Understanding Transfer Credit Processing
This section lists common elements and discusses transfer credit processing and converting transfer credit units.
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Field or Control |
Definition |
|---|---|
| Academic Plan |
(Optional) In the Target Information group box, select the academic plan for which the transfer credit in this row of the transfer model will articulate. |
| Academic Program |
In the Target Information group box, select the academic program for which the transfer credit in this row of the model will articulate. |
| Add Comments |
Click to access the Model Comments page, where you can enter comments about this row of the transfer credit model. |
| Articulation Term |
Select the term for which you want to process the individual's transfer credit for this row of the model. Note that you can articulate credits across multiple terms. You would do this, for example, if a student has continually taken credit outside your academic institution and you have posted credit at each point in time. |
| Calculate |
When you articulate course and test credit, click this button to calculate the individual's transfer credit statistics according to the accepted transfer credit on the corresponding row of the model. |
| Comment |
Click to access the Model Comments page, where you can enter comments about this row of the transfer credit model. |
| Credit Source Type |
In the Source Information group box, select the type of source from which you will be modeling transfer credit on this row. Your selection tells the system from which table you will select your source institution. Values are: External: The system prompts you with the source IDs of external organizations in your system. The External Org ID (external organization ID) and Data Source fields become available. Internal: The system prompts you with source IDs of academic institutions in your system. You select this option, for example, when a student is transferring from one academic career to another within your academic institution. The Source Career and Source Institution fields become available. Manual: If you intend to create transfer credit models manually, do not use this component. If you select this option, the system displays a message instructing you to use the corresponding manual component. |
| Data Source |
For an external credit source type, select the data source from which the individual's external transfer credit has been entered into the system. The data source that you specify must match the data source on the individual's external education record. Values for this field are delivered with your system as translate values. You can modify these values. |
| Equivalent Subject /Catlg Nbr (equivalent subject and catalog number) |
After you run the Transfer Credit process for a model, the system displays the subject and catalog number of the internal course that is equivalent to the transfer credit that it evaluated. The process determines these values for course transfer credit according to the internal equivalent course that is specified for the applicable course transfer equivalency rule on the Subject Area Elements page of the Transfer Subject Area component. The process also determines these values for test transfer credit according to the internal equivalent course that is specified for the applicable test transfer equivalency rule on the Test Credit Rule/Component page. When processing transfer credit manually, after you enter the equivalent subject and catalog number on the Equivalent Course Information page for this row of the model, the process displays your selection in this field. You access the Equivalent Course Information page by clicking the Edit Equivalent Course button on the corresponding row of the model. |
| External Org ID (external organization ID) |
For an external credit source type, select the external organization from which the individual is transferring credit. Define external organizations on the External Organization page. You access this page from the education record of the transfer prospect, applicant, or student as defined on the Education component. |
| Group |
The Transfer Credit process automatically groups incoming transfer credit and its internal equivalent courses together on separate rows within the grid at the bottom of the page. The number in this field identifies the group as unique among other groups on this row of the transfer credit model. You can, after the Transfer Credit process completes the evaluation, move internal equivalent courses from group to group as needed to alter the articulation model before you post the transfer credit to the individual's record. You can move internal equivalent courses from group to group by using the Move To Group button on the grid row of the course to move. |
| Include in FA WI Status |
Select this check box to indicate that the accepted course must be used to calculate the weeks of instruction component of the student's grade level. By default, the check box is selected for all accepted course credit. |
| Lock |
Select to lock the corresponding group row of the transfer credit model. You might select this check box, for example, if you intend to post or unpost transfer credit for that row at a later date. The groups for which you select this check box are excluded from a rerun of the Transfer Credit process. If you rerun the Transfer Credit process and something about the incoming transfer credit has changed (such as grades or units), then the process displays a red letter Y in front of that group. The Y alerts you that something about that incoming transfer credit changed after the group was locked. You might, therefore, want to investigate the change before you post or unpost the corresponding transfer credit. |
| Model Nbr (model number) |
The system, by default, sets the first row of the transfer credit model to model number 1. The system uses this number to store multiple, unique transfer credit models. |
| Model Status |
The system displays the status of the model on the first page and subsequent page of the component. Values are: Submitted: Indicates that you have run the transfer credit articulation process for this model. Posted: Indicates that you clicked the Post button on the second page of the component and the system has successfully transferred the articulated transfer credit to the student's career term record (STDNT_CAR_TERM table) for this model. Completed: Indicates that you have modeled and articulated the student's transfer credit, but that the model could not be posted to the student's career term record because the student is not currently active in either the academic program or articulation term that you selected for the model. When the student is activated into the academic program and articulation term that you selected, click the Copy TC Units button on the Terms in Residence page. This automatically updates the model status to Posted and writes the data to the STDNT_CAR_TERM table. |
| Post |
