WASHINGTON, D.C. – In order to boost the rate of college degree attainment in the United States, higher education leaders must make it easier for students to transfer credits from one type of institution to another, an Obama administration official said Thursday.
“Pathways should be transparent, clear and seamless,” Dr. Frank Chong, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges at the U.S. Department of Education, said during a forum at the Center for American Progress titled Articulation and Transfer: College Strategies for the Success of 21st Century Students.
But in many cases, said Dr. Chong, a former community college president himself, the process of getting credits from one institution recognized and accepted by another is convolute
“I still cannot comprehend how complicated the transfer process was and is,” Dr. Chong said.
Panelists spent some of the discussion grappling with just what is a “21st century student.” In short, the panelists said, a 21st century student is one who may work full-time, has served in the military, or who has other obligations that prevent him or her from finishing college all at once after high school.
“This is a part of reality when you’re dealing with adult learners,” said panelist Amy Sherman, Associate Vice President for Policy and Strategic Alliances at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.
“They’re working full-time jobs, taking care of parents, taking care of kids, have an illness,” Sherman said, noting studies that have shown about three-fourths of all students are in such a situation. “All of these things have created a system where they’re going to be stopping in and out.”
