Articulation Committee Handbook - Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the process to be followed when an institution changes its curriculum?
2. New programs and disciplines emerge all the time. How are new articulation committees formed for such programs?
3. Who pays for articulation committee meetings?
4. My institution is hosting the meeting this year. What is expected of us?
5. We want to organize some other activities for our members in conjunction with the articulation committee meeting. Is that a problem?
6. What happens to committees that don't meet?
7. Our committee is concerned that an institution has not sent a member for several years. How can we encourage them to attend?
8. When do Ministry representatives attend articulation meetings?
9. Our meetings have a tendency to go off track. How do we avoid that?
10. What roles does the secondary school representative play on our committee?
11. How do we identify a secondary school representative?
12. How are links maintained between the Adult Basic Education (ABE) Working Groups and their counterpart articulation committees?
13. When is it appropriate to invite representatives from private post-secondary institutions?
14. As chair of my articulation committee, I have been asked to sit on a provincial committee. Is this part of my duties?

1. What is the process to be followed when an institution changes its curriculum?

One of the primary purposes of Articulation Committees is to provide a forum for the discussion of curricular issues, especially as they relate to articulation. Institutions that receive transfer students should discuss at articulation meetings upcoming changes which may/will affect transfer. They also have a duty to ensure that all sending institutions are well informed about proposed changes even if they do not have a representative at the articulation meeting.

There are three key elements to this consultation process:

1. All details of the proposed curricular changes should be explicit. Information such as calendar descriptions and course outlines; significant changes in assessment/evaluation practices; proposed changes in prerequisites, degree or credential requirements; changes to course levels (e.g. from lower division to upper division) should be provided. Feedback from affected sending institutions should be sought. Within the sending institutions it is important that the articulation contact person inform other faculty and relevant administrators of the proposed changes.
   
2. Adequate timelines should be established for the implementation of curricular changes which will allow for sending institutions to respond. This response may include adapting their own curriculum to fit the proposed changes and this can be a time-consuming process requiring "grandparenting" provisions.
   
3. The implications for transfer should be thoroughly examined, including the implications outside the immediate department. For example, if a credit value changes from assigned to unassigned for a certain math course, will that course still be acceptable as fulfilling the math requirements in another program?

*Remember that good communication is two-way.
If in doubt, ask for information!*

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2. New programs and disciplines emerge all the time. How are new articulation committees formed for such programs?

Because there are significant costs to the system, to individual institutions, and to BCCAT to establish and maintain articulation committees, new committees are not established unless approved by the Transfer and Articulation Committee of BCCAT. In order for a new committee to be established, the discipline must be distinct and widespread in the post-secondary system, and the new committee must not duplicate the work of another committee. Therefore, one of the first options to consider is whether or not an existing committee can provide the appropriate venue for the discussions. If an existing committee cannot accommodate the needs of the new or emerging group, that group should forward a proposal for the establishment of a new articulation committee to BCCAT.

This proposal should be as comprehensive as possible, and address the following items:

• a detailed rationale for the establishment of the new group;
• a description of the work it will undertake and the issues it will address;
• a list of the potential membership or representative groups including, as appropriate, ministry, secondary school, private sector or other representation;
• a plan for chairing, and for taking and distributing minutes;
• statements of support for the establishment of the committee from each participating institution's Dean or Director; and
• frequency and location of meetings and/or plans for electronic communication.

Once the proposal has been received, it will be adjudicated by the Transfer and Articulation Committee at their next meeting. Discussions with other interested parties (e.g. Deans' groups, Ministry responsible for Advanced Education) will form part of the adjudication process where appropriate. The Executive Director of the Council will communicate the decision of that committee to the proponent group.

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3. Who pays for articulation committee meetings?

The budget for institutional representatives to attend articulation committee meetings is disbursed to each institution by the Ministry as part of the annual budgetary allocation process. Therefore, each institution is responsible to pay for the costs associated with sending a representative.

[NOTE: While BCCAT reimburses the expenses of articulation committee chairs to attend the BCCAT Annual Meeting, it does not have any budget to cover costs associated with articulation committee meetings (apart from the attendance of BCCAT staff members).]

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4. My institution is hosting the meeting this year. What is expected of us?

Many committees rotate their meeting location among member institutions. If you are hosting the meeting, it's a good idea to ensure that you have the support of your institution. Since the host department does not incur travel costs to send a representative to the meeting, it is usually able to provide a meeting room, food, and miscellaneous support such as photocopying. However, this is sometimes beyond the budget of the department, and in this case the committee usually covers the expenses by sharing the costs among members.

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5. We want to organize some other activities for our members in conjunction with the articulation committee meeting. Is that a problem?

Many articulation committees organize professional development events in conjunction with the meeting, or schedule their meeting to coincide with a conference related to their discipline. Others take the opportunity to engage in work related to curriculum development. The important thing is to distinguish between what is articulation committee business (see the Terms of Reference for Articulation Committees) and what is "other" business. The agenda that goes out to all members in advance of the meeting should be clear on this point. While all post-secondary institutions in BC recognize the importance of professional development and instruction-related activities, and in many cases the advantage of tying such events to articulation committee attendance, most have different budgeting mechanisms for this type of travel. Institutions have told BCCAT that they need to be clear about the nature and purpose of the travel which they are funding.

