Legislature(2019 - 2020)BUTROVICH 205
01/31/2019 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB31 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 31 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SB 31-UNIVERSITY CURRICULA; TRANSFER CREDITS
9:00:22 AM
CHAIR STEVENS announced consideration of SB 31. Senator Stevens
said his intent is to introduce and hear testimony on SB 31 and
hold the bill in committee.
9:00:41 AM
TIM LAMKIN, Staff, Senator Gary Stevens, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, said that SB 31 is an effort to
improve the transparency of the transfer process of credits for
students transferring between schools in the University of
Alaska (UA) system. Historically, across the nation, students
have lost nearly half their college credits when transferring
from one school to another. They deplete their financial aid by
having to repeat courses. Often, to save money, students tend to
go to a lower-cost community college before going to a
university to complete a bachelor's degree. They are often
frustrated to learn that the base courses they have taken don't
transfer and must be repeated. That means more time and money
before they can graduate.
MR. LAMKIN said that data for 2004-2009 from the U.S. Department
of Education confirms this. This bill is an effort to improve
that. He said he did want to acknowledge the efforts made by the
UA Board of Regents. The board has a policy that addresses this,
but there is no statute. They have made strides to improve the
alignment of curriculum across the campuses and transferability
of credits, but the question before the committee is whether it
is enough.
MR. LAMKIN said the question for the UA system for decades has
been, "Are we one or are we three." The Board of Regents
wrangles with this question and the transfer of credit. He
pointed out that the bill packets contain a study by the
Education Commission of the States (ECS) that has a breakdown
state-by-state regarding four questions regarding the
transferablity of core, lower division courses. These include do
they have common, statewide course numbering, guaranteed
transfer of an associate degree, and statewide reverse transfer.
MR. LAMKIN said he looked specifically at the transferability of
the core, lower division courses. There is a board policy that
indicates that a student who completes a general education
requirement (GER) at one campus can transfer that to another
university.
MR. LAMKIN said that common course numbering and transferability
of associate degrees is encouraged, but not guaranteed.
9:05:16 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO said that it was surprising that
transferability of credit requires a bill. She referenced a
comprehensive study looking at all challenges the university
faces. She said she would like a report on the status of all
those issues. Transferability was one of the major frustrations
for students and was highlighted in the [James] Fisher report.
CHAIR STEVENS noted that Mr. Lamkin served on the Board of
Regents while a student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
(UAF).
MR. LAMKIN said he has the official report on file. He also
noted that he was the Vice President of the Board of Regents and
the first student regent elevated to the executive level of the
board.
9:06:34 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said in the EDC report about the transferability
of credits, some states were shown as yeses to all four
questions. Alaska was shown as a yes to one and no to three. The
yes question was for board policy regarding transferability of
credit. She asked if the legislation was needed if the transfer
of GERs in the system already was board policy.
MR. LAMKIN said the question is if the policy that is in place
is enough. Half the states have statutes to reinforce that and
half do not. The online versions of each campus's GERs appear to
align, but part of bill is to ensure that it is easy and
transparent for students to understand.
9:08:39 AM
SENATOR BIRCH cited an instance of someone encountering
differences between journalism programs at UAA and UAF. He said
he looks forward to hearing from the university about progress
to alleviate this situation, absent legislation. He asked if the
loss of accreditation for the UAA School of Education would
affect the transferability of those credits.
CHAIR STEVENS said progress has been made. When he was with the
university 20 years ago, students were upset about having to
repeat classes. He understands that campuses can have different
course requirements, but it is appropriate to ask the university
about this issue. He said he hopes to hear from students and
faculty about whether they feel this legislation is needed.
9:11:11 AM
MR. LAMKIN presented the sectional for SB 31, version M. He
noted that the language was drafted from an Oregon law adopted
in 2017:
Sec. 1: Adds a new section to the duties of the University of
Alaska (UA) to include: AS 14.40.185
(A) The Board of Regents (BOR) shall establish foundational
curriculum for each major degree program, identifying a
list of required first-year, lower division courses that
will be fully transferable between each campus of the UA
system. In establishing the foundational curriculum, the
BOR shall:
1. Consult with Directors from each campus of the
UA system;
2. Evaluate current lower division courses
offered at each campus for transferability
between campuses;
3. Identify major areas of study based on
workforce demand and academic need;
4. Publicly disclose the criteria used to
establish the foundational curricula and major
areas of study;
5. Distribute the foundational curriculum for
each major area of study to each campus of the
University of Alaska for replication;
6. Determine and describe the courses, completion
standards, and the optimal number of academic
credits for the foundational curriculum for an
academic degree program in each major area of
study;
7. Update the foundational curricula and major
areas of study as necessary;
8. Provide information and technical assistance
to each campus about implementing the
foundational curricula and the transferability
of credits; and
9. Evaluate the effect of the foundational
curricula on transferability of course credit
and report annually to the legislature on the
implementation and success of the foundational
curricula and credit transfer activity within
the UA system.
