 Improving Degree Pathways
Welcome to the July Transfer Hub newsletter. This month’s newsletter focuses on the updated Computer Science Major Transfer Map (MTM) and the new Curriculum Articulation Policy (CAP; formerly MOUs).
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Oregon Transfer Council News
Established in 2021, Transfer Council (TC) began its third year of making recommendations to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) on new transfer credit policies and agreements. This builds on decades of work dedicated to streamlining transfer pathways in Oregon.
In March 2024, TC received a memo from the Gen Ed Subcommittee. This memo was in response to TC’s request for information on a number of questions related to whether common course numbering (CCN) has had an impact on excess credits for transfer students and whether allowing credit differences (for CCN courses) impacts student success. After gathering information from colleges, the subcommittee concluded that it is too early in the CCN process to know whether it has had an impact on overall student graduation rates. However, the Gen Ed subcommittee will monitor the effects of CCN courses on total Gen Ed credits at institutions. Finally, the subcommittee recommended that CCN subcommittees be provided information pertaining to the role that commonly numbered courses play in gen ed credit accumulation. TC also approved the creation of a new Excel-only course following a recommendation in a memo from the CCN Business subcommittee.
At the May 2024 TC meeting, the revised Computer Science Major Transfer Map (MTM) Curriculum Articulation Policy (CAP) was recommended to the HECC Commission for approval (see below for more information). Additionally, a subcommittee (including charge) was approved for working on the annual survey needed for the legislatively required TC report to the Commission on adopting and implementing CCN and MTMs. Finally, the CCN Psychology Subcommittee submitted a memo requesting advice on identifying a third, lower-division course for alignment. In response, TC sent a memo to the PSY MTM Subcommittee with a request for information on identifying an appropriate course for alignment.
Leigh Graziano, PhD, joined HECC staff April 1 as an Academic Policy Specialist in the Office of Academic Policy and Authorization. She comes from Western Oregon University (WOU) where she was as Associate Professor of English and Director of First-Year Writing. In her time at WOU, she served as president of the faculty senate and on statewide committees like the Oregon Writing and English Advisory Council (OWEAC) and cochaired the CCN Writing Subcommittee. With over 10 years of experience as a faculty member, Leigh has worked extensively with educational policy (especially transfer articulation), accelerated learning, and other equity-driven student success efforts. Her work has won multiple service and leadership awards for dedication to the community. Leigh will take the lead role on working with Major Transfer Maps (MTMs), and she can be reached at leigh.graziano@hecc.oregon.gov.
House Bill (HB) 2998 (2017) created Major Transfer Maps (MTMs), statewide transfer agreements that align degree pathways for community college students in Oregon who plan to transfer to public universities. Previously, these MTMs took the form of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) which allowed institutions to confer degrees and articulate credits while documenting agreements between participating institutions.
However, there were several implementation challenges with the MTM-MOUs. While all 17 community colleges and all participating Oregon Public Universities (OPUs) signed the MTM-MOUs, some institutions had different interpretations of MTM participation requirements.
Senate Bill (SB) 233 (2021) provided greater clarity on institutional participation requirements, deadlines for implementation, and the level of acceptable variance. On August 10, 2023, the HECC Commission adopted Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) that codify the mandates in SB 233. Instead of MOUs (which were agreements among institutions), Major Transfer Maps now take a new form—the Curriculum Articulation Policy, or CAP—which are binding agreements approved by the Commission.
MOUs and CAPs: A Side-by-side Comparison
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MOU |
CAP |
| Institutional Participation |
- Agreement between institutions
- Understanding of the definition of participation varied by institution
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- Required and defined in the OARs
- OARs specify participation and process for exemption
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| Variance |
- OTAC defined types of "acceptable" variance with guidelines
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- Alignment of all MTM courses to the greatest extent possible
- Any necessary variance requires narrative explanation (defined in the OARs) and Transfer Council approval
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| Required Materials |
- Course development template
- University Crosswalk
- AP/IB worksheet
- Associate degree program learning outcomes
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- Course development template
- University Crosswalk
- AP/IB worksheet
- Associate degree program learning outcomes
- Student facing documents
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There are only a few substantive changes from the MTM-MOU to the MTM-CAP:
- All participating community colleges must submit student facing documents, as part of the Transfer Council required MTM documentation.
