How to Articulate Handbook - Assessing an Articulation Request: Best Practice

This section of the handbook is intended to guide an evaluator through the process of deciding whether and how to assign transfer credit. For the most part, this is a straightforward process, especially where courses are comparable and the course outline allows for easy assessment of equivalence. Where this is not the case, or where the assignment of credit is not obvious, there is helpful precedence and practice in the BC Transfer Guide, from which numerous examples are used.

While practice varies from institution to institution, normally a faculty member receives a course outline attached to a Transfer Credit Evaluation Form, with a request to assess the course and assign appropriate transfer credit. Once the course is assessed, the form is completed and returned to the Transfer Credit Contact (TCC) in the registrar's office, who ensures that articulation decisions are properly recorded.

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At the Receiving Institution: 7 Steps to Assessing an Articulation Request

Step	Who	To Do	Resource
1	Institutional Contact Person (ICP)	Receives request through BCCAT's online Transfer Credit Evaluation System. Sends course to appropriate department for evaluation.
2	Designated faculty member	Reviews course outline and assigns appropriate transfer credit.	More about this process and credit options in Assessing Equivalence
3	Designated faculty member	Provides explanation of any transfer credit award that is less than the desired credit. As feasible, communicates diplomatically with sending institution.	Remember the Golden Guideline in Operational Principles
4	Designated faculty member	Returns completed form to Institutional Contact Person
5	Institutional Contact Person (ICP)	Completes Transfer Credit Evaluation Form and Submits to BCCAT.	Automatic alert to ICP at sending institution and to Transfer Guide Coordinator for inclusion in the BC Transfer Guide.
6	Transfer Guide Coordinator (at BCCAT)	Updates course to course database in BC Transfer Guide. Periodically, sends summary of all changes to the online guide to institutions to verify that the data entry in the BC Transfer Guide is correct.
7	Institutional Contact Person (ICP)	Monitors change reports.

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Assessing Equivalence

Since the norms of academic autonomy include the right and responsibility of faculty members to design and teach a course as they see best, faculty teaching the same course in the same institution may not choose to teach in the same way. They may choose different texts, readings, assignments, exercises and topics. In each discipline, however, the traditions, norms and body of knowledge of that discipline exercise a broad influence over what is appropriate to cover in introductory, intermediate and advanced levels. Additionally, each institution's internal governance scrutinizes and approves every new course and program, and assesses its suitability for inclusion in the calendar.

In the same way, a post-secondary course with the same name or title will not be identical from one institution to another, and the degree of similarity may vary according to the discipline. The assessment of courses must rely on the judgment of professional faculty as to the equivalence of content. There are several approaches to assessing equivalence.

Content: There is no universal rule regarding the percentage of match since it is recognized that appropriate match can vary from discipline to discipline. In some disciplines, where mastery of certain knowledge is prerequisite to success in subsequent courses, it may be vital to have a substantial match of content in courses. Some institutions or disciplines have developed a rule of thumb for the percentage of match while others make case-by-case judgments.

Best practice is to avoid inflexible rules about percentage of match.

Outcomes: Courses can have similar goals, objectives, aims, and outcomes, even if the content varies. For example, two writing courses may use different texts, instructional styles, methods of delivery, and evaluation and grading practices, and yet have the same goal of teaching students to write at a post-secondary level.

Level: A course which has no equivalent in the calendar of an institution may still be suitable to satisfy some of the elective requirements of a credential. For example, some institutions may not offer linguistics, criminology, religious studies, archaeology, languages, or a variety of applied areas. However, if a course is taught at the appropriate level and the standard expected of students is equivalent to that of the credential to which the credit can be applied, it can be deemed equivalent for the purposes of awarding unassigned or elective transfer credit.

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Assigned Credit

Evaluating a course for assigned transfer credit involves assessing its equivalence to a specific course at the receiving institution.

If a course is determined to be equivalent, the transfer credit request form is filled in with the name, code and number of credits of the matching course, and the effective start date. The entry in the BC Transfer Guide will look like this:

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
CAP HIST 109 (3)	SFU	SFU HIST 213 (3)	Sep/95 to -

Most credentials require that students complete certain courses at each level. Awarding assigned credit allows students to demonstrate that they have fulfilled requirements. Therefore, it is sound practice to award assigned credit, wherever possible.

