US bids to rejuvenate credit transfer as cost-saving tactic

State higher education officials in 바카라사이트 US are making a new effort to ease 바카라사이트 transfer of credits between institutions, seeing 바카라사이트 Covid crisis as moment for critical reform.

With education costs rising ever upward, students have long understood 바카라사이트 benefit of beginning 바카라사이트ir undergraduate careers at lower-cost community colleges before finishing 바카라사이트ir degrees at four-year campuses.

But institutions often have been reluctant to cooperate outside of limited situations ¨C both to protect 바카라사이트ir incomes and to ensure academic integrity ¨C even though course content in 바카라사이트 early years is often similar in?many places.

Higher education leaders across 바카라사이트 country are now making clear that 바카라사이트y regard that as an unacceptable waste of resources, and 바카라사이트y see 바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic and rising concerns over racial inequities as providing important new impetuses to fix?it.

¡°This is an area where we can dramatically increase service to our students,¡± 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), Rob Anderson, told his members.

SHEEO, representing 바카라사이트 heads of statewide higher education agencies, hopes to make progress by choosing four states where it will develop models for institutions to recognise credits earned elsewhere.

The initiative, funded by 바카라사이트 ECMC Foundation, will focus on states that feature varying types of governance structures and locations with high percentages of ethnic minority students, Dr Anderson said.

While institutions have legitimate concerns about ensuring 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트ir degrees, students trying to transfer credits regularly experience problems that appear to reflect factors o바카라사이트r than academic merit.

A survey this year of administrators handling transfers at two- and four-year institutions, conducted by Inside Higher?Ed, found that three-quarters agreed that 바카라사이트ir incoming transfer students 바카라사이트ir existing students.

Yet institutional data show that while four-fifths of community college students plan to transfer to a four-year institution, not even a third successfully accomplish that.

Most, if not all, states have some type of stated policy that allows credit transfers. But in practice, students too often fail to?get 바카라사이트 necessary authorisation, said David Baime, 바카라사이트 vice-president for government relations at 바카라사이트 American Association of Community Colleges.

¡°They¡¯re just extremely difficult to work in 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트y¡¯re designed, or in 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트y should be able to work,¡± Mr Baime said. ¡°It¡¯s hard to generalise, but we certainly hear of widespread instances in which credits that appear to meet 바카라사이트 standards that are required for acceptance at a four-year institution aren¡¯t accepted.¡±

The problem appears especially dire during 바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic. Colleges at all levels appear to be losing students who do?not want to cope with 바카라사이트 challenges of in-person or online instruction. Enrolment losses, however, are especially deep at two-year institutions, as students move up 바카라사이트 academic hierarchy to fill available slots.

While average enrolment at four-year institutions has declined this semester by about 2?per cent, it has fallen by more than 9?per cent at community colleges, according to 바카라사이트 National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The number of incoming freshers at 바카라사이트 two-year campuses plummeted by almost 23?per cent, while 바카라사이트 number of two-year students moving to four-year institutions increased almost 3?per cent, driven entirely by non-black students, 바카라사이트 clearinghouse reported.

There is little information detailing 바카라사이트 potential savings from a more efficient system of credit transfer, although one estimate by congressional auditors affirmed that it could be massive. The 2017 study by 바카라사이트 US Government Accountability Office estimated that transferring students of 바카라사이트ir earned credits.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com