- CAPs require a narrative explanation for any variance in the curriculum.
The Computer Science MTM is the first to convert their MOU to the new CAP (read more below). There are currently four additional MTM-MOUs in the process of converting to the new MTM CAP--Business, Biology, English, and Elementary Education—and three new MTMs are in process (all using the new CAP): Human Development and Family Services (HDFS), Sociology, and Psychology. Faculty subcommittees will reconvene their work in Fall 2024.
Computer Science (CS) is the first MTM to update their MOUs to the new Curriculum Articulation Policy (CAP) format developed in response to Senate Bill (SB) 233. Notable changes include adjustments to the math and science requirements to improve student access and success in the major. In May 2024, Transfer Council voted to recommend the CS MTM-CAP in CS to the HECC Commission and the CAP was approved at the June 2024 meeting.
Mark Jones, Chair of the Department of Computer Science at Portland State University and Co-Chair of the MTM Faculty Subcommittee, shares these words about the work of the subcommittee:
Over many years, the Computer Science programs at Oregon Public Universities have evolved to meet the needs of students and institutional partners. Each provides pathways to rewarding careers in Computer Science, but there are fundamental differences in the ways they accomplish this. Our solution was to start with a common curriculum in students' first year, and to offer them a choice between two paths in their second year, based on transfer target. This achieves flexibility without compromising the individual strengths and distinctive characteristics of the degree programs at our universities.
Our initial MTM benefited from prior work by the Oregon Council of Computing Chairs, which had already established common course outcomes for core classes in Oregon CS programs. But new curriculum alignment work was needed, for example, in low-level computing. To address this, a subcommittee was formed, including representatives from both community colleges and universities and a new course--CS 204 System Programming and Architecture--is now offered at institutions across the state, all following the same course design.
One benefit of the CAP format is that it pays more attention to community college participation. The CAP format stipulates that each community college document clarify the ways in which students can satisfy the requirements of the MTM at their institution. Our group identified some opportunities for improvement as we worked through this process for the first time, and these will be addressed as the process is refined.
The Transfer Council and HECC Commission commended the faculty subcommittee for their dedication and work on the MTM-CS CAP.
The following information provides a snapshot of ongoing work in Transfer Council subcommittees.
CCN Updates:
CCN Biology Subcommittee, from Cochairs Stacey Kiser (Lane) and Radhika Reddy (PSU): The Biology subcommittee has voted and approved course numbers for the Introductory Biology sequence (3 quarters/courses). They developed course learning outcomes for each course and formally voted on those May 31. In fall 2024, the group will vote on course descriptions and course titles, and then they will discuss the appropriate number of credits for each course.
CCN Business Subcommittee, from Cochairs Jill Gillett (Lane) and Prem Mathew (OSU): The Business subcommittee achieved success this year by aligning two courses to improve transfer into Business programs at Oregon public universities. These courses (1. Business Law and 2. Excel) cover essential material for all students preparing to be business majors. During the alignment process, the committee identified key skills necessary for business students at Oregon public universities, which also meet the Major Transfer Map (MTM) requirements. Consequently, instead of aligning a Microsoft Office survey course as initially suggested, the committee created and aligned an Excel-only course that will better prepare business students for success as they continue with upper-division coursework.
CCN Chemistry Subcommittee, from Cochairs Kenneth Friedrich (PCC) and Christopher Walsh (EOU): The Chemistry CCN subcommittee has agreed on the topics that will be covered in CH 221Z, 222Z, and 223Z. The subcommittee is currently writing learning outcomes that will be shared and discussed at the next meeting, fall 2024.
CCN Economics Subcommittee, from Cochairs Derek Lougee (Clackamas) and Camille Soltau Nelson (OSU): The CCN Economics Subcommittee has finished its work for EC/ECON 201Z and 202Z. The subcommittee submitted its Recommendation Report to Transfer Council (TC) at the June 20th meeting and it was approved to be sent later this fall to the HECC Commission for a final vote.
