The development of cost-efficient pathways is a topic of increasing political and scholarly interest across many North American jurisdictions. It has been suggested that 'seamless' transfer pathways can provide financial savings to both students and taxpayers. However, such claims are typically based on hypothetical cost calculations, as opposed…

"Advising" consists of those activities and tasks that result in providing information to students. British Columbia's (BC) post-secondary education has evolved over the past number of years and student advising has changed along with it. Post-secondary institutions are currently challenged to increase student engagement, improve…

This report examines the structural divide between for-credit and noncredit postsecondary education and the problems it presents for people seeking better jobs with higher pay. It highlights innovative ways that some community colleges are trying to bridge the gap nationally--creating more seamless pathways between credit and noncredit…

This paper considers the impact of transfer credits on the GPA of college-university transfer students. The data come from the academic records of students enrolled at 2 different campuses at an undergraduate university in Ontario across a 4-year period. The results from multivariate regression analyses show that the number of transfer credits is…

The term "advising" has been used by various areas within post-secondary education institutions in British Columbia (BC) and across Canada to describe a variety of activities and tasks that result in providing information to students. The postsecondary education environment in BC has evolved over the past number of years and student…

In Ontario, the topic of increasing transferability between colleges and universities has recently attracted the attention of numerous individuals in the fields of higher education, politics and the local media--many of whom have suggested that increasing the availability of college to university transfer programs, also known as articulation…

The outcomes states gain from investing in postsecondary financial aid programs remain hotly debated, leading to great interest in developing programs that are both cost-effective and productive in helping states meet goals. In the 2012-13 academic year, states collectively provided approximately $11.2 billion in financial aid to students enrolled…

This paper describes the programs and services colleges have in place to facilitate student mobility, and documents the main regional and provincial/territorial mechanisms to facilitate transfer of post-secondary credits from one institution to another. Because there are many terms used to describe elements of post-secondary transferability and…

An important number of high-school graduates start their post-secondary educational careers at academic 2-year colleges even though returns to graduation are negligible. However, the returns to transferring to 4-year colleges are large: academic 2-year colleges act as a "stepping stone" in which agents learn about themselves in a cheaper and less…

The B.C. Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) is considering whether to commission a full study of the benefits of British Columbia's articulated post-secondary system. The purpose of this report is to provide information and recommendations on the issues, costs, and advantages that would be associated with such a benefits study. Earlier,…

In April 1999, The B.C. Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) published a Special Report titled "Transfer: What's the Problem?" (see ED444675). That report outlined findings of numerous BCCAT research and other projects, and reported on problems in the current transfer environment. As a follow up, this report now concentrates on…

This document represents BCCAT's position on instructor qualifications within the BC Transfer System. These concern: (1) BC Transfer System Instructor Qualification Standards; and (2) Establishing and Monitoring Expectations.

This study will examine the feasibility of developing a student mobility tracking system that encompasses the entire post-secondary system in BC. Currently, the vast majority of the private post-secondary sector has no formal link with institutions in the public sector. As a consequence, little is known beyond anecdotal evidence about the…