Articulation Task Force (ATF) Handbook

DRAFT

In this Handbook, you will find the following:

Background and History of Articulation in Arizona

The Arizona Transfer Model

Purpose of Handbook

Academic Transfer Articulation

Importance of Articulation

The Goal of Articulation

Accomplishing the Goal

How an ATF Works

Outcomes of ATF Meetings

Responsibilities Before, During and After the ATF meetings

Articulation Facilitator

Institutional ATAC Representatives

ATAC Facilitators for the meeting

Chair

Host

Members

Lead Members

Background and History of Articulation in Arizona

On February 4, 1983, ,the Joint Conference Committee (JCC) of the Arizona State Board of Regents (ABOR) and the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges in Arizona (SBDCCA) established the Academic Program Articulation Steering Committee (APASC). The JCC charged APASC with the oversight of transfer articulation for the public community colleges and universities. To accomplish this, APASC established an organizational structure that provides for representation of faculty and administrators from Arizona’s public universities and community college districts and tribal colleges.

Through a legislative footnote affixed to the budgets of Arizona’s public community college districts and universities in 1996, the ABOR and the SBDCCA were charged with establishing the Transfer Articulation Task Force (TATF). A similar footnote continues to be affixed to the budgets.

It was the intent of the legislature that this Task Force establish a seamless statewide articulation and transfer system. This was to include a process for the transfer of lower-division general education credits and curriculum requirements for majors, with the objective of reaching consensus on an agreement that assures that community college students may transfer to Arizona public universities without loss of credit toward a baccalaureate degree.

The charge given to the TATF was to create additional clear and secure transfer pathways for community college students – different from but parallel to the pathways followed by native university students. These transfer pathways (now known as the Arizona Transfer Model/System) allow students to maximize their experience at the community colleges, to incorporate community college credits or degrees efficiently into university graduation requirements, and to complete baccalaureate majors in the minimum number of required credits.

The Arizona Transfer Model

The Arizona Transfer Model/System includes a general education curriculum, three transfer Associate degrees (AA, ABus, and AS)and seven pathways. Each of the transfer Associate degrees has two pathways(GR—General Requirements or SR—Special Requirements). Each pathway includes the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) specific to the intended major, common courses for shared university majors, and electives. The AGEC and the Associate degree pathways include specific benefits for students. The seventh pathway, Transfer Guide - Exceptional Requirements (TG-XR) does not necessarily recommend an AGEC or a transfer Associate degree. Students are permitted to transfer from community colleges, one-half of the baccalaureate degree requirements plus one course,which is generally 64 units.

Purpose of Handbook

This Handbook is designed to provide basic information on how to participate in the implementation of the Arizona Transfer Model through effective participation in the Articulation Task Forces (ATFs). It includes responsibilities for ATF Chairs, ATF Hosts, ATF Members, ATACFacilitators and the Articulation Facilitator.

Academic Transfer Articulation

Academic Transfer Articulation is “the process of developing ongoing communication and agreements between and among Arizona two- and four-year public [and tribal] post-secondary institutions.” The articulation process is intended to ensure problem-free course and program transfer from one institution to another.

Importance of Articulation

Articulation is important to students who transfer among the Arizona public and tribal institutions to ensure a smooth transition and minimum loss of course credit. In addition, it is important to faculty and administrators in order to establish and maintain ongoing communication and strong working relationships among institutions,which also benefits transfer students.

The Goal of Articulation

The goal of articulation is to serve students who transfer among the Arizona tribal and public post-secondary institutions by operating a statewide articulation and transfer system, including the process for transfer of lower-division general education credits, general elective credits and curriculum requirements for majors, to ensure that tribal and community college students may transfer to Arizona public universities with minimum loss of credit toward a baccalaureate degree.

Accomplishing the Goal

Through the following groups and individuals, APASC ensures the satisfaction of needs for coordination, training, problem solving, and decisions necessary to implement the Arizona Transfer Model and its support systems.