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Unassigned Credit

Unassigned (Elective) Credit in a Discipline or Department

If the course is appropriate for credit in the discipline, but no close match can be established with a department's courses, then "unassigned" discipline-specific transfer credit can be awarded. This type of credit verifies that the course is taught at the expected level and standard, that it conforms to the norms of the discipline, and that it is suitable as elective credit within a degree program. Entries in the BC Transfer Guide will look like this:

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
CAP HIST 207 (3)	SFU	SFU HIST (3) 200 div	Sep/95 to -
CAMO HIST 102 (3)	UNBC	UNBC HIST 1XX (3)	Sep/01 to -
NIC HIS 250 (1.5)	UVIC	UVIC HIST 200 lev (1.5)	Sep/95 to -
LANG HIST 2245 (3)	KWAN	KWAN HIST 2nd (3)	Jan/03 to -

Capilano's HIST 207 is assigned second year credit at SFU, Camosun's HIST 102 gets first year history credit at UNBC, North Island College's HIS 250 receives second year credit at UVic, and Langara's HIST 2245 receives first year credit at Kwantlen. In each case, the course receives unassigned credit at the first or second year level, but each institution expresses the credit differently. These expressions are often based on the conventions of computerized registration systems, so it is important to follow the standards in use at each institution.

Unassigned (Elective) Credit in a Faculty or Program

More general designations, such as "Arts (3)" or "Science (3)" or "Humanities (3)" can be used where the receiving institution does not have a corresponding discipline, but the course is identifiable as appropriate for elective credit within a faculty or program. The example below shows how different receiving institutions have assigned credit to a Canadian Studies course offered by Kwantlen Polytechnic University. The credit ranges from assigned credit (SFU), unassigned Canadian Studies credit (UCC), unassigned Humanities credit at the first year level (VIU), unassigned Arts credit (UBC), and unassigned Social Science credit at first year level (UNBC). Such diversity illustrates that each institution evaluates the course and awards the most appropriate credit. In this case, the main determinant may be whether or not the institution has a Canadian Studies program.

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
KWAN CNST 1100 (3)	VIU	VIU HUMA 1st (3)	Sep/96 to -
KWAN CNST 1100 (3)	SFU	SFU CNS 160 (3)	Sep/96 to -
KWAN CNST 1100 (3)	UBC	UBC ARTS (3)	Sep/96 to -
KWAN CNST 1100 (3)	TRU	TRU CNST (3)	Sep/96 to -
KWAN CNST 1100 (3)	UNBC	UNBC SOSC (3) 1XX	Sep/96 to -

Unassigned (Elective) Credit for Courses not Identifiable with Course Offerings but Appropriate for Academic Credit

If the course has no corresponding discipline, program or faculty but is obviously at the appropriate academic level, the receiving institution can use a designation such as "general elective." In rare cases, an institution may use this more general designation for a course for which they have a corresponding discipline, but which appears to fall outside the norm for how corresponding courses are delivered or organized at the institution. The first example below shows the credit awarded for CAMO ART 228 at SFU. At Camosun College this course is worth 3 credits, but at SFU, which has no similar course, it is assessed as equivalent to 1 credit of general elective coursework. In the second example, the Capilano course is a Group Dynamics course for Music Therapy students. UNBC offers nothing similar but recognizes it as a university level course, so credit is "unspecified".

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
CAMO ART 228 (3)	SFU	SFU GE (1)	Sep/97 to -
CAP PSYC 201 (3)	UNBC	UNBC UNSP (3) 2XX	Sep/95 to -

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No credit

"No credit" is an articulation, and will appear in the BC Transfer Guide. Awarding "no credit" means that a student is denied credit for learning achieved and must replace that credit with additional coursework. This is expensive for the student, the institution and the system. Where an institution does not offer a similar course or program, every effort should be made to award a minimum of elective credit.

There are two situations in which it is acceptable to award "no credit."

• The course is not taught at the post-secondary level. A course which appears to be English composition, but which is really an English as a Second Language course, will be evaluated as being preparatory. Many courses are not designed for transfer (e.g. purely vocational courses such as Welding, or preparatory courses such as those of Adult Basic Education) except to similar programs at other institutions. Occasionally such courses are submitted for articulation in error.
  
