Duane Short San Diego Miramar College

1. Articulation Fundamentals Duane Short San Diego Miramar College

2. Overview • What is Articulation? • What is Not Articulation? • Why Articulation Matters • The Articulation Officer Role

3. What is Articulation? From the dictionary… • The kind of connection that allows movement • The coherent expression of information “It helps to be psychologically predisposed in a certain way to be an articulation officer” From Jeff Ferguson’s presentation at the 2009 CIAC conference

4. What is Articulation? The process of developing a formal, written and published agreement that identifies courses (or sequences of courses) on a “sending” campus that are comparable to, or acceptable in lieu of, specific course requirements at a “receiving” campus. CIAC, 2006 California Articulation Policies and Procedures Handbook

5. What is Articulation? In other words… • Articulation identifies courses students should take at community college in orderto meet university degree requirements • This information is used to help students plan appropriate courses at community college

6. What is Articulation? • What degree requirements do articulated courses fulfill? • Unit Credit toward a baccalaureate degree • General Education requirements at the university • Major Preparation requirements at the university

7. What is Articulation? The basic structure of a transfer education plan General Education (39 units) + Prep-for-major (0-50 units) + Transferable Electives (0-21+ units) = Transfer Coursework (usually min 60 transferable units)

8. What is Articulation? • Transfer education plans can be complicated, as each combination of transfer university and major results in a different combination of transfer coursework

9. Dave:Psych major, AlliantIntl. U. Phil:Psych major, SDSU Ana:Psych major, UCSD

10. What is Not Articulation? • Course evaluations • Course evaluations determine credit for past educational experiences • Articulation is a guarantee of future applicability This distinction often makes a difference when advising students

11. What is Not Articulation? • Admissions criteria or other course requirements • Admissions criteria for universities, majors, etc. often change from year to year • How university courses (and the articulated CCC courses) are used to fulfill various requirements also changes from year to year • Course articulation itself remains valid if the course was taken during the period the agreement was in effect

12. What is Not Articulation? • Suggestions • Suggestions or recommendations about preparatory courses may be helpful, but are not guarantees of course applicability • Articulation is a guarantee that courses at a sending campus will fulfill specific requirements at a receiving campus

13. What is Not Articulation? • Outreach materials • Outreach and marketing materials are vital parts of the transfer process but are not themselves curricular agreements • Articulation is an agreement between faculties about the comparability of coursework

14. Why Articulation Matters • For the student, articulation: • Guarantees that courses completed at the community college will apply to university requirements • Provides the foundation for developing a transfer education plan

15. Why Articulation Matters • For CCC faculty, articulation: • Establishes that CCC courses are comparable to university level coursework • Ensures CCC courses will fulfill university requirements • The more requirements CCC courses fulfill, the more “valuable” they are to transfer students

16. Why Articulation Matters • For the college as a whole, articulation: • Facilitates the core mission of student transfer • Increases the quantity of educational goals that can be met via the college’s offerings • Improves the quality of counseling and advising by detailing the most efficient or appropriate path to transfer

17. Why Articulation Matters • For the university, articulation: • Increases student success by identifying appropriate preparatory coursework • Reduces the workload involved in individually evaluating each student’s past coursework • Increases student capacity • Facilitates a focus on upper division coursework

18. Why Articulation Matters • For the state, articulation: • Increases the effectiveness of the transfer process by providing a clear pathway to transfer course requirements • Ensures the efficient use of coursework toward bachelor’s degree requirements • Saves taxpayer money (theoretically over $11,000 per degree for a CSU transfer or $36,000 per degree for a UC transfer)

19. The Articulation Officer The actual process of developing and reviewing curriculum and coursework to determine course comparability between institutions rests with the faculty at the respective institutions. Faculty in each discipline.... develop curriculum and establish requirements and standards for articulated courses. CIAC, 2006 California Articulation Policies and Procedures Handbook

20. The Articulation Officer • The AO… Initiates, updates, tracks, and disseminates faculty-approved articulation agreements, including those that cover: • Courses accepted for degree credit • General education • Major preparation CIAC, 2006 California Articulation Policies and Procedures Handbook

21. The Articulation Officer • The AO… Serves as a consultant on articulation and transfer-related curricular issues to: • Faculty • Administration • Students • Anyone else who asks CIAC, 2001 California Articulation Policies and Procedures Handbook

22. The Articulation Officer • Some stats about CCC AOs… • 36% are assigned as AO full time; 37% are assigned as AO ½ time ; 23% are assigned as AO < ½ time • 85% are faculty/certificated • Most are counselors • 99% serve on curriculum committee; 76% have voting rights • 49% report to Dean of Counseling; 26% report to CSSO19% report to the CIO

23. The Articulation Officer • Some stats about CCC AOs… • 36% are assigned as AO full time; 37% are assigned as AO ½ time ; 23% are assigned as AO < ½ time • 85% are faculty/certificated • Most are counselors • 99% serve on curriculum committee; 76% have voting rights • 49% report to Dean of Counseling; 26% report to CSSO19% report to the CIO In SDCCD

24. The Articulation Officer • The AO… Acts as liaisonto and advocate for: • Faculty • “Receiving” institutions • Segmental system-wide offices (CCC, UC, CSU) • Intersegmental coordinating bodies (CIAC, ASSIST) CIAC, 2006 California Articulation Policies and Procedures Handbook

25. The Articulation Officer • The AO… • Is an advocate for transfer students and the effectiveness and efficiency of transfer curricula. • Is an expert in the process, not the content • Is often called upon to serve in statewide projects, committees, or coordinating bodies

26. The Articulation Officer • The AO… HAS THE BEST JOB IN OUR SYSTEM!!!

27. Conclusion • Questions? • Discussion?

28. For copies of this presentation, questions, or information, please contact… Duane Shortdshort@sdccd.edu