  • Discipline Specific Articulation Task Forces

The discipline specific ATFs provide public community colleges, tribal colleges and public universities with a forum to cooperatively exchange articulation information on a timely basis in order to actively participate in the implementation of the Arizona Transfer Model and its support systems. A discipline specific ATF consists of officially designated members who represent their institution and their specific academic area(s).

  • General Education Articulation Task Force (GEATF)

GEATF is a group of academic specialists (usually curriculum committee members/administrators at their home institutions) from the tribal and community colleges, and universities, charged with overseeing Arizona’s common general education curriculum (AGEC). University representatives also update the GEATF on their general education programs. All community colleges and public universities are represented on the GEATF.

  • Academic Advising Articulation Task Force (AAATF)

The Advising ATF has representatives from each Arizona community college and university. The Advising ATF works with academic concerns and addresses problems faced by transfer students. The goals of the Advising ATF are to:

  • Monitor the health of the statewide transfer system
  • Increase student utilization of on-line advising and transfer resources
  • Monitor and evaluate the pace of technology on academic advising
  • Encourage the development of a more structured statewide advising organization for the purpose of identifying best practices, providing professional development for advisors, providing a state advising directory as well as a state advising conference for all advising professionals, coordinators, and those with line-authority for an institution’s academic advising
  • Admissions and Records Articulation Task Force (A&R ATF)

The Admissions and Records ATF members discuss issues regarding admission to thecommunity colleges and universities and/or specific programs as well as the transfer of credit processes and procedures.

  • ArizonaTransfer Articulation Committee (ATAC)

ATAC members manage the operational procedures of transfer articulation between and among Arizona’s public and tribal post-secondary institutions. Participation occurs at two levels: institutional and statewide. Additionally, ATAC meets to resolve issues related to course equivalencies and to recommend transfer policy changes to APASC. The committee is responsible for establishing processes and procedures for course equivalencies. ATAC members facilitate ATF meetings.

Issues discussed and the recommendations made by the ATFs directly influence student transfer.

How an ATF Works

Discipline specific ATFs meet at least annually to discuss transfer, curriculum and articulation issues. Each institution/district with courses and/or programs that transfers into the corresponding ATF baccalaureate degree(s) designates a “lead member” with voting privileges for that ATF. Other membership categories [please have a link to the membership category definitions from “membership categories”] exist for participants in the ATFs. There are specific agenda items that need to be reviewed at each meeting. They include, but are not limited to:

  1. Course Equivalency Guide (CEG) information for all associated prefixes
  2. Courses in the ATF Common Course Matrix
  3. University degrees associated with each ATF
  4. Changes in university general education requirements
  5. Curricular changes in courses, programs and degrees, at tribal/community colleges and universities that impact student preparation for transfer
  6. Statewide Update (generally a PowerPoint presentation) to keep participants updated about the changes to the Arizona Transfer Articulation Support System, and how those changes impact student transfer

Additionally, items from the prior meeting that were tabled need to be brought forward as well as special projects or information from the Academic Program Articulation Steering Committee (APASC).

These meetings provide an excellent venue for future planning and the development of collaborative programs. Collaboration and communication facilitate the success of ATASS.

Before the end of each ATF meeting, a Chair and Host for the upcoming year are designated, as well as the date, time and location of the next meeting. Each meeting has, as a resource, an ATAC facilitator.

Outcomes of ATF Meetings

The efforts of all ATF meeting participants will produce the following outcomes:

