Branding and Transfer of Credit

Academic credentials are often equated with degree completion. They are like the tags sewn inside the back collar of our shirts or on the hem of our dresses. We carry the brand around where ever we go. Regardless of whether we have completed the academic program, we still look to be a member of the group. The institution’s brand plays a major role in creating the perception of the value of someone’s prior academic accomplishment.

Employment history is similarly “branded.” The organizations for which you have worked and your contributions to the goals of those organizations are another form of credentials.

These brands also play a major role in how transfer-credit evaluation, assessment and articulation vary. Results of an evaluation of transfer credits and course equivalencies can vary greatly. They are based upon who reviews the courses an applicant has taken at another institution and/or the training the applicant has received as a result of their work experience. The decision makers’ perception of the quality of that institution or that employer may vary.

To what degree should a decision that can significantly impact the lives of prospective students be subjective? The challenge to make the process of transfer of credit fair is steep because of the inherent implications mentioned. Judgments are subjective and influenced by the level of information revealed, reviewed and included in the assessment process. When information is scarce or stale or nonexistent, one risks losing the value of prior learning, even though all learning has value.

Thus, we need to utilize ways to minimize the subjectivity and lack of information when considering transfer of credit, by moving away from standalone and isolated systems to systems that help overcome the gaps in access, archival and reflection. Transfer of credit should be based upon learning outcomes reflected in the skills, knowledge, competencies and effort demonstrated by prior learning.