(B) Specifies the BOR shall make foundational curricula
course credit fully transferable for UA students within
the UA system.
(C) All students of UA shall be provided with information
about foundational curriculum and respective course
transferability.
CHAIR STEVENS pointed out that the bill applies only to
foundational curriculum, not every class.
SENATOR HUGHES recalled her struggle to transfer credits more
than 30 years ago when she transferred from a community college
to the university. She said she too wants to hear from students
because she has been aware of requests year after year since she
has been in the legislature for the university to step up and
make improvements.
SENATOR HUGHES asked about one year instead of two since it
usually takes two years to complete GERs to earn a bachelor's
degree. She asked why it would be for each academic program as
that implied there was different foundational curriculum for
each area of study. She asked if there could be two years of
GERs for any bachelor's degree program so that undeclared
students would not be wasting their time.
MR. LAMKIN replied that page two, lines 30-31, of the bill
refers to students who have not yet identified a major area of
study. GERs are one and two hundred level courses that are
usually for every student. He will let academicians address
that.
SENATOR HUGHES said she was confused about why there would be a
need for curriculum for each academic program. She asked whether
it could be two years instead of one.
9:20:12 AM
PAUL LAYER, Ph.D., Vice President, Academics, Students and
Research, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska,
said the university has done a lot regarding the transferablity
of credits for foundational courses or GERs. As required by
regents' policy and regulation, the university has taken steps
to ensure transferability of credits across the system. As far
as the question about whether UA is one university or three, it
is one with regard to general education requirements. UA has one
set, 34 credits, of general education or foundational courses.
It is a multiyear experience in the areas of oral and written
communications, math literacy, science literacy, and arts and
humanities.
DR. LAYER said the system has provisions that if a student
completes all or part of the GERs at any campus, those credits
will transfer across the system. He highlighted that the faculty
did a lot of work, based upon the results of the Fisher report,
to align course numbers across the system. That is relatively
new this year. For example, Writing 111 is the same at all
campuses. UA does meet those four criteria across the systems.
He thanked the Senate for the opportunity to highlight the
changes and improvements UA has made in transferability of
credits.
SENATOR HUGHES said it seems that the university is already
implementing the policy in the bill. She asked if they are still
receiving complaints from students about credit transferability.
DR. LAYER said UAF always has students who have difficulty in
transferring credits. For example, a student in an associate
program at a community campus may choose to take a geology class
that meets the requirement for an associate degree, but for a
later major should have taken chemistry. That is an advising
issue. Some of those barrier have been removed but it has not
eliminated all student concerns.
SENATOR HUGHES said that with the science course example she
could see that perhaps only one year of courses could apply to
all degrees.
DR. LAYER said that for undecided students, there are a basic
set of courses to meet requirements for almost any major:
writing, communications, and quantitative skills. An undeclared
student could have two years of curriculum in any university.
SENATOR BIRCH said in the past printed catalogs specific to a
year described degree requirements. He asked how that works
across the university system today.
DR. LAYER answered that there are no longer any printed
catalogs, but catalogs are still tied to the year. Students can
graduate under the catalog of the year they entered or the year
they graduate so that there are no moving goal posts. Catalogs
do have details about GERs and a matrix of courses across the
system that are available to meet those GERs.
9:29:17 AM
SENATOR BIRCH said his district, and Alaska in general, has a
large military contingent. Many of them are younger and
interested in advancing careers through continuous education or
degree programs. The transferablity issue has surfaced in some
of those discussions. He asked Dr. Layer to speak to the
accreditation issue in Anchorage and how it would affect
students who want to transfer credits.
DR. LAYER responded that [University of Alaska President] Dr
Johnsen will be testifying next week about the School of
Education accreditation issue. All three of the universities are
accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and
Universities (NWCCU). That means the courses are accredited by
NWCCU. UAA just successfully completed its review with that
group. The Council for the Accreditation of Education
Preparation (CAEP) focused on programmatic issues rather than
courses or curriculum issues. Some UAA education students have
transferred to UAF or UAS (University of Alaska Southeast).
DR. Layer said that most difficulty with credit transfer comes
at the upper division level. Different majors may have different
emphases at different campuses.
DR. LAYER said that as far as the military goes, there are many
transfer arrangements with outside universities to UA and
mobility within the university. Many courses are online now and
the objective is that students can take those courses across the
system and have them count toward their degrees. This has been
implemented especially for foundational or core courses.
CHAIR STEVENS said it is good to hear that students can transfer
a year of foundational courses within the UA system.
