New Brunswick Council On

New Brunswick Council on

Articulations and Transfer

(NBCAT)

2013–2014 Annual Report

DATE: March 2014

NBCATAnnual Report 2013-2014Page 1

1.INTRODUCTION

To ensure an on-going improvement and enlargement of opportunities for learner mobility, the establishment of a New Brunswick Council on Articulations and Transfer (NBCAT) and the New Brunswick Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition Action Group (NBPLAR) in 2010, has shown its true value in working cooperatively among post-secondary institutions and other stakeholders for the benefit of learners.

With the birth of NBCAT & NBPLAR, New Brunswick’s post-secondary institutions and other stakeholders have joined forces to facilitate student mobility, enabling students to have a more seamless educational experience in attaining their post-secondary credentials. And there has been and we will continue to see an increase in awareness, a better understanding and common use of Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) best practices and common tools in NB.

1.1The NBCAT members (Council and CPC)

The Council

Name / Nom / Title / Titre / Organization / Organisation
Anthony Secco(Chair) / Vice-President Fredericton
Academic / University of New Brunswick
(UNB)
Jean-Jacques Doucet(Vice-Chair) / Vice-président
Formation et réussite étudiante / Collège Communautaire du
Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB)
Karen Grant / Provost and Vice-President,
Academic & Research / MountAllison University (MTA)
Bill Best/ Terry Dempsey (as of January 2014) / Vice-President Academic / New Brunswick Community
College (NBCC)
Dr. Barry Craig / Vice-President Academic / St. Thomas University (STU)
Neil Boucher / Vice recteur à l’enseignement et à
la recherche / Université deMoncton (UdeM)
Keith McAlpine / Academic Dean / New Brunswick College of Craft
and Design (NBCCD)
Frank Vandenburg (Staff) / Associate Director, NBCAT / Post-Secondary Education,
Training and Labour (PETL)
Philip Bélanger (Staff) / Executive Director, NBCAT / Post-Secondary Education,
Training and Labour (PETL)

Contact Persons Committee (CPC)

Name / Nom / Title / Titre / Organization / Organisation
Pascal Robichaud(Chair) / Registraire / UdeM
Chris Harris (Vice-Chair) / Registrar / NBCC
Chris Parker / Registrar / MTA
Thérèse Finn-McGraw /
Marie-France Lanteigne(as of January 2014) / Registraire / CCNB
Karen Preston / Registrar / STU
David Hinton / Registrar / UNB
Nancy Beaulieu / Registrar / NBCCD
Mark Bishop / Registrar / University of New Brunswick
Saint John (UNBSJ)
Sheldon Macleod
Lori Leach / Assistant VP of Enrolment Services
Manager / Crandall University
Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification (AOC)
Frank Vandenburg (Staff) / Associate Director, NBCAT / PETL
Philip Bélanger(Staff) / Executive Director, NBCAT / PETL

1.2The NBCAT Meetings (Council and CPC)

The Council is to meet at least 2 times a year. Additional meetings on special issues that arise may be called by the Chair as needed. The NBCAT meetings this year were held as follows:

• April 10, 2013: PETL, Fredericton, NB
• April 15, 2014: PETL, Fredericton, NB

The CPC is to meet 4 times/year in person and using tele/video conference. Additional meetings on special issues that arise may be called as needed. The CPC meetings this year were held as follows:

• January 21, 2013: STU, Fredericton, NB
• June05, 2013: U de M, Moncton, NB
• August 28, 2013: Crandall University, Moncton, NB
• December 12, 2013: MTA, Sackville, NB

Approved minutes are available upon request and are to be posted on the NBCAT portal repository.

2.OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF 2013-2014

This annual report assesses the past year’s activities and achievements against the desired outcomes and performance measures identified in the NBCAT operational plan for each action item.