Click to post an individual's transfer credit for the corresponding model. Posting automatically saves the page. When you post transfer credit, the system displays the posted transfer credit statistics according to the individual's calculated transfer credit statistics on the page. Posting a transfer credit model also updates the status of the model from Submitted to Posted or Completed. When you post your transfer credit model, the fields in the Target Information group box on the first page of the component become unavailable. To update target information, you must first unpost your model. |
| Seq # (sequence number) |
For transfer credit in which you manually define equivalencies, the system automatically assigns a sequential number to each incoming row of transfer credit to identify unique rows in the table. These sequence numbers have no programming significance. |
| Source Career |
For an internal credit source type, select the academic career from which the student is transferring credit. |
| Source Institution |
For an internal credit source type, select the internal academic institution from which the student is transferring credit. |
| Status |
After you run the Transfer Credit process for this row of the model, the process displays the transfer status of each transfer credit that it evaluated. Possible statuses are Accepted, Rejected, No Rule, and Contingent. |
| Study Agreements |
Click to access the Student Agreements page, where you can view the details of a student's study agreement. |
| Total Units - Articulation Term |
When you articulate test and other credits, the system calculates the individual's total transfer credit units according to the articulation term and incoming transfer credit on the corresponding of the model. |
| Total Units - Posted Model |
When you articulate test and other credits, use this field to view a summary of the credits that have been transferred to the student's record through this model. You can view changes in this field only after you have posted or unposted the model and saved the transaction. The system displays values for this field in relation to the corresponding value in the Total Units - Articulation Term field that you have calculated for the model. |
| Transcript Level |
Select a transcript level to determine the types of transcripts on which the system will include the transfer credit that articulates through this row of the model, provided that it is posted to the individual's record. Values are Not Print, Official, Unofficial, Stdnt Life (student life), and Degr Prog (degree progress). |
| Transfer Status |
After you run the Transfer Credit process for this row of the model, the process displays the transfer status of each transfer credit that it evaluated. Possible statuses are Accepted, Rejected, No Rule, and Contingent. |
| Unpost |
Click to completely remove the transfer credit that is posted through this model from the student's career term record. View the results for the student on the Term Statistics page. |
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Click the Transfer Status Detail button to access the Transfer Rule Applied page or the Reject Reason page, where you can either view the transfer equivalency rule that the Transfer Credit process applied to the corresponding external course or, if the transfer credit is rejected, view the reject reason. This field applies only to transfer credit processing with predefined course and test equivalency rules. |
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Click the Edit Equivalent Course button to access the Equivalent Course Information page, where you can edit equivalent course information prior to posting transfer credit. |
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Click the Reject External Course button to reject incoming courses before you post transfer credit. Only the incoming course on the corresponding row will be rejected. For example, if incoming Math 100 and Math 200 are equivalent to internal Math 104, and you click the reject button on the Math 100 line, the resulting rule will be that Math 200 is equivalent to Math 104. |
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Click the Add Internal Equivalent button to access the Equivalent Course Information page, where you can add internal equivalent course information. |
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Click the Delete Internal Equivalent button to delete internal equivalent courses for the corresponding group row. This button appears only if multiple internal equivalent courses exist for that row. |
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Click the Move to Group button to open a field on the page for another group number. Use this field to move transfer credit from one group into another group. For example, assume that a group has a transfer status of Rejected. You can use this feature to move the transfer credit to another group that has a transfer status of Accepted to ensure that the transfer credit gets posted. |
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Click the Comment/Override Reason button to access the Course Credit Comments, Test Credit Comments, or Other Credit Comments pages, where you can add an override reason and comment about any adjustments that you made to a group row of a transfer credit model. |
When you have set up your predefined transfer rules for courses and tests, you can start processing transfer credit. The Transfer Credit process includes retrieving all external transfer credit information; evaluating these external courses, tests, and other credit; then posting the transfer credit. The PeopleSoft system provides features to enable transfer credit processing by the following methods:
Using predefined rules.
Using student-specific agreements.
Creating manual rules to assign course, test, and other credit.
Our processing design is based on modeling, so you can give individuals options for articulation that depend on the academic program or academic plan that is selected for them.
You can command the system to evaluate transfer credit by using the predefined transfer equivalency rules that you have created and then attached to academic programs and plans. Or you can process transfer credit by creating models manually as you go through processing. For course transfer credit, you can also use student-specific study agreements in conjunction with these predefined course transfer equivalency rules. Whether you are using predefined or manual rules or processing transfer credit manually, the functionality is the same. However, to maximize the use of your time, use only the manual Transfer Credit process to transfer credit for schools from which you rarely receive students.
You should understand some general concepts before you begin processing transfer credit, regardless of which type of transfer credit and method you use. The Transfer Credit process enables you to model as many articulation scenarios for a prospect, applicant, or student as you want. You select the rule for your model (either predefined or manual), command the system to evaluate the scenario on the basis of that rule, revise the results if you want, and save the model or post the credits.
