as long as they are continuously enrolled at the Host Institution, or until they complete degree or opt out DGI s are encouraged to substitute any institution-unique course requirements When the degree is awarded by the DGI, the DGI will send an official transcript noting conferment to the 4 yr. host institution
Connecting Policy, Process and Procedures Determined we needed pilot to prove process Paired subset of 2 and 4 year schools Selected based upon High volume of transfer students Already had a RT process Technologically ready to try process
Lessons Learned from Pilot Process worked technically it was sound Process was very easy for students, which was one of our goals Institutions wanted some additional standardization for process going forward Support is needed from across the campus in a variety of functions and at a number of levels: Reverse Transfer Coordinators can t be the only campus champion Need extra backing to get resources or time for RT
Results of 2013-2014 Pilot Efforts Limited pilot, not expecting significant results in terms of numbers Some interesting data from pilot partners fall 2013, spring 2014, and summer 2014 terms: Total MRT eligible: 1,263 Total MRT Opt-in: 98 (8% of eligible) Total MRT graduates: 50 (51% of those who opted-in)
One of our first graduates
Communication Plan Template provided to help establish websites on all campuses using some standards, but making local feel part of the design as well FAQs for all institutions News releases Public service announcements Social media http://dhe.mo.gov/missourireversetransferforstudents.php
Student designed Logo
Promoting MRT Success MRT Video
Phases of Missouri Reverse Transfer Phase I - new transfers for the Fall 2014 semester (Once the "catch up" activities are completed, this will be the population chosen each fall and spring term) Phase II (Spring 2015) Currently enrolled students not previously contacted Phase III (Fall 2015) Students not currently enrolled in any 2 or 4 year institution, but who meet the eligibility criteria and not previously contacted (e.g. reaching back 5 years)
The Future for Missouri Reverse Transfer Committee on Transfer and Articulation now guiding remaining Phase and continued development Statewide, standing committee Reports to CBHE Phase III to be completed this fall NSC National Reverse Transfer Project Pilot participant
Reverse Transfer in Wisconsin BY: SCOTT OWCZAREK UNIVERSITY REGISTRAR UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - MADISON
University of Wisconsin System 180,000 students 13 four-year campuses Flagship is UW-Madison 13 two-year campuses Administered from a central campus 36,000+ degrees awarded per year $6 billion annual budget $1.2 billion state aid
Wisconsin Technical College System 341,802 students 180,000 degree seeking students 16 Technical colleges 49 campuses 27,000 graduates annually $84 million in state aid
Reverse Transfer Initiatives Individual agreements between institutions University of Wisconsin Madison Madison College (established spring 2013) Nicolet Area Technical College (established fall 2013) University of Wisconsin Colleges (summer 2014) Focused on working with our top transfer institutions
Across our State UW System tasked a committee to investigate a system policy 2 year and 4 year campus participation Developed draft policy being reviewed by campuses Flexible for all to benefit UW System and Wisconsin Technical College partnerships Interest in agreements with our border schools 71,650 Potential completers in NSC research project 11,236 transferring out
Madison College and UW-Madison Partnership
About UW-Madison Founded in 1848 Total Research Expenditures: #3 Total Students: 43,193 Undergraduate (29,302) Graduate (9,203) Professional (2,701) Specials (1,987) Total Schools and Colleges: 13 Number of Degrees Awarded Annually: 10,054
About Madison College Founded in 1912 150 programs - Associate degrees, 1-2 Year Diplomas & Certificates 40,000+ Students(~25,000 Degree-seeking) 18,000+ Admissions Applications Annually; 50% with transfer credit Madison College is the largest source of students transferring into the UW System
Our Grass Roots Effort Madison College approached UW-Madison in 2012 High volume of students who transfer between institutions Many students earn significant credits from Madison College and transfer before earning associates degree Both schools believed this was good for students
Fundamental Principles Agreement applied to students who transferred from Madison College to UW-Madison Student consent and FERPA compliance Challenge to push the status quo ** NO TRANSCRIPTS ** Streamlined and secure data exchange Collaborative communication approach with students
Madison College Implementation Started with a team of process experts Admissions & Records, Curricular Services, Academic Advising, Arts & Sciences, Institutional Reporting Connected the business processes Data exchange with UW-Madison Transfer credit evaluation Academic advising Posting degrees Optimize our current technologies Credentials Solutions (Transcript Ordering), OnBase (ECM), Oracle PeopleSoft (SIS), Oracle RightNow (CRM)
Student Consent and FERPA Credentials Solutions to Capture Consent By selecting I DO wish to take advantage of the Reverse Transfer Agreement below, you give permission to the University of Wisconsin Madison to release your demographic and academic data (full name, birthdate, matriculation term, last four digits of SSN, course information including term, session, subject description, number, title, credits, and grade) to Madison College in support of the Agreement. Your confidential records will be used only for the purposes of this Agreement, and this consent will remain in effect indefinitely unless revoked in writing. I DO wish to take advantage of the Reverse Transfer Agreement I DO NOT wish to take advantage of the Reverse Transfer Agreement
