'Credit Hours' or 'Chunks of Learning'?

Credit hours? Chunks of learning? The Chronicle's Goldie Blumenstyk observes that the recent angst between the DOE's Inspector General and the North Central's Higher Learning Commission has given new life to the question of "credit hours." Are they outdated? A relic? Do they do more harm than good?

Along the way, Blumenstyk mentions an interesting Lumina-backed effort to create a new college ecosystem (DGREE, it has a conference going on this week), touches base with Carol A. Twigg at NCAT, and notes an internal Department of Education initiative to redefine "credit hour":

Meanwhile, the Education Department may itself take that step. Last month, during negotiations with 16 representatives of colleges and associations over new rules to govern federal student aid, the department proposed its own credit-hour definition, based on the Carnegie Unit (one credit would equal one hour of class time or direct faculty instruction and two hours of out-of-class work per week for approximately 15 weeks; in cases where there was no formal class, the college, with the accord of its accreditor, could establish equivalents). It's uncertain if this proposal will be adopted. Negotiators are expected to vote on the credit-hour definition, along with other proposed rules, in late January.

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Regional SCUP Events! Enjoy the F2F company of your colleagues and peers at one of three SCUP regional conferences this spring:

• March 14–16: Baltimore, MD
• March 24–26: Cambridge, MA
• April 5–7, San Diego, CA

Transfer, Articulation, and the Faculty

Ensuring the value of community college credits is transferrable is a core issue that is managed (or not) differently in various parts of the US. The SUNY system is engaged in a planning process that engages the faculty in solving the problems. The preceding link is to an Inside Higher Ed article by David Moltz. You can see the committee's recommendations here (PDF).Community colleges have complained for years that their graduates get the run-around when they try to transfer credits to four-year institutions. The State University of New York, a 64-campus system with two-year and four-year campuses, thinks it has a way to solve the problem: putting the faculty in charge.Two weeks ago, the Special Joint Committee on Transfer and Articulation – whose members include representatives from the system’s administration, Faculty Senate and Faculty Council of Community Colleges –delivered a set of policy recommendations to Nancy Zimpher, new SUNY chancellor. The stated goal of the committee’s work “is to enable students to transfer seamlessly among SUNY campuses without replicating courses taken at other SUNY institutions.”

New Book: The Community College Transfer Guide

We probably won't review this book, The Community College Transfer Guide, because it is aimed at students rather than professionals. But it seems as though professionals could learn a bit from it about the points of view of students trying to articulate what they've done at 2-years into 4-years.

"Community college is a bridge, but crossing that bridge is harder than one would think. "Community College Transfer Guide: What You Need to Know to Get Into a Four-Year College or University" is a guide for the community college student who is attempting to make that crossing. Success is very plausible with the right methods, and author Don Silver hopes to give readers what they need. Outlining the process step by step, "Community College Transfer Guide" is a guide that should be strongly considered for those in a community college, or even those entering a community college with intent to transfer later. "Community College Transfer Guide" is vital and highly educational."

Take a look:
http://www.amazon.com/Community-College-Transfer-Guide-Silver/dp/0944708846/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245859857&sr=8-1