Credit Where Credit is Due: Understanding the Credit Transfer Experience at Ontario Colleges

During the summer of 2013, in the course of preparing Durham College’s ONCAT Data Availability Report, the Office of Research Services and Innovation determined that 1,124 applicants who applied to Durham College during the 2011-12 reporting year possessed prior postsecondary experience and thus were eligible to apply for credit transfer; yet, only 298 of those applicants applied for credit transfer. Almost three quarters of students who could have applied for credit transfer did not. There was interest in exploring whether this might be the case at overall provincial level as well as why. The purpose of this research study is to understand why some students do not apply for credit transfer and for those who do, to understand their experiences in applying for credit transfer. The study explores patterns of student mobility, student expectations on credit transfer, prevalent credit transfer practices and procedures, and institutional challenges. The goal of the study is to produce a report that will identify best practices to improve the credit transfer process for students in Ontario colleges...