CCN General Education, from Cochairs Amanda Shelton (MHCC) and John Edwards (OSU): The General Education Subcommittee began the year by working on a set of goals to guide their efforts going forward. They then created an updated crosswalk that maps the three statewide general education transfer curricula to the general education curricula at public universities (CTM/OTM/AAOT). The group also evaluated the effect of credit changes resulting from Common Course Numbering decisions, and evaluated how the Core Transfer Map (and MTMs) are annotated on student transcripts. For more on this, see CCN Memos 2022-2024 on the Educator Resources--Common Course Numbering webpage.
CCN Outcomes Assessment, from Cochairs Kristin Nagy Catz (OSU) and Rand Ware (Lane): The Outcomes Assessment Subcommittee continues to advise subject matter faculty groups on the writing of course learning outcomes. In addition, the group is developing short, informational videos that will be used to train faculty groups on writing learning outcomes.
CCN Psychology, from Cochairs Ethan McMahon (WOU) and Zip Krummel (Columbia Gorge): After aligning two introductory psychology courses (PSY 201Z and 202Z, 2023), the subcommittee was tasked with aligning a third lower-division psychology course (2024). After careful consideration and deliberation, the subcommittee was unable to identify a suitable third course for alignment. Transfer Council released the subcommittee from any further work in 2024. The CCN Psychology Subcommittee will resume work after the Psychology MTM Subcommittee identifies a third course for alignment.
CCN Sociology, from Cochairs Amanda Cortez (Clatsop) and Matthew Norton (U of O): The CCN Sociology Subcommittee voted to approve changes to SOC/SOAN 204Z, 205Z, and 206Z. The subcommittee submitted its Recommendation Report to TC at the June 20th meeting and it was approved and will be sent to the HECC Commission for a vote, later this fall.
Systems & Operations, from Cochairs Julia Pomerenk (U of O) and Chris Sweet (Clackamas): Most recently, the Systems and Operations Subcommittee reviewed and revised the framework document for common course numbering. The updated document, which includes examples and consistent language, was approved by the Transfer Council on April 18, 2024—with the exception of the section on course credits, which is awaiting completion of the Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) for CCN.
MTM Updates:
HECC staff met with faculty subcommittee co-chairs, and all subcommittees (including Business and Psychology) will resume their work in fall 2024. Updates are provided below on the MTM subcommittees that have been meeting spring term.
MTM-MOUs Under Review & Converting to the CAP:
MTM Biology: The subcommittee met three times spring term. They have completed their work on AP/IB alignment and program learning outcomes for the AST in Biology. The group is finalizing a student-driven change to their course development template and updating the crosswalk accordingly. Next, they will vote to approve these items fall 2024 and then turn to creating student facing documents.
MTM English Literature: The subcommittee met twice in spring term to discuss the work required for updating their MTM and converting to the CAP. Their work is underway with revisions in progress to the course development template and the university crosswalk. Work will resume fall 2024.
New MTMs, Using the CAP Policy:
MTM Sociology: The subcommittee met three times in spring term. They have finalized their work on the course development templates, AP/IB alignment, and program learning outcomes for the degrees associated with their MTM work: AAT/AST Sociology and AAT/AST Sociology/Anthropology. The subcommittee will continue work on the university crosswalk and student facing documents in the fall.
MTM Human Development and Family Services (HDFS): The subcommittee met four times spring 2024. They have completed their work on the AAT in HDFS and voted to approve their CAP at the June 5th meeting. They have begun work on the AST in HDFS and are expected to finish early in fall term.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2016). Barriers and opportunities for 2-year and 4-year STEM degrees: Systemic change to support students’ diverse pathways. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/21739
Join in the Public Process
Summer 2024 Transfer Council Public Meeting Schedule
Transfer Council welcomes public comment on meetings relating to transfer. Sign up for public meeting notices here to receive final meeting dates and links to agendas, supporting documents, etc. Upcoming meeting dates are listed below:
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Transfer Council: July 18, August 15, September 19, October 17, November 21, and December 19 (10 am to 12:30 pm, for all meetings)
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Transfer Council Subcommittees: CCN and MTM Faculty Subcommittees will reconvene fall 2024, once faculty are back on contract. See the Transfer Council meeting webpage for all other meeting dates/times. Systems and Operations will meet over the summer. See the linked page for information on their meetings.
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