• A "no credit" is appropriate when it is clear that there is no possibility of the student applying credit for the course towards any program at that institution. For example, a specialized course in a technology, a practicum course for a professional program, or a studio or field course in a subject not congruent with the programs at the receiving institution may not be applicable to any credential.

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Other Credit Options

Restricted Applicability

Institutions can designate a course as appropriate for credit only in certain faculties (e.g. "only for credit towards a BSW," "not for credit towards a BSc"). This ensures that students can apply credit earned in an appropriate manner, rather than making the assumption that any credit can be applied to any credential. Restricted applicability is often used for specialized, professional or applied programs. Examples:

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
KWAN PHYS 1207 (3)	UBC	UBC PHYS (3) towards Science requirement for BA or BFA degrees. Precludes credit for UBC PHYS 340. Not for credit in the Faculty of Science.	Sep/96 to -

Semestered Courses, Year-Long Courses and "Cluster Credit"

"Cluster credit" is used in the BC Transfer Guide to denote situations where two or more courses must be combined in order to achieve equivalence. Where a subject is taught in a year-long format in one institution and a semester format in another, the question arises how to award transfer credit. Some institutions consider the semestered courses as a two-course combination, and "tie" the credit. That is, where a student has taken both semesters and is deemed to have covered material equivalent to the year-long course, the institution will award assigned credit. In the following example UVic has awarded assigned credit if the student has taken both one-semester courses, but unassigned philosophy credit if only one semester of the two-course combination has been taken.

It is always good practice to award transfer credit for courses completed at the appropriate level. Awarding unassigned discipline credit for single-semester courses, such as UVic has done in the above example, allows students to earn credit even if they have not completed the two-course sequence.

However, if credit is not possible unless both courses are taken, this should also be clearly stated, as in the following example:

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
COLU BUSN 272 (3)	UBC	COLU BUSN 272 & COLU BUSN 273 = UBC COMM 292 (4). No credit if taken alone. See Transfer Notes.	Sep/98 to -

Another type of cluster credit occurs when several courses at the sending institution cover outcom

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
CNC PHIL 101 (3)	UVIC	UVIC PHIL (1.5) 100 lev; CNC PHIL 101 & CNC PHIL 102 = UVIC PHIL 100 (3)	Sep/95 to -

es similar to a year-long course at the receiving institution. Example:

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
DOUG PHIL 151 (3)	UBC	Any two of DOUG PHIL 102, DOUG PHIL 103, DOUG PHIL 151, DOUG PHIL 152, DOUG PHIL 250 = UBC PHIL 100 (6)	Sep/02 to -

Yet another type occurs when a course at the sending institution is equivalent to several courses at the receiving institution or is suitable for credit towards two or more different programs:

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
CAMO PAC 208 (3)	UNBC	UNBC GEOG (3) 2XX or UNBC INTS 203 (3) or UNBC INTS 204 (3)	Sep/96 to -

The situation can also arise where a two-course sequence (or two separate courses) at a sending institution may be equivalent to one course at a receiving institution. In this case, some discretion may be necessary in deciding whether to assign 6 credits or 3 credits.

For example, a sending institution may decide to break content covered in one semester at the receiving institution into two semesters, in order to assist students with deficiencies in their backgrounds (for example, without grade 12 math) to achieve mastery. In such a case, the receiving institution will likely assign the same number of credits that their own students earn for covering the same content in a more intense format. The BC Transfer Guide entry may look like this:

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
CAP BFIN 141 (3)	UNBC	CAP BFIN 141 & CAP BFIN 142 = UNBC COMM 210 (3)	Sep/96 to -
CAP BFIN 142 (3)	UNBC	CAP BFIN 141 & CAP BFIN 142 = UNBC COMM 210 (3)	Sep/96 to -
CAP COMM 293 (3)	UNBC	UNBC COMM 210 (3)	Sep/95 to

UNBC has determined that the content covered in Capilano's BFIN 141 and 142 is the same as that covered in their own one-semester COMM 210. Note that Capilano University has both a two-semester course sequence and a one-semester course that is equivalent to UNBC's COMM 210.