2.1 Web Portal and Communications

Actions

/

Timelines

/

Outcomes

/

Comments

Maintain and update the web portal and NBCAT Web Site to be consistently informative / On-going / An assurance protocol for the maintenance of continuous portal data updates was officially signed by all participating institutions. The NBCAT web site now includes a portal video for usage guidance. Information updates will be added in the early months of the next fiscal 2014-15.
Expand the portal to include credit transfer and formal transfer agreements from other provinces in Canada to participating NB receiving institutions / On-going / The portal now includes formal transfer agreements with PS institutions in the other provinces across the country. The next steps are to include transferable course credits from PS institutions across the country and formal agreements with PS institutions outside the country to NB receiving institutions. Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification (AOC) transferable course credits have also be added to the portal as of March 2014. / These accomplishments are due to the continued dedication and support of the NBCAT’s Contact Persons Committeemember institutions joining forces for such cooperative efforts.
Implement an NBCAT
Awareness Strategy through an oversight committee composed of institutional reps implicated with communications and marketing. / On-going / A NBCAT awareness strategy oversight committee was established in May, 2013and a Portal / NBCAT model brochure was developed for testing within the member institutions. Some were also used as handouts when presenting to targeted groups and at special events such as the NBCDAG & CAPLA annual conference.To date the feedback has been very positive with an increase in demand for more. Thus, based on feedback received from the model brochures testing any required fine tuning will be made and a large portion will be produced for continued awareness enhancement in 2014-15. / It was critical to have the NBCAT awareness oversight committee established,which the work to date will lead to on-going awareness enhancement.
Host Annual General Meeting of NB institutions and other stakeholders. / 2013-14 / The AGM was held in April 2014, and given that we are to enter the 5th anniversary of NBCAT, it was deemed as an excellent opportunity to include some brainstorming, reflecting onpast years and share thoughts and visions for continued improvement and growth. Based on the outcomes of the sessions led by a professional facilitator, recommendations will be made to PETL
Host a second stakeholder symposium in collaboration with the NBPLAR Action Group. / 2014 / Given the productive outcome of the first time symposium in 2012, it was highly recommended that a second symposium, with the added participation of student and industry representation take place in the spring of 2014. The PETL funding was officially approved in December 2013, thus due to limited timelines it was recommended and endorsed by PETL that the symposium be postponed to the Fall of 2014.

