Higher education is at a crossroads. The demand for a better mechanism by which institutions can attest to the skills and knowledge of their students is growing by leaps and bounds. While the demand for post-secondary credentials remains high (and may be growing), the value of the traditional documents verifying their achievements is in decline. Several institutions have tried to fill the communication void with alternative forms of the academic record, creating “competency based” records, adding learning outcomes, creating co-curricular transcripts and adding digital learning artifacts to the basic academic transcript. These are all good ideas and have grown out of necessity. But how do we avoid allowing our own innovations lead us to create barriers for students as they attempt to transfer from one institution to another?
In an attempt to wrestle with this issue, AACRAO has been working with NASPA and other higher education groups to identify emerging practices in collecting, documenting, and distributing student learning outcomes and competencies, co-curricular activities, and other educational experiences. Our goal is to develop a framework for an “extended” transcript that can be used by campuses as they asses how they wish to gather and represent a broader range of educational experiences than are currently represented by the academic transcript. (View the draft white paper here.)
How can you participate in understanding the issues and shape the future of the extended transcript?
The AACRAO Technology and Transfer Conference will provide a unique opportunity to help set the direction for the future of the academic record. The conference will have dedicated “Extending the Framework” track enabling attendees to obtain information about the current trends, hear from institutions that have new innovative transcripts, discuss and identify issues associated with these new approaches and participate in establishing direction and vison. There will be a session to describe the goals and objectives of the project and identify the technical system and practice challenges. There will be four sessions highlighting some of the current examples of digital academic transcripts, learning outcomes, competency reports, and co-curricular records. A final extended session will bring together interested conference participants to help review, refine and finalize the extended transcript framework. It is truly a unique opportunity.
Shaping the future of the academic record is a responsibility we all share; please plan to join us at the AACRAO Technology and Transfer Conference in Austin, TX from July 12 – 14, 2015.