Cindy Dundon Hazell Senior Vice President, Seneca January 26, 2012 What Ontario Has Learned from 40 Years of Bilateral Transfer Agreements Cindy Dundon Hazell Senior Vice President, Seneca January 26, 2012

Presentation Overview Introduction: Setting the historical context Ontario’s Credit Transfer Strategy Best Practices in Developing Articulation Agreements Signs of Progress What Have We Learned? Looking forward….

Setting Historical Context 1965: Legislation enacted to create the CAATs 1990: Vision 2000 1993: Task Force on Advanced Training (Pitman Report) 1996: College-University Consortium Council (CUCC) 1999: CAATs, Universities and Degrees: Towards Some Options for Enhancing the Connection between CAATs and Degrees (Skolnik)

Setting Historical Context 1999: Ontario College-University Degree Completion Accord (The Port Hope Accord) 2002: Postsecondary Education Choice and Excellence Act 2005: Ontario, A Leader in Learning (The Rae Review) 2006: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) 2009: Steering Committee on Credit Transfer 2011: Honourable John Milloy announces plan to create a province wide credit transfer system

Ontario’s Strategy Policy Statement (Vision, Goals, Direction) $$$ to support Innovation and Capacity ONCAT Accountability Framework

Signs of Progress Over 4,000 C- U transfers every year Over 500 individual credit transfer arrangements Shifting trend from bi-laterals to multilaterals More current and complete information in OTG New portal: more accessible, informative, functional Increased response to CUCC calls for project/research funding More agreements built from provincial program standards Greater dialogue across sectors; greater understanding It’s everybody’s business!

But….What have we learned? There’s still work to be done! Persistent perceptions of inconsistency, inequity, one-offs (“The Fine Print”) Range in practice from formal agreements and transfer policies, to informal practices and individual assessments Increased transfer credit ≠ decreased time to completion Pathways are no longer linear Not all transfer students are graduates; not all transfers are high affinity….and not all transfers are planned!

What have we learned? One size does NOT fit all Credit transfer is about Access and Quality Also about increasing options for students and reducing duplication (time and $) The problem is often the “language” we speak – and the assumptions we make. Inter-institutional collaboration requires mutual respect, trust and a shared focus on students  

Looking forward… Increased clarity and transparency (and certainty) for students as they plan their PSE journey Increased support and advisement available to students as they transition One size does NOT fit all The strategy must be multi-dimensional and dynamic

Looking forward…. Bi-laterals are the perfect solution in some circumstances; in others, we need “more”… Multilateral pathways and agreements, built from provincial program standards, in high affinity areas Program learning outcomes as basis of transfer credit for college graduates System-wide pathways for graduates of high enrolment programs, built to multiple receiving institutions Innovative, specially-designed degree completion programs An inventory of core general education/electives offered by multiple colleges - and applicable at multiple universities And more ……TBC (to be created)!