2.2Transfer & Articulation Agreements

Actions

/

Timelines

/

Outcomes

/

Comments

Continue work of the active articulation and transfer sub-committees and establish new sub-committees as needed / 2013-14 / The PETL funded CCNB - UdeM inter-institutional pilot project that was initiated in 2011presented some very productive outcomes. Thus, it was extended till March 2014. Inspired by the francophone successful model, there were efforts put into exploring the possibility of an Anglophone model. Given the fact that there is more than one university on the Anglophone side, it proved to be challenging to ensure viability. Thus the idea has been put on hold for future consideration.
LPN-BN: Thepilot projectproviding LPN graduates from the NBCC and CCNB the opportunity to pursue their education towards a BN at UNBSJ via successful completion of bridging courses, was officially launched in May 2013.It is being officially implemented with a first cohortin January 2014.
Things continue to progressfor the revamping of the CCNB LPN program curriculum in order to ensure a pathway of transferability to the BN program at UdeM.
Business sub-committee:The initial objective was to have a common credit transfer information package that could be made available to NBCC and CCNB graduates for choice of transfer to MTA, UNB, UNBSJ, UdeM or Crandall in the field of business. With the change in the CPA standards progress was stalled.However, given the growing demand for management skills in the field of IT and CS, work is underway to explore potential transfer agreement related to IT-CS and Business programs.
UdeM and the CCNB reinforced their collaborative efforts by launching new articulated programs: Applied Bachelor’s degree in managing financial services, technology, information and leadership. Two other agreements in the field of business administration are about to be launched as well: Applied Bachelor’s degree in managing client relations, and transportation and logistics.
Engineering -IT/ CS sub-committee:Given the growing opportunities to enhance movement in the field of IT and CS, it was determined that the best avenue would be to establish two (2) working groups, one to focus on IT-CS and the other on Engineering. A transfer agreement was struck between NBCC and UNB providing a model for CCNB & UdeM and leading to the potential cross-transfer agreement among all four (4) participating institutions.
Based on shared information of existing course transfers presently recognized and the analysis of existing models in other jurisdictions, the Engineering Working Group recommended that there be a gap analysis conducted. Thus, the possibility of professional services retained to conduct a gap analysis between NBCC, CCNB, UNB & UdeM programs related to civil engineering are presently being explored. / It could still be looked at as a possible way to support the enhancement of inter-institutional transfer agreements by having resources allocated to coordinate the workpending its sustainability.
This successful collaborative work has shown true worth in continuing to move forward with such initiatives in other fields of studies.
.
The continued collaborative work ofaddressing challenges to transfer agreementshaslead to a shared vision for more student mobility among participating institutions.
The determination of the participating member institutions to keep moving forward by exploring all potential options has resultedin finding the best avenues for the will to find its way.
Develop a mechanism for High School Transcript Electronic Transfer in cooperation with EECD / 2014-15 / UdeM was given the lead by NBCAT and allocated PETL funding for the development of a High School Transcript Electronic Transfer mechanism.UdeM has been working in cooperation with the ministry of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) and CPC member institutions. Also, there have been certain delays due tochanges at EECD the work is progressing well aiming at productive outcomes by 2015. / This is foreseen as a valuable collaborative model to simplify and accelerate the transfer of transcripts from High School to PS institutions as well as PS transcripts among institutions in NB, which will also help accelerate the process for credit transfer.
Continue to liaise with institutions to encourage enhancements in provincial and inter-provincial transfer / On-going / NBCAT has established strong relationships with existing CATs (BC, AB, ON)and other jurisdiction across the country for growth in facilitating provincial and inter-provincial transfer. NBCAT has also maintainedcontinuous liaisons withthe Pan-Canadian Consortium on Admissions and Transfer (PCCAT), the CMEC working group on Credit Transfer (WGCT) and Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC), and the Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment (CAPLA) / These liaisonshave proven to value better communication, understanding and reliance among participating institutions in-province and throughout the country. This is an important action to maintain as on-going in all annual action plans.
Support recommended transfer and articulation initiatives / On-going / Beyond the three initiated articulation pilot projects andthe CCNB-UdeM inter-institutional service project, NBCAT will continuously provide support for any recommended articulation projects in other fields of interest. / This activity is viewed upon as very valuable and should remain as on-going in all annual action plans.
Continue work on producing a best practices guide / 2013-14 / The Principles on Transfer of Credit developed in 2011-12 were to be reviewed in 2013-14 to produce an official best practice guide. But given the launch of the PCCAT-ARUCC project for the development of a National Transcript and Transfer guide, it was deemed more appropriate to focus on having our member institutions participate in the development of a national guide, aimed at being a common guide for best practices across the country. / The development of thisNational Transcript and Transfer Guide is foreseen as a valuable step towards enhancing harmonized transcription practices and student mobility in provinces and across Canada.
Develop a common practice for sharing information on institutional updates among NBCAT members. / 2013-14 / This was to be part of producing a best practice guide in 2013-14. But given the development of a national transcript and transfer guide in progress, it is recommended that the focus be ondeveloping a hub in 2014-15 that will allow NBCAT member institutions to share information, research, and data updates.
Develop a common practice for inter-institutional student referrals for optional studies. / 2013-14 / Given the timelines and other activities in order of priority, it was agreed that it be better to postpone this activity to 2014-15

2.3 Research

Actions

/

Timelines

/

Outcomes

/

Comments

Explore with MPHEC the possibility of a data information sharing agreement / 2013-14 / There has not been much development, given certain timelines and other priority activities, but will remain as an activity for further discussions to take place in 2014-15. / It is recommended that this be continued in 2014-15.
Review the benchmarking model first implemented in 2012-13 for continuous improvement to measure the overall transfer effectiveness on an annual basis / 2013-14 / The benchmarking model implemented in 2012-13, now including the compiled provincial stats in the annual report, was reviewed by the CPC in 2013-14. Itwas recommended that there be a more consistent definition of credit hours / unit hours and that an explanation note be added in the statsreport pertaining to the outcomes. / Given the on-going development of student mobility, there will always be room for improvement. Thus, it is recommended that there be an annual review of the benchmarking model as part of the NBCAT Chart of activities.
Undertake research on completion rates for transfer students, and others that will help inform and shape policy and practice, as needed / On-going / NBCAT has and will continue supporting the PCCAT- ARUCC development of a National Transcript and Transfer guide in 2014-15.However more on-going detailed research will be required to continuously improve practices and provide information for shaping policies.