Madison College Criteria For Awarding Degrees A minimum of 30 credits at Madison College as a program student Satisfactory completion of 15 credits in residence at UW-Madison No previous degree from either institution
Lessons Learned Start discovery process before agreement is signed Transfer credit evaluation o Focus on upper level courses Planning Document, Document, Document Automate fully for ability to scale
V. Shelby Stanfield, Vice Provost and University Registrar, University of Texas at Austin
What is the Texas Reverse Transfer Initiative (TRTI)? TRTI is a state-wide project designed to streamline reverse transfer process and increase degree completion by: Gathering baseline data Raising community and public awareness Improving technology/infrastructure
Partner Commitments
Institutional Partners Texas Higher Ed ecosystem: 6 University Systems 50 Community College Districts 1.4 million students in higher education 32% students attain an associates degree within 6 years 57% students attain a bachelors degree within 6 years
Project Implementation: Year 1 Baseline Study: Quantitative Baseline Study: Qualitative Feasibility Study: Technology & Infrastructure Technology Options Looking Forward
Baseline Study: Qualitative TACRAO Conference Calls What did we learn? Limited fiscal and human resources Lack of standard/best practice processes and procedures No mechanism for consistent institutional or student communication Can be challenging for systems/institutions with many partners
How does TRTI address these processes and challenges? SPEEDE Originally, the project called for technology upgrades through SPEEDE but did not address larger challenges: Human resources needed for degree audit/award 40% of transfers nationally have credits in multiple states National Student Clearinghouse Data Exchange NSC partnership has expanded to address these issues through the NSC Data Exchange Currently piloting in 3 states, including Texas through TRTI
Current Texas Exchange Process
Reverse Transfer via NSC STUDENT Applies and enrolls at community college Applies and enrolls at four-year Sends academic record to Data Exchange NATIONAL STUDENT CLEARINGHOUSE DATA EXCHANGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Uses data to award degrees Meets criteria for reverse transfer associate degree Sends academic record to Data Exchange FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE
Final Year: Looking Forward Share best practices learned from TRTI participants. Begin phased implementation of NSC technology. TRTI ensures and facilitates support for all TRTI members. Finalize recommendations to take forward as action items for the state. Adding reverse transfer graduates to completion data THECB or TAC rule additions to clarify opt-out guidelines
A National Approach with the National Student Clearinghouse
A National Approach AAU 2013 Registrars discuss pursuing a national approach AACRAO 2013 Registrars approach NSC Trusted educational partner Trying to leverage existing infrastructure Fall 2013 NSC agrees to new service in 3-phased Approach
A National Approach Fall 2013-Spring 2014 Searching for funding Fall 2014 Development began on Phase 1 Fall 2014 An advisory committee was formed Spring 2015 BETA version of phase 1 was released July 1, 2015 Service is scaled to schools across the nation
A National Approach NSC will provide a platform to exchange course/grade data from 4 year institutions (Host) to 2 year Institutions (DGI) Host institutions will submit course/grade data to NSC and NSC will compile and send that data to DGI schools as indicated by the host NSC will provide high-level reports around course/grade data from host being accessed by DGI and number of Reverse Transfer degrees being awarded * Service will be provided at No Cost to Participating Institutions*
Host to DGI Network Set Up Host Institution DGI Institutions Lone Star College System OPEID - 888888 UT Austin OPEID - 123456 Austin Community College OPEID - 888889
Phase 1 - Goals Increase the number of students who earn an associate degree Support students educational goals and career aspirations Create a standardized and streamlined process that works for 2yr and 4yr institutions Leverage existing infrastructure that would support a national approach
Phase I - Functionality NSC will build the following nationally-scalable functionality for the Reverse Transfer initiative: Course file intake process from the four-year school Reverse Transfer Database Degree Granting Institution (DGI) Request file intake process Matching Processes DGI Response file DGI degree data submission Reporting Auditing
Reverse Transfer Timeline and Project Status JUL 2014 AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN 2015 FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT 2015 Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Phase I - Course/Grade Data Exchange Project Plan/ Application Design Software Development and Testing Demo Business Requirements/ Release Plan Training and Documentation Beta Testing Phase I General Availability Phase II Academic Data Mart / Student Academic Portal Project Plan/ Application Design Software Development and Testing Business Requirements/ Release Plan Demo1 Demo2 Beta Testing Training and Documentation Note: Phase II timeline is dependent upon funding and resourcing. Phase II Go Live 6/2/2015
NSC Reverse Transfer Project Funding Partners so far University of Texas Austin University of Wisconsin Madison Ohio State University Stanford University University of Maryland College Park University of Minnesota Twin Cities University of Kansas University of Arizona
NSC Reverse Transfer Project Funding Partners so far. Lumina Foundation & Lumina Grantees in Missouri & Texas Missouri Dept. of Ed., UM Columbia, UT Austin & Lone Star College System Lumina Foundation Current Partner Commitments Institutions $300,000 NSC $400,000 Lumina $1.3 Million
Thank you for your attention!