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6. What happens to Committees that don't meet?

It is understood that due to the evolving nature of post-secondary fields, articulation committees which may once have been needed, may no longer be relevant and may stop meeting. Where a committee has not supplied contact information, has not returned requests for information, or does not appear to have met for a period of two academic years, BCCAT will assume that the committee is no longer operative. Notification that this committee will be removed from the list of BCCAT approved committees will be sent to the last recorded chair and SLP of the committee, and will also be noted next to the name of the committee on the BCCAT website. If feasible, institutions which participated in the articulation committee will also be notified. If no request to continue is received, or no activity occurs, the committee will be deleted from the list of approved articulation committees. In order to be reinstated, the committee must re-apply for approval, using the format developed for approval of new committees.

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7. Our committee is concerned that an institution has not sent a member for several years. How can we encourage them to attend?

A personal approach by the articulation committee chair, such as a phone call or e-mail to the appropriate department, school or division chair/head, can help to clarify why a representative is not attending, and provide encouragement to do so. If the chair perceives a problem, he/she can also request help from BCCAT.

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8. When do Ministry representatives attend articulation meetings?

Several committees deal with subject areas which have corresponding responsibilities within the Ministry, looked after by a Coordinator, Manager or Director. Depending on the subject area, Ministry representation at articulation meetings may be well-established and ongoing, occasional or project-specific. Ministry representation is especially important in cases where curriculum review, new program development, or changes to provincial regulations which may affect your subject area, are being directed or coordinated within the Ministry. If you are not sure whether or not to invite a Ministry representative, or whom to contact, BCCAT will be glad to put you in touch with the appropriate person. This refers to the ministries responsible for both the secondary and the post-secondary sectors.

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9. Our meetings have a tendency to go off track. How do we avoid that?

When faculty from the same discipline get together from all over the province, there is a natural inclination to discuss items of common concern. The challenge is to make sure that such discussions are germane to the terms of reference for articulation committees as outlined in this handbook. Chairs should help orient the whole group to the mandate of the committee, the process of articulation and the relationship of the committee to the BCCAT. Some time can be spent at the beginning of each meeting (especially when guests have been invited or where many members are new) on such a discussion/ orientation.

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10. What roles does the secondary representative play on our committee?

The secondary school representative is a full voting member of the committee. The purpose of including a representative from the secondary schools is to improve communication and articulation between the two sectors. The person, therefore, should be someone who is appropriately qualified and can speak knowledgeably about the subject area as it pertains to the secondary school curriculum, and can represent the interests of that sector. As with all other members, he/she represents a curricular area or program, and has no authority to speak for, or make decisions binding upon a school, or an association. Secondary school representatives should make reasonable efforts to communicate with their colleagues, through their professional associations or networks, about the agenda and decisions of articulation committees. It is recognized, however, that this can be difficult, given the number of secondary schools and the limited representation. It is also helpful if he/she can assist in finding and providing orientation for a new representative if no longer able to serve.

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11. How do we identify a secondary school representative for our committee?

This process is currently under discussion. Please refer back to this page in the future for further information.

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12. How are links maintained between the Adult Basic Education (ABE) Working Groups and their counterpart articulation committees?

It is essential to provide linkages between ABE and post-secondary programs in the same discipline, similar to the linkages provided between the secondary and post-secondary sectors by the secondary school representatives. Both the Transfer & Articulation Committee of BCCAT, and the Deans & Directors of Developmental Education endorse the addition of ABE representatives to articulation committees. The ABE Working Group chair appoints a member to sit on each counterpart articulation committee, to act as a liaison between the two committees. The normal practice is that the representative will come from the locality in which the articulation committee meeting will take place and therefore may be a different person each year. The ABE representative is a full voting member of the articulation committee and has the responsibility to report back to his/her working group, and to speak to issues related to communications, coordination and articulation between the two sectors. If an articulation chair is unsure if his/her committee should invite an ABE representative, he/she should contact BCCAT.

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13. When is it appropriate to invite representatives from private post-secondary institutions?

Private institutions that are members of the BC Transfer System are required to send representatives to articulation committees and these representatives are full voting members. Inviting individuals from other private institutions will vary from committee to committee. It is in the best interest of both public and private institutions to maintain as open a communication as possible in curricular areas where significant articulation agreements exist or where the private institutions are offering similar programs. In these cases, articulation committees can decide whether representatives from private institutions should be invited to attend and whether they should participate as visitors/observers or as full members.

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14. As chair of my articulation committee, I have been asked to sit on a provincial committee. Is this part of my duties?

Since articulation committees represent considerable bodies of expertise in subject areas, they may be asked from time to time to send representatives to other committees or task forces. Such involvement can be desirable and mutually beneficial, but it can also present a dilemma for the committee. There is normally no funding for members' or chairs' activities beyond the committee meetings themselves and invitational workshops held by the BCCAT, and no release time from teaching duties for additional responsibilities. Chairs or representatives are advised to request any necessary funding from the organization requesting the representation. They should also seek the permission and support of their own departments to engage in "extra" activities.