When you have posted credits, the system updates the individual's record. The same is true when you unpost an articulation model—when you have unposted credits, the system updates the individual's academic record. The system removes all the credits that were posted.
Another concept is the grouping of transfer credit. Incoming transfer credit and its internal equivalents are grouped together. The result is known as a group. You can, when the Transfer Credit process completes the evaluation, move internal equivalent courses from group to group as needed to alter the articulation before you post the transfer credit to the individual's record. Other features include many buttons that enable you to accept, reject, add, and discard courses from the group. You can also revise details, such as units and grade.
Note: A person does not have to be active in an academic program or academic plan to create model-transfer-credit scenarios. However, the student must be active to post transfer credit.
Student Records converts incoming units to the term type of the transfer rule. This enables the system to accurately compare incoming units to the rule. To convert incoming units, the system first determines the number of units taken. Then the system calculates the number of units transferred. At each stage, the system must determine whether it needs to convert the units, and if so, the system converts them.
To calculate the number of units taken, the system:
Determines whether the transfer units need to be converted.
The system compares the term type of the course (on the External Courses page) with the term type of the rule (on the Subject Area Elements page). If they are different, the units must be converted. That is, if the student earned four quarter units in MATH 120, and the rule is based on semester units, the system needs to convert the four quarter units to semester units before comparing it to the rule and determining how many units transfer.
If yes, the system converts the units.
To convert the units, the system must first determine the correct multiple to use. To find the multiple, the system compares the term type and the external term type of the education record (as shown on the External Data page) with the term type and external term type on the External Term table. You set up external terms with their multiples on the External Term Table page. To convert the units, the system multiplies the number of units earned in the external course (as it appears on the External Courses page) with the multiple.
For example, suppose the system finds that the term type of the external course is quarter and the external term is fall. It would find the corresponding row on the External Term table to find the multiple, which in this case is 0.75. Then it would multiply this by the number of units that the student received, which was 4 in this example. So the equation is 0.75 × 4, and the converted value is 3.
The system uses the converted value to compare against the rule to determine whether the units meet the requirements of the rule.
The system determines whether the converted value falls within the minimum and maximum unit range set in the rule (Incoming Course Information page). If the converted value falls within the range, the system distributes the units to the internal equivalent and excess unit course as determined by the rule. The system displays the converted units for each incoming course in the Units Taken field on the Equivalent Course Information page.
At this point, the system has determined the number of units taken. It must now determine the number of units transferred according to the transfer credit model.
To calculate the number of units transferred, the system:
Determines whether the units must be converted again by comparing the term unit type of the career to the term type of the rule.
You will see on the Transfer Course Details page that the transfer credit model has an academic career. The system finds the term unit type for the career that appears on the model. Term unit type for careers appears on the Academic Career Table 2 page. The system then compares the term unit type of the career with the term type of the rule, as found on the Subject Area Elements page. If the term types are the same, the system does not need to convert the units.
If the term unit type of the career is different from the term type of the rule, the system converts the units.
The system converts the units just as it does for calculating the units taken, except that instead of using the term unit type of the education record, it uses the term unit type of the transfer credit model's career.
The system displays the calculated results for each incoming course in the Units Transferred field on the Incoming Course Information page.
Previously in Student Records, you had to set the unit value of the incoming equivalent course based on the term type of the incoming credit's institution. Now the system converts the incoming units to the term type of the rule, giving you more flexibility in setting up transfer rules.
Note: If you want unit conversion to occur after the units have been awarded to the internal equivalent and excess unit classes, set the term type on the rule to equal that of the incoming course. In this case, the system does not convert the units to match the rule (they will already match), the system converts them only to match the career of the model.
Understanding Internal Transfer Credit and Unit Conversion
When using unit conversion rules with internal transfer modeling, the system uses the multiple from the Unit Conversion table and converts them as illustrated in the following example.
An undergraduate Engineering student (quarter program) takes an undergraduate three-unit class (semester class), Biology 100, and receives a C. The university then models the student in a UGRD program (semester program).
The system converts the units like this:
The system automatically changes the Biology 100 class into quarter units (student receives 4.5 units at enrollment).
Transfer credit comes in when the university models the student for a career.
If the model is in a semester career, the units are converted to 3 units because the student enrollment units are quarter:
Incoming
Conversion factor
Quarter equivalent
3 semester units
x 1.5
= 4.5
The system uses the quarter value to determine whether the criteria for transfer are met.
The system looks at the rule and finds the unit value of the internal equivalent class, which in this case is 3:
Internal equivalent value
Conversion factor
Semester equivalent
3 semester units
x .6770
= 2.031
Note: If you want to bypass the rule value and just convert the units in student enrollment to the new career, set the transfer rule to Specify Maximum Units on the Subject Area Elements page.
Understanding Grading at Articulation
The Transfer Credit Articulation process determines the grade for internal equivalent courses based on the value that is entered in the Default Grade field on the Subject Area Elements page.