There may be instances where a sending institution offers two distinct courses that cover similar content, but not the same content, to that covered in one course at the receiving institution. For example, a student who takes both a geology and a physical geography course at one institution may find that some or many of the topics learned in two courses are normally covered in one course in some degree programs. In another case, a student may take a semester of poetry and a semester of drama in first year English, and transfer to an institution with a one-semester course covering both poetry and drama. In these cases, it is likely that the sending institution courses will have covered more material, or the same material in more depth, than the course at the receiving institution, and therefore it is appropriate that this learning be credited. Good practice is to assign three credits for the equivalent course, plus three unassigned credits, as in the following example of a two-semester short fiction course offered at CNC.

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
CNC ENGL 214 (3)	SFU	SFU ENGL 101 (3); CNC ENGL 213 & CNC ENGL 214 = SFU ENGL 101 (3) & SFU ENGL (3)	Sep/95 to -
CNC ENGL 213 (3)	SFU	SFU ENGL 101 (3); CNC ENGL 213 & CNC ENGL 214 = SFU ENGL 101 (3) & SFU ENGL (3)	Sep/95 to -

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Individual Assessment

This designation can be used for language courses, fine and performing arts courses, or other courses where portfolios, auditions or interviews may be required for an accurate assessment. It indicates that credit will likely be granted, but an assessment of the level of mastery the student has attained must be made by the receiving institution in order to determine the most appropriate credit.

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
CAMO MUS 100S (12)	UFV	Individual assessment	Sep/95 to Aug/05
VIU FRCH 141 (3)	UFV	Individual assessment	Sep/95 to -

While "individual assessment" is an appropriate articulation under these circumstances, there are many situations where better practice would be to award unassigned credit. Evaluators may be tempted to use the term in cases where they are unsure of the level of mastery expected. In the case of fine and performing arts, this can be appropriate. However, in most cases it probably is not and will lead to confusion and lack of certainty for students and for sending institutions. [Note that individual assessment is used differently in block transfer agreements. See Block Transfer in this handbook.

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Preclusions

Preclusion credit can be awarded where a course is determined to have similar content, but institutional policy prohibits awarding assigned credit. For example, UBC Transfer Notes contain the following:

Upper-Level Courses: Normally transfer credit will be granted only for the equivalent first- and second-year UBC courses. Where, however, the college course(s) taken is sufficiently similar to a third- or fourth- year UBC course, unassigned credit will be awarded at first- or second-year level with the notation that further credit for the specific UBC course is precluded.

Definition: Preclusion of Credit: Where a student is granted unassigned credit on transfer, the student will not also receive degree credit if a similar UBC course is taken subsequently. This applies in cases where the student has taken one half of a six-credit UBC course and where the college course is similar to a third- or fourth-year UBC course. In the tables this is normally clarified with the statement: precludes credit for . . . The name of the course refers to the UBC course unless otherwise stated.

Here are two examples of preclusion credit.

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
LANG HMPF 2220 (3)	UBC	UBC HKIN (3) 2nd. Precludes credit for UBC HKIN 368. See Transfer Notes.	Sep/95 to -
CAP PHIL 208 (3)	UVIC	UVIC PHIL 200 lev (1.5). May not take UVIC PHIL 333 or UVIC ES 314 for credit.	Sep/95 to -

In the first case, a student from Langara who has taken HMPF 2220 will receive 3 second year Human Kinetics credits at UBC, but may not take UBC's HKIN 368 for credit. If HKIN 368 is a required course in the student's program, the UBC department will advise the student how to choose an alternative course to fulfill that requirement. In the second case, Capilano's second year philosophy course is recognised as covering similar topics to courses offered at the third and fourth year level at UVic. Credit is assigned at the second year level, but because of the overlapping content, credit is precluded for the more advanced courses.

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Exemptions

Granting an exemption involves the waiving of a prerequisite or required course for students who have comparable learning. Example:

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
DOUG CRIM 262 (3)	SFU	SFU CRIM (3). Exemption from SFU CRIM 330	Sep/95 to Aug/04

Note that although the award is 3 credits in Criminology, credit is not earned for the exempted course and students will likely be required to replace the exempted course with an alternate in order to fulfil program requirements. The following are examples of exemption policies from the Institution-Specific Transfer Notes:

UBC: Unassigned transfer credit for Commerce courses must have a corresponding exemption granted (i.e. COMM (3) 2nd, Exempt COMM 396) in order to be acceptable for credit towards the B.Com. degree.