  1. Implementation of the Arizona Transfer Model to ensure that community college students may transfer to Arizona public universities with a minimum loss of credits toward a baccalaureate degree bymaking recommendations:
  1. to confirm current baccalaureate degrees within the discipline specific ATF in categories/pathways that articulate with the two-year transfer degrees.
  2. for the placement of new baccalaureate degrees in categories and/or pathways with which they articulate
  3. to increase commonality among lower-division requirements of majors shared by two or more institutions. This includes general education requirements and defining and maintaining at least six credits of lower-division coursework common to the shared university majors.
  4. to increase commonality between lower-division course requirements of majors shared by two or more institutions.
  5. for a minimum of six common lower-division credits for all majors
  6. for the appropriate level for new courses according to the Criteria for Upper- and Lower-Division Courses policy as developed by APASC
  7. for the appropriate Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) as part of the lower division preparation for a baccalaureate degree within the discipline specific ATF
  8. to update the Course Equivalency Guide (CEG).
  1. Providing mechanisms for anticipating and/or resolving transfer issues by:
  1. Communicating accurate information for use by community college students regarding degree program requirements of the universities and the transferability of community college courses to those programs specifically within the appropriate transfer pathway.
  2. Posting the completed ATF Report and Approved Meeting Notes within 14 days, including:
  1. Institutions represented at the meeting (including names of participants)
  2. Pathway (new, confirmed or changed)
  3. Common courses (new, confirmed or changed)
  4. Summary of addressed agenda items that require follow up
  5. Summary of issues to be shared with APASC
  6. Programmatic changes as they are under development:
  7. identifying the impact of proposed programmatic changes under development at the community colleges or universities which may affect the transferability of credits or blocks of credits (pathways and AGECs);
  8. identifying the impact of proposed changes to courses.
  9. Date, location, host, chair and tentative agenda items for the meeting of the next academic year.

Responsibilities Before, During and After the ATF meetings

In order for the meetings to run smoothly, the collaborative efforts of many are required.

  1. Articulation Facilitator
  1. Before the meeting
  1. Remind institutional ATAC representatives to update their faculty members on all appropriate ATFs
  2. First week in August, send an email to all discipline specific ATF members with day, date and time of their ATF meeting, link to calendar, and indicate that they will receive more information from the Articulation Facilitator and the ATAC facilitator for that meeting closer to the meeting date.
  3. 30 days (August and September) prior to the meeting, send an email to the meeting Chair, Host and ATAC Facilitator
  4. Meeting details (day/date/time/location/responsibilities of Chair and Host)
  5. Include links so the Chair and the Host can access the Chatlines to post agenda, directions, etc.
  6. 30 days prior to the meeting send email to ATF membership
  1. During the meeting
  2. If attending, support the Chair and ATAC facilitator
  3. After the meeting
  1. Contact Chair and ATAC facilitator if ATF Report is not posted within 14 days
  2. Review ATF Report for items that need to be presented to APASC
  3. Review ATF Report for items to follow up on
  4. If report is not posted within 30 days, contact the institutional ATAC representative at the institution at which the Chair works, for assistance
  1. Institutional ATAC Representatives
  2. Before the meeting
  1. During summer, update institutional membership lists for each ATF in which your faculty participate
  2. Review prefixes (and update as needed) and the Common Course Matrices
  3. University representatives, update degrees and pathways list
  4. Coordinate a training program for ATF chairs, hosts, and members as needed.
  5. Provide electronic copies of information that needs to be discussed at appropriate ATF meetings
  1. ATAC Facilitators for the meeting
  1. Before the meeting
  2. 30 days prior to meeting, contact chair (and host if appropriate) to discuss the agenda and the meeting in general
  3. Review prior ATF Reports and ATF Meeting Notes before you go to the ATF meeting to ensure that appropriate changes have been made
  4. Review Common Course Matrix for the ATF
  5. Contact fellow ATAC members to discuss any discrepancies from previous years, prior to meeting
  6. During the meeting
  7. Present the Statewide Update PowerPoint
  8. It is optional to bring documents to the meeting (or ask members to bring only if there are changes)

-Paper to use as an attendance sheet

-Common Course Matrices

-CEG pages – be sure to announce all changes to ensure they are on the ATF Report and in the meeting notes.

c. Review business components of meeting

i. Review Common Course Matrix for updates

- Pathways (confirm)

- AGEC (confirm)

