Transfer Credit and Advanced Standing Operating Procedure

To outline the processes related to administering transfer credits, advanced standing/block transfer, and course equivalency.

This procedure applies to all full and part-time Cambrian students registered in postsecondary studies, including Cambrian Certificates, College Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas, Apprenticeship Programs, Graduate Certificates and Baccalaureate/Degree Programs.

Advanced Standing/Block Transfer: The granting of a block of credit for the completion of a group of courses typically based on the completion of an approved credential or full program, from Cambrian or another institution. The granting of Block Transfer credits may result in Advanced Standing in a program (i.e. admission to an upper semester).

Articulation Agreement:  A formally recognized agreement between the College and a sending institution that specifies the number of Transfer Credits awarded towards the earning of a Cambrian post-secondary credential.

Articulation:  The process of assessing programs or courses offered at other institutions to determine whether to grant credit towards the earning of a Cambrian post-secondary credential.   Articulation is therefore the process, while Block Transfer Credit or Transfer Credit is the end result.

Course Equivalency: The granting of course credit for the successful completion of an equivalent course at Cambrian College.

Course Exemption: The granting of course credit for the recognition of knowledge, skills, or abilities that are demonstrated and/ or assessed via assessment measures that are administered by or approved by the College (e.g. Admission or Placement Testing, etc.).

Grouped Credit: The credit awarded when two or more courses must be combined to obtain Transfer Credit.

Recognized Institutions:  The College considers the following as “recognized” for the purposes of evaluating Transfer Credit and awarding block Transfer Credit:

1. Member institutions of the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT)
2. Canadian public post-secondary institutions
3. Universities Canada member institutions
4. International institutions considered accredited or recognized in their country, as determined by the Office of the Registrar through accreditation reference materials or the Ministries of Education of that country
5. The Vice President, Academic may approve credits obtained from any institution or organization that does not meet the above criteria upon consultation with the Registrar and at the request of the appropriate Dean

Transfer Credit: the recognition of previous academic work completed at the College and/or other Recognized Institutions.

Maintenance of the Transfer Credit and Course Equivalency Database

1. The Registrar maintains a central database of approved Transfer Credits and Course Equivalencies.
2. Unless otherwise approved by an Academic Administrator with responsibility for a course, program, or disciplinary area, Transfer Credits and Course Equivalencies will remain in the database for a period of 5 years. After 5 years, previously approved transfer credits and course equivalencies are expired.
   1. In instances where the transferability of credit is subject to change based on changes in disciplinary standards, practices, and/or norms, Academic Administrators may approve that courses are removed from the list in fewer than 5 years.
   2. In instances where the transferability of credit is unlikely to be affected by time, Academic Administrators may approve that courses remain on the list for longer than 5 years.
3. The list of approved transfer credits and course equivalencies is reviewed annually as part of the curriculum review cycle.

Assessment and Approval of Transfer Credit and Course Equivalency

1. Individuals who wish to receive Transfer Credit or have previously completed Cambrian courses recognized for credit in a new Cambrian program can initiate the process by completing the Transfer Credit Application Form.
2. Requests are received by the Enrolment Centre and an initial review is undertaken by the Enrolment Service Advisor (ESA) with responsibility for the student’s program. If courses being requested for transfer credit or equivalency exist in the Database, the ESA informs the applicant of the successful application and updates the individual’s record. The normal timeframe for this review and response is 10 business days.
3. If courses being requested do not exist in the Database, the ESA refers the request to the Program Coordinator or Subject Coordinator who is responsible for reviewing the submission and making a decision regarding the transferability of credit. Reviewers should refer to the Guidelines for Assessing Transfer Credit in this document for guidance as they complete this work.
4. As part of the referral to Coordinators, Academic Chairs are also made aware of the request and provided with a dashboard of all active requests in their Schools. Chairs are expected to monitor the referrals, to redirect requests to other faculty resources as appropriate, and to ensure timely completion of the process. The normal timeframe for review and response at this step is 20 business days. Where a review will take longer to complete, the Chair is to notify the ESA of an anticipated timeline, and the ESA will communicate this the applicant.
5. The Coordinator’s decision is communicated back to the ESA, who notifies the applicant and updates the record where applicable and supports the student through any subsequent processes (add/drops, etc.).
6. The transfer credit workflow happens within a fully systematized environment.