SFU: In certain cases, in addition to receiving transfer credit for a course, a student may be granted a departmental exemption from taking a certain similar course or courses, usually ones which are required for a major or honours in that department. Where an exemption has been authorized, the information appears in the "Notes" column of this Guide. Exemptions appear on SFU transcripts, showing the exempt course number with a zero credit value, e.g. CHEM 115(0).

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When Credit Values Differ

In the following example, UBC has equated a five credit Kwantlen course with a course that receives three credits at UBC. A student who took this course at UBC would receive three credits; therefore, it is fair that a similar course should be awarded the same credits as the UBC course. The operating principle is that a student will not receive more credit for a transfer course than would have been given had the course been taken at the receiving institution.

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
KWAN BIOL 2321 (5)	UBC	UBC BIOL 200 (3)	Sep/00 to -
KWAN BIOL 2321 (5)	VIU	VIU BIOL 200 (3)	Sep/00 to -

Another practice frequently folllowed by receiving institutions is not to award more credits for a course than awarded by the originating institution. Below, Coquitlam College has assigned four credits to its biology course, and SFU awards four credits, which is the standard credit for its BISC 100. However, because College of the Rockies only assigns three credits to its course, SFU assumes that the course should be awarded three credits.

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
COQU BIOL 104 (4)	SFU	SFU BISC 100 (4)	Sep/95 to -
COTR BIOL 151 (3)	SFU	SFU BISC 100 (3)	Sep/95 to -

However, note that Kwantlen has decided to award the same credit as it attaches to the course, regardless of the source credit.

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
CAMO BIOL 230 (4)	KWAN	KWAN BIOL 2321 (5)	Sep/00 to -
CNC BIO 201 (3)	KWAN	KWAN BIOL 2321 (5)	Sep/00 to -
COTR BIOL 201 (3)	KWAN	KWAN BIOL 2321 (5)	Sep/00 to -

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Assigning "Year Level" Credit

Guideline number eight of the Principles and Guidelines for Transfer states:

Transfer arrangements between colleges and universities are assumed to be based on "lower division" (i.e., first and second year) studies. It is recognized that the assignment of ‘year level' to any individual course might vary at different institutions and, therefore, specific exceptions to this rule might occur under inter-institutional arrangements.

The current policy followed by BCCAT is to record in the BC Transfer Guide any articulation agreement involving lower level credit, such as:

• lower level to lower level;
• lower level to upper level; and,
• upper level to lower level credit.

Institutions can use the web-based transfer form to request upper level to upper level articulations. However, practices vary among institutions. See Upper Level to Upper Level below.

Lower Level to Upper Level Credit

Each receiving institution establishes its own policy regarding the awarding of upper level credit. For example, one university's regulations require that a lower level course from a sending institution deemed equivalent to its upper level course be awarded 200 level unassigned credit, accompanied by a preclusion of credit, or an exemption, for the upper level course. Examples:

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
NVIT BUSM 294 (3)	UBC	UBC COMM (3) 2nd. Exempt UBC COMM 393.	Jan/01 to -
NWCC ECOM 250 (3)	UBC	UBC COMM (3) 2nd. Precludes credit for UBC COMM 336.	Jan/01 to -

Another university may leave it up to the faculty to award credit as it sees fit. Examples:

YUKO ANTH 225 (6)

UNBC

UNBC ANTH (6) 2XX. Precludes credit for UNBC ANTH 301.

Sep/95 to -

But

UFV GEOG 253 (3)

UNBC

UNBC GEOG 300 (3)

Jan/01 to -

Applying the principle of equivalence would imply that if the course is truly equivalent, every effort should be made to grant assigned credit for the appropriate course. If this is against institutional policy, then exemptions and preclusions can be used.

Upper Level to Upper Level

Degree granting institutions routinely process requests for upper level credit, and this has become more common with the expansion of degree programs. Many such requests are student driven and are handled on a case-by-case basis, often through a letter of permission.

Where a request is received for an articulation of an upper level course, faculty should follow the normal process of assigning appropriate equivalence. However, the agreement is normally recorded only in the internal database of that institution, and is often subject to review after a set period of time, such as five years.

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Specifying a Minimum Grade

All institutions in BC have endorsed a common policy on a minimum grade for course transfer.

Minimum Grade for Course Transfer

The minimum letter grade required of a student to obtain transfer credit for any specific course for which transfer has been established is a 'Pass' (normally a 'P' or 'D' letter grade) as defined by the sending institution.