9:33:50 AM
SENATOR HUGHES commented that other states handle this through
agreements, not statutory mandate. She asked if work has been
done so that not just credits but also associate degrees will be
accepted between campuses. She offered her understanding that
although it is the UA system, the accreditation process is
separate for the campuses.
DR. LAYER answered that it is board policy to transfer an
associate degree and the foundational GERs between campuses. He
said he would like to work with the committee to show how the
university has made improvements in these areas. He said UA has
three separately accredited universities, but through policy and
regulation, has established one foundational set of GERs. The
community campuses are part of UAA, UAF, or UAS. For example, a
student at Kenai is a UAA student. This is a bit different from
most states where the community college is a separate system.
SENATOR HUGHES commented that the June 2018 Education Commission
of the States report shows Alaska as a no for statewide
guarantee of transferability of associate degrees. She asked if
that chart is incorrect.
DR. LAYER answered that he would need to look at the ECS
definition of "guarantee" because the commission's policies are
explicit regarding transferability. He pointed out that Alaska
is also a no for reverse transfer on the ECS report but it
doesn't apply because there is no separate community college
system in Alaska. Reverse transfer means that if someone
completes most of an associate degree at a community college and
then finishes courses at a university, that community college
would award an associate degree.
DR. LAYER added that the faculty completed the work on general
education courses and curriculum alignment in May of last year,
after the ECS report was compiled.
CHAIR STEVENS opened public testimony. He noted that Dr. Keith
Hamilton is a member of the Alaska State Board of Education and
Early Development and president of Alaska Christian College.
9:41:00 AM
KEITH HAMILTON, Ph.D., representing self, Soldotna, Alaska, said
he is grateful to see SB 31 but it might not go far enough. He
said that since the transfer of 100 and 200 level courses and
associate degrees in the UA system have had hiccups, he was glad
to hear the prior testimony. In the past two years, ACPE and the
State Board have sent two separate resolutions calling for a
streamlining of credit transfer from colleges that are not part
of the UA system. Dr. Hamilton said he is aware of no changes
following those resolutions.
DR. HAMILTON said as a college president, he is aware of the
difficulty of transferring credits into the UA system when not
part of the system. He has spoken with the president of Alaska
Pacific University about APU's difficulties with credit
transfer. A leader at AVTEC spoke with him about two great AVTEC
programs that UAF will accept for full transfer, but UAA would
not rearticulate an agreement when it expired. For years he has
attempted to get articulated agreements or a streamlined credit
transfer process with UA. It would be a triple win for Alaska,
for students, and the university to have seamless credit
transfer articulation among all accredited colleges throughout
the state.
CHAIR STEVENS said that is an issue beyond SB 31.
SENATOR HUGHES highlighted that Idaho requires that credits from
a regionally accredited institution must be accepted by the
public university system.
CHAIR STEVENS responded that is something that could be
considered.
SENATOR HUGHES said it seems that the university would want to
help students with two-year degrees from outside the UA system
obtain bachelor's degrees.
9:46:36 AM
MIKE COONS, representing self, Palmer, Alaska, said he opposed
SB 31 because it does not go far enough. He related that he has
an AA in emergency medicine and he found many GER courses were a
waste of time because they did not relate to his profession.
Noting that SB 31 does not address credits outside of UA, he
asked what happens to a person with more than a year of credit
who is transferred from Eielson [Air Force Base] to JBER [Joint
Base Elmendorf-Richardson]. He also asked if the average student
knows how to check on what is transferable prior to taking
courses and whether UAA will assure that counselors will be
knowledgeable about transferability.
CHAIR STEVENS said his hometown has about 2,500 Coast Guard men
and women, some of whom work on degrees while they get stationed
at various places. He described transferability as an important
issue.
9:49:58 AM
CHAIR STEVENS closed public testimony and noted there was an
indeterminate fiscal note. He held SB 31 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB031_UnivAKCreditTransfer_BillText_VersionM.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 31 |
| SB031_UnivAKCreditTransfer_SponsorStatement.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 31 |
| SB031_UnivAKCreditTransfer_Sectional_VersionM.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 31 |
| SB031_UnivAKCreditTransfers_FiscalNote01_UnivAK_28Jan2019.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 31 |
| SB031_UnivAKCreditTransfer_Research_ECS_June2018.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 31 |
| SB031_UnivAKCreditTransfer_Research_WaPost_Sept2017.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 31 |
| SB031_UnivAKCreditTransfer_Research_USNews_Nov2016.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 31 |
| SB031_UnivAKCreditTransfer_Research_InsideHigherED_June2015.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 31 |
| SB031_UnivAKCreditTransfer_Research_NewAmerica_April2015.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 31 |