2.4PLAR

Actions

/

Timelines

/

Outcomes

/

Comments

Expand on the PLAR Awareness Strategy launched in 2012-13 to enhance membership and communications with key stakeholders, including workshops and presentations province-wide. / On-going / To ensure that the strategy would be effective a series of research activities were undertaken, as well as awareness-building activities including sponsorship of PLAR-related webinars and presentations at key conferences and national meetings. A new, more active awareness and membership recruitment strategy was agreed to in March 2014. / While there has been significant growth in awareness of PLAR activities in NB, the new strategy for 2014-15 promises even more growth in awareness.
Develop a Contact guide for PLAR practitioners with assessment expertise. / On-going / Part of the awareness research included reaching out to practitioners-this activity will form the basis of a more detailed guide in 2014-15.
Follow-up on recommended actions in accordance with the feasibility study for a Provincial PLAR service including:

• The development of QA benchmarksfor NB PLAR
• The development of an on-line NB PLAR training
• The compilation and publication of best practices resources

/ On-going / The focus of the proposed actions remain with the awareness strategy including:

• NB is participating in a PAN-Canadian project for the development of QA benchmarks related to PLAR that will finish in Fall 2015;
• Online training is now available, more may be considered;
• The work on the other activities meant that this had to be deferred to 2014-15.However the pan-Canadian jurisdictional review that was a part of the Competence New Brunswick environmental scan offered a number of potential best practices to be included.

/ The Competence NB initiative has moved the focus from a PLAR service to a broader assessment service.
Host a second NBCAT & NBPLAR stakeholder symposium. / 2014 / Given the productive outcome of the first time symposium in 2012, it was highly recommended that a second symposium, with the added participation of student and industry representation take place in the spring of 2014. NBPLAR has Partnered with NBCAT and the PETL funding was only officially approved in December 2013. Due to limited timelines it was recommended and endorsed by PETL that the symposium be postponed to the Fall of 2014. / NBPLAR firmly believes that this is a very valuable initiative that should be considered as an annual event in conjunction with NBCAT.
Continue to liaise with other PLAR jurisdictions. / On-going / There continues to be more liaison development with other jurisdictions, the Canadian Association for Prior Learning (CAPLA), and the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC).
Work closely with NBCAT to develop a PLAR recognized unit into the Portal. / 2013-14 / This initiative is still in the works with the anticipation that there will be a PLAR component with a tab on the Portal in the next fiscal 2014-15.
Enhance the number of PLAR development initiatives with the funding source for small-scale PLAR projects. / On-going / Since the launch of the funding for small-scale projects, even with attempts to enhance the number of projects, there have only been a few submissions. Thus, this activity will be reviewed to adjust the process in order to determine its continuation.
3.NBCAT Financial Statement2013-2014
PETL Fundingallocated for activities / $343,000.00
Expenses
Overhead Costs (office supplies, hardware and software purchase & maintenance, Cell / Blackberry usage, printing, conference calls, copying, postage and Translation) / 12, 890.42
Business meeting and conferences expenses(NBCAT, CPC, articulation pilot project sub-committees, NB PLAR Action Group, CAPLA and PCCAT) including room rental, equipment, staff travel (including, registrations, subscriptions and conference fees) and services. / 11,693.06
Research / Professional Services (PPCAT - ARUCC National Transfer Guide project contribution, CCNB-UdeM inter-institutional project, Portal Updates and Maintenance,NBCAT brochure design and production, NBPLAR awareness project, contribution to the CAPLA annual conference) / 270,000.00
Other activities in accordance with the validated chart of activities(including NBCAT & NBPLAR Stakeholder Symposium (2014), NBCAT AGMand follow up on articulation pilot projects. / 40,600.00
Membership dues and fees / 500.00
Total Expenses / 335,683.48
Deficit / Surplus / $7,316.52
4.Recommended Action for 2014-15