Maintenance of the Advanced Standing/Block Transfer Database

1. The Pathways Office maintains a central database of all active approved articulation agreements with other institutions. Where a clearly defined Advanced Standing/Block Transfer pathway exists (i.e. any students who graduate from program X receive credit Y), the Pathways office provides this information to the Registrar to operationalize during the admission process.
2. Programs and/or Schools may have mapped pathways internal to Cambrian College (i.e. completion of one Cambrian program leads to Advanced Standing in another). Where a student has graduated from a Cambrian program that has a defined pathway to another Cambrian program, the Academic Administrator with responsibility for the program provides this information to the Registrar to operationalize during the admission process.

Assessment and Approval of Advanced Standing/Block Transfer

1. Depending on the specific situation, one of the following two processes will be used:
   • • The program will be posted at OCAS as a distinct entity and applicants will apply directly to that Advanced Standing option.
     • Applicants will be directed to the regular program application and asked to complete an ‘Advanced Semester Entry Form’.
2. Upon receipt of an application at OCAS or the form, the Admissions Officer will verify the individual’s eligibility for Advanced Standing and will grant the Block Transfer where applicable.
3. Individuals who do not qualify for Advanced Standing/Block Transfer but who have completed previous education will be referred to the Transfer Credit and Course Equivalency process.

Guidelines for Assessing Transfer Credit

Criteria	Tips for Assessment	Reasons for Denial
Learning Outcomes	Are the learning outcomes listed on the submitted course outline? If outcomes are not listed, is there reference to coverage of outcomes in course description or week-by-week breakdown detailing content covered in the course? If outcomes are listed, are they mostly the same (approximately 80%) as the course outlines in the requested course? Are there key learning outcomes missing? Are the outcomes written at a level of complexity similar to that of the course for which transfer credit is being request? Is there sufficient overlap with content in the Cambrian course? Are there key topics that were not covered? Will missing topics impact the student’s success in co-requisite or future-semester classes?	Insufficient information provided in course outline, unable to accurately determine if courses are no less than 70 – 80% similar. Missing coverage of key learning outcomes Important topics not covered in sufficient depth.
Types of Evaluations and/or Assignments	Does the course outline detail types of assignments/evaluation criteria for the class? Are the assignments/evaluations sufficient for assessing the student’s level of mastery? Are there similar types of evaluations in your course? Is there a learning outcome that is assessed in your class that does not appear in the submitted course? If so, would the student be successful in future classes without the experience(s) gained in the missing assignment?	Evaluations do not appear to align with the course learning outcomes – unable to determine if the student would have the requisite knowledge to succeed.
Age of Course	Was the course completed within the last five (5) years? Is it still considered relevant?	Course and associated learning outcomes are older than 5 years. Current course incorporates newer topics, equipment, technologies, etc. that are key to learning.
Practical Component	Does the submitted course have a practical/applied /lab component? Are the hours of applied/lab instruction comparable to the course sought? Are the practical components tied to the course learning outcomes?	Hands-on (lab) instruction hours vary significantly, which would impact student mastery of practical skills. Student required to be exposed to specialized Cambrian lab requirements (safety, sanitation, etc.) to be successful in future course requirements.

 

Vice President, Academic is responsible for:

• Ensuring compliance and implementation of this procedure.
• Approving and communicating changes to this procedure.

Office of the Registrar is responsible for:

• Reviewing and updating this procedure in consultation with the Vice President, Academic and the Vice President, Human Resources, Student Services and International.