- Shared majors

- Common and elective courses

ii. CEG pages; ask for updates/changes

-If faculty wish to change existing equivalencies, record their names, institutions and recommended equivalency changes; enter into ATF CEG change form; remind them that all recommendations will be reviewed by home institutions;

-All other CEG business (new courses, modified courses, and deletions) are handled through the regular ACETS process

  1. Request that each member review membership and contact institutional ATAC representative to report changes
  1. After the meeting
  2. Initiate the ATF Report – send Chair email to access preliminary ATF Report for review
  3. When Chair gives approval, hit “Final Submit” and “Set Approved” for posting
  4. ATF Meeting Notes can be reviewed by membership
  5. Attach Meeting Notes and any other documents to ATF Report and post to Meeting Calendar
  1. Chair
  1. Before the meeting
  2. Review information on ATF Portal Page
  3. At least 21 days prior to the meeting coordinate details with the host
  4. At least 21 days prior to the meeting send an email to the members regarding:

i. Details of the meeting

ii. Meeting agenda (and ask for agenda items)

  1. Ask them to review their institutional information on the ATF Portal Page
  2. Post agenda to Meeting Calendar which can then also be accessed from the Portal Page
  1. During the meeting
  1. Identify a person to take the ATF Meeting Notes
  2. Distribute a sign in/attendance sheet
  3. Coordinate business items with the ATAC facilitator
  4. Lead the members through all other agenda items and institutional reports
  1. After the meeting
  2. Request that the meeting notes be sent to you and ATAC facilitator (optional: they can be sent to the membership for review)
  3. Work with the ATAC facilitator to ensure accuracy of the ATF Report
  4. Ensure that all documents that need to be posted to the ATF Report are sent to you and/or the ATAC facilitator electronically
  5. Work with ATAC facilitator to ensure that the ATF Report (and if possible ATF Meeting Notes) are posted within 14 days of the meeting
  1. Host
  1. Before the meeting
  1. Confirm with the chair, the date and time for the ATF meeting
  2. Schedule room with computer, projector and Internet access
  3. Make parking arrangements
  4. Providing refreshments and/or lunch is optional, just let members know if it is a no-host lunch
  5. Post to the Meeting Calendar/ Portal Page
  6. Meeting details
  7. Directions and maps to and of campus
  8. Recommendation for lodging
  9. Parking information
  10. Make special accommodation arrangements if requested
  1. During the meeting
  1. Optional: ask an administrator to give a “Welcome” to your guests
  2. Review “housekeeping” items: location of restrooms; lunch plans; etc.
  1. After the meeting – no responsibilities
  1. Members
  2. Before the meeting
  1. Be aware (from institutional ATAC representative) that there is an ATF Handbook available as a reference, which can be accessed from the Portal Page
  2. If you need special accommodations, let the chair, host and the articulation facilitator know at least three weeks prior to the meeting, if possible
  3. Participate in the institutional training provided by your institutional ATAC representative
  1. Lead Members
  1. Before the meeting
  1. Review the following from your ATF Portal Page
  2. Meeting details
  3. Common Course Matrix: pathway, AGEC, shared majors, common courses and elective courses, if applicable
  4. Institutional membership list for your ATF
  5. CEG pages (which can be accessed by linking to the appropriate College Course Prefix on the ATF Portal Pages)
  1. Prepare to provide an update about your institution; be ready to send it electronically
  2. Consult with your institutional colleagues concerning articulation issues or other agenda items for the ATF meeting
  3. Communicate concerns and issues with ATF members from other institutions so that articulation activities may be handled efficiently during the meeting
  4. Be prepared to discuss course or program changes, additions or deletions that have been proposed or approved since the last ATF meeting
  5. Be prepared to discuss the AGEC
  6. Discuss with your chief academic officer the possibility of volunteering to chair and/or host the next ATF meeting
  1. During the meeting
  2. Recommend and tentatively approve changes to course equivalencies and provide these to the designated institution ATAC representative
  3. Recommend and respond to modifications, additions and/or deletions to Common Course Matrices.