ERIC Number: EJ1143112
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr-11
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1938-5978
EISSN: N/A
An Interstate Transfer Passport: Its Time Has Come
Peat, Stafford
New England Journal of Higher Education, Apr 2017
Students in New England take increasingly varied pathways to a degree. They are highly mobile and move among two-year colleges and four-year public and private higher education institutions (HEIs), among four-year and two-year colleges and back, and transfer in-state and out-of state. Four in 10 students who begin college at a New England institution transfer from one institution to another at least once in their academic careers. One result of this mobility is the loss of credits, time, and money. Although many states in the region have initiated "transfer pathways," the fact remains that, for New England college students, no interstate transfer compact crosses the six states' borders. Under the leadership of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), Interstate Passport focuses on lower-division general education as the common denominator among most institutions. Students attending one institution can transfer courses to another institution in a cross-border "block," rather than through individual course-by-course matches. The Interstate Passport framework consists of nine knowledge and skill areas, including oral communication, written communication, natural sciences and critical thinking, among others. These areas are based on the Essential Learning Outcomes developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities as part of its Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) initiative, and on research conducted by WICHE into the general education expectations of HEIs in the region. For each knowledge or skill area, the core of the program is made up of the Passport Learning Outcomes (PLOs). This article contains an interview with Patricia A. Shea, director of Academic Leadership Initiatives at the WICHE, and Jane Sherman, the Passport State Coordinator at WICHE's Interstate Passport Network. Topics discussed in the interview include the following: (1) benefits to students and states in being part of the Interstate Passport Network; (2) lessons learned in the project; and (3) the future of the Interstate Passport Network. [This report was written with the assistance of Patricia A. Shea and Jan Sherman.]
Descriptors: Interstate Programs, College Transfer Students, Educational Benefits, Performance Factors, Program Effectiveness, Sustainability, Program Development, Eligibility, Educational Practices
New England Board of Higher Education. 45 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111. Tel: 617-357-9620; Fax: 617-338-1577; e-mail: info@nebhe.org; Web site: http://www.nebhe.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A