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“Regularizing” the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum and AA Degree Requirements

“Regularizing” the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum and AA Degree Requirements. May 29-30, 2014. MnSCU was created for transfer.

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“Regularizing” the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum and AA Degree Requirements

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  1. “Regularizing” the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum and AA Degree Requirements

    May 29-30, 2014
  2. MnSCU was created for transfer The legislature intends that credit transfer policies provide for the broadest and most simple mechanisms that are feasible while protecting the academic quality of institutions and programs - 1991: Minnesota session law created the Higher Education Board to merge three postsecondary systems: Resolve differences and inconsistencies within and among the post-secondary systems relating to educationally sound transfer of credit policies, including…transferability of general education components… development of a transfer curriculum to satisfy lower division requirements…[and] development of a transfer curriculum to satisfy lower division requirements Minnesota Laws (1991) Chapter 356, Article 2, Sect. 8
  3. 1994: Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Agreement A collaborative effort among all two-and four-year public colleges and universities to help students transfer their work in general education. Students who complete a curriculum are certified in the ten areas of competency by faculty at the sending institution. Completion of an institution's identified transfer curriculum (or an associate in arts degree) will satisfy the lower-division general education requirements at any public university. A formal agreement among four systems Community colleges Technical colleges State universities University of Minnesota
  4. 1994: Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Agreement, continued The expectation of all institutions is equivalent learning in comparable courses or programs Universities will set any upper division general education requirements so that students who complete a transfer curriculum will not be required to take any more general education credits than a native student in the same degree program would be required to take.
  5. 2001 : Minnesota Session Laws By January 1, 2002, the board must implement the Minnesota transfer curriculum at all state colleges and universities. Once a course has met the criteria necessary for inclusion in the Minnesota transfer curriculum in any area of emphasis, the course must be accepted for full credit in that area of emphasis at all Minnesota state colleges and universities. -2001 Omnibus Higher Education Bill
  6. Courses and Goal Areas Microeconomics [Goal areas 2, 5, 8, 9 or 10 at 10 institutions] Developmental or lifespan psychology [Goal areas 5, 5 and 7, or 5 and 9; none] American government and politics [Goal areas 5 or 5 and 9]
  7. Transfer: Not Broken, but Not Seamless 25% or more students not satisfied with transfer “Retook a writing class I didn't need (got a very easy "A", it was below my skill level) because my "writing intensive" class didn't meet requirements and I had no idea I had options other than to just take the class.” “I have an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and law degree (j.d.). I am told that despite having four degrees (one of which is from an Ivy League school) I must take a communications course in order to receive my certificate in apparel technologies. Are you kidding me?”
  8. Transfer: Not Broken, but Not Seamless “I believe all MN school courses should be equivalent/matched in credits.” “MNSCU needs to be the same across the board, I only took MNSCU classes so it would all count and transfer, but not all counted in my goal area like I was told, which wasted my money.” “I wish that each of the MNSCU schools would 100% align their curriculums so each course would be equivalent, no matter who was teaching the class.” “I thought that a course would be equivalent to another which is why I took a course at a community college closer to home. Turns out it was not equivalent. That is why my overall satisfaction is not excellent.”
  9. Transfer: Not Broken, but Not Seamless “MN Transfer curriculum didn't work as smoothly as it had been explained to be.” “I also had all of my General Education Requirements done before transferring, but after transfer I was required to take 3 more General Education Classes if I wanted to graduate.” “MN School system will not take my general credits. Hinders my whole degree, increases cost, delays graduation and doesn't make sense. Since when does College Algebra (among other generals) at one college not transfer into College Algebra at another??” “I have had to take the ‘same’ class three times because MNSCU schools do not believe they are equivalent or they are lower level, however I have learned the same material in each class and even more in the lower level ones compared to the "higher" level courses.”
  10. Transfer: Not Broken, but Not Seamless Transfer Specialists: “Standardize MnTC requirements (labs, # of classes required to satisfy a goal, how to satisfy goal #2)” “MnTC should meet the same goal areas” “Same amount of credits for all goal areas throughout MnSCU; courses have same goal areas.” “Yes, but maintain institution identity”
  11. Minnesota Transfer CurriculumGoal Area Requirements
  12. MnTC Requirement Variations
  13. MnTC Requirement Variations
  14. Questions What are your reactions to the variation depicted in the chart? Do you think the variation serves students? Do you think we could eliminate all variation? What would be good next steps at the system level?
  15. Associate in ArtsDegree Requirements
  16. AA Degree Requirements 20+ variations on AA degrees MnTC is supposed to be the common and only set of lower-division general education requirements Additional requirements like wellness, FYE, computers, additional writing can impede or interfere with successful transfer. These requirements may contribute to lower rate of AA attainment.
  17. Additional Degree Requirements
  18. Combinations of Additional Degree Requirements
  19. Questions What are the pros and cons of having a consistent AA degree across the system? How do additional AA requirements affect transfer into a 120-credit bachelor’s program? How do others’ additional requirements affect students who transfer into your college or university? What next discussion/action steps should we consider at a system level?
  20. Thanks! We’ll keep you posted We’ll share your ideas on the mntransfer.org website. We’ll also report what you had to say at the Transfer Oversight Commmittee in fall. Please share additional thoughts with any of us. Also suggest related topics for monthly CAO/CSAO conference calls.
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