Dear Members of the State Board.

During October 2004, as part of a faculty driven process, the IFS conducted town hall meetings on the campuses of EOU, OIT, OSU, PSU, SOU, UO, and WOU that dealt with certain of the Board initiatives. Representatives of Oregon Coast CC, Clackamas CC, Lane CC, Linn Benton CC, OCCSA, Oregon Community College Assoc. , OUS, Rogue CC, South West Oregon University Center, and Umqua CC attended those meetings.

A number of informed insights were expressed in these meetings. It was noted that the proposed JBAC Transfer Module does not replace existing bilateral articulation agreements and that advising is a crucial element -- that unless and until we have effective advising, student progress towards a degree cannot be improved. Nevertheless, it was felt that the Transfer Module can be one means of achieving the goal of speeding our students progress towards a degree. And that clearly everything has to be done in collaboration with all of our educational partners.

A draft statement by the IFS on advising is attached. Also attached is a possible revision of the JBAC draft General Education Transfer Module that takes into account the technical suggestions received by the IFS concerning the TM.
 
 

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DRAFT STATEMENT ON ADVISING FROM THE IFS 15 October 2004

The Inter-Institutional Faculty Senate wants to make a strong statement about the importance of academic advising for all students regardless of whether they begin their higher education at one of Oregon's community colleges or at one of the public universities. While various draft proposals in circulation foot-note a statement about the importance of good advising, the IFS believes that a clear statement, and effective support for the wide range of advising needs of transfer students is essential to the success of any proposal eventually adopted by OUS.

Whether it is the General Education Transfer Module, or any of the other proposals of the Excellence in Delivery and Productivity's (MBF) working group, accurate, accessible and other student support services are central to student success. This advising must extend beyond any Transfer Module to include specific information regarding a student's desired major and degree. As many students either begin college without a chosen major, or subsequently change that major, this sort of advising presents many challenges; challenging to the student in choosing a specific major path, and challenging to teacher faculty and academic advisers in helping those students select a curriculum.

While many majors, particularly in the humanities and social sciences build major curricula which allow students to do considerable exploration in the lower division course work, the sciences, fine and performing arts, and professional schools tend to be heavy in very specific lower division requirements. Those students who tend to feel that they have wasted credits, or found credits not accepted by one of the OUS schools have often shifted into, or out of, a program with very specific, sequential course work at the lower division level. The course work from their initial major remains transferable, but not completely applicable to their new major. An art major who shifts to engineering, or a business major who shifts to biology will find her or his progress to degree delayed for reasons which have nothing to do with general education requirements.

Strong academic advising helps introduce students to higher education and to connect them to the culture of their particular institution. Beyond the accurate selection of courses required for graduation, advising support must help students in maneuvering through and managing the higher education environment. Students who develop confidence in negotiating a path to graduation make sound choices in attaining their goals.
 
 

Any student holding a General Education Transfer Module that conforms to the guidelines below will have met the requirements for the Transfer Module at any Oregon community college or institution in the Oregon University System. Upon transfer, the receiving institution may specify additional General Education course work that is required for a major or for degree requirements or to make up the difference between the Transfer Module and the institution’s total General Education requirements.

GUIDELINES

The General Education Transfer Module includes the following course work, which can be completed in one academic year (3 quarters). All courses must have a grade of “C-” or better, must be worth 3-4 credits given on the quarter system, and must be chosen from the courses approved for a given category by the issuing institution.

Foundational Skills
· Writing: Two courses (totaling 6-8 credits) of college-level composition..
· Oral Communication: One course (totaling 3-4 credits) of fundamentals of speech or communication.
· Mathematics: One course (totaling 3-4 credits) of college-level mathematics, for which at least Intermediate Algebra is a prerequisite
.
Introduction to Disciplines
·Arts and Letters: Three courses (totaling 9-12 credits).
·Social Sciences: Three courses (totaling 9-12 credits),
· Science/Math/Computer Science: Three courses (totaling 9-12 credits),

Electives
· At most two courses (totaling at most 8 credits),

Total courses 13-15 (totaling 45 credits or more).

NOTES
1) Courses that are developmental in nature, designed to prepare students for college-level work, are not applicable to the transfer module.
2) When choosing courses in science and mathematics, students and advisors should check the specific requirements at receiving schools. Courses that include a laboratory component, or that deal with specific subjects, may be required for some programs or majors.
3) Computer Science courses used in the Math/Science/Computer Science area must meet the inter segmental Computer Science chairs group criteria for a science course. This includes CS 120, 121, 122, 161, 162, 171, 260, and 271 from the list of commonly numbered courses. (http://cs.bmcc.cc.or.us/occc/)
4) In Arts and Letters, the second year of a foreign language may be included, but not the first year. American Sign Language (ASL) is considered a foreign language.
5) All Oregon community colleges and Oregon University System institutions will offer students the opportunity to complete a Transfer Module and an appropriate endorsement will be entered on the transcript by the offering institution upon request. Regionally accredited private colleges and universities within the state are also welcome to offer and issue Transfer Modules, which will be honored in transfer to any Oregon public college or university.
6) Transfer Module credits need not necessarily match program requirements in the receiving school. The Transfer Module supplements but does not supplant existing articulation agreements and does not replace effective advising.