It is important to note that:

a)	a grade of 'C' or higher is normally required for courses intended to be used to satisfy prerequisites;
b)	some programs may require a course grade of 'C' or higher for every course to be counted towards a specific credential; and
c)	once registered in a degree program a student requires a Letter of Permission to take courses elsewhere and normally requires a minimum grade of 'C' in each course taken at another institution for transfer to the degree program.

Requiring a higher grade from transfer students than an institution requires of its own students is inconsistent with the Principles and Guidelines for Transfer and the principle of fairness and is not recommended. However, it is recognized that there may be rare cases where it is appropriate, and where it will allow students to receive credit where they may otherwise not. Example:

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
CNC COM 204 (3)	UVIC	UVIC COM 202 (1.5). Must have a C or better to receive Commerce credit towards a B.Com degree.	Sep/97 to -
CAP PHIL 208 (3)	UNBC	UNBC PHIL 2XX (3); Exemption from UNBC ENVS 414 with grade of B+ or better.	Sep/01 to -

Such cases must be rigorously assessed and justified. If, for example, a department has researched the performance of students after transfer and can demonstrate a persistent pattern related to grades in a certain course, it may be justified in requiring a grade that is higher than the minimum. Since this can be a potentially difficult situation for the sending institution, it is highly recommended that before making such a decision, the department contact the sending institution and discuss concerns and possible mitigation strategies.

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Pedagogy

Normally, how a course is taught is assumed to be immaterial to the assessment of equivalence, but there are some cases where the manner in which a course is structured and taught is integral to content mastery. For example, at SFU, in order to assign a 'W' ('writing intensive') designation to a course, a committee assesses the nature and number of opportunities for students to write and revise. In some First Nations courses culturally sensitive pedagogy may be inextricably linked to course content. In such cases, best practice is for the receiving institution to communicate its expectations clearly.

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Using Notes for Clarity

Additional notes should be used wherever ambiguity or confusion may occur. Here are some examples:

Course	Receiving Institution	Transfer Credit	Effective Dates (mmm/yy)
LANG HIST 2243 (3)	UVIC	UVIC HIST 265 (1.5). HIST 265 may be taken more than once, to max. credit of 9 units.	Sep/00 to -
NVIT ENGL 208 (3)	SFU	SFU ENGL (3). If student already has credit for Creative Writing course, credit will be GE (3) Creative Writing.	Sep/99 to -
SELK BIOL 214 (3)	UNBC	UNBC BIOL (3) 2XX; Biology & NRM Wildlife Fisheries majors will have one of UNBC BIOL 307 or UNBC BIOL 308 waived.	Sep/95 to -
OUC MATH 112 (3)	SFU	SFU MATH 151 (3). May not receive credit for both SFU MATH 151 & SFU MATH 157.	Sep/95 to Aug/99
OUC MATH 112 (3)	UBC	UBC MATH 100 (3); OUC MATH 112 & OUC MATH 120 = UBC MATH 111 (6). Faculties that require MATH 12 for ad-mis-sion to 1st year grant 3 credits only towards a degree for UBC MATH 111.	Sep/95 to -

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Articulating a Course as a Result of a Student Request

While this handbook deals with formal articulation that results from a well-established institution-to-institution process, articulation may also result from student requests for transfer credit for non-articulated courses. An evaluator assessing courses from such student-request processes can use all the principles and tools for articulation outlined in this guide to assess the equivalence of the courses and award appropriate credit.

Most institutions maintain internal databases of courses granted transfer credit in this way, and may use these decisions as precedents for future instances where credit is requested for a course already in the database. While institutions may rely on these precedents, they usually do not consider them as records of formal articulation agreements.

If the receiving institution agrees to grant the transfer credit a student has requested and wishes to formalize this decision as an articulation agreement, it can use the Transfer Credit Evaluation System to notify the sending institution and BCCAT. The agreement will subsequently appear in the BC Transfer Guide as a formal articulation. This is good practice, and receiving institutions are encouraged to follow this process wherever feasible.

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When a Receiving 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. Although receiving institutions should discuss at articulation meetings upcoming changes that may 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 for courses; significant changes in assessment/evaluation practices; proposed changes in prerequisites, degree or credential requirements; or 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?

Thou shalt not articulate thine ego.
- Articulation Committee Chair

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