Sharing Credits

Every once in a while a piece of legislation catches my eye for one reason or another. Last week, on June 13th, politicspa had an item in their press release list that I took the time to read. State rep. Josh Shapiro and 34 of his fellow legislators, from both sides of the aisle, want to make it easier to transfer from one school in Pennsylvania to another, from community colleges to four-year colleges. The basic structure of the bill calls for a statewide articulation agreement, where a course taken at one school is accepted for equal credit by another. In addition the bill calls for a statewide course numbering system, a common calendar and common prerequisites for all bachelor’s degree programs.

By odd coincidence that same day the Inky had a front page story, “Hope for Phila. In College Dropouts,” on the high rate of college dropouts in the area. “Only 14% of Philadephians 25 years or older have a college degree, but the study (by PA Economy League and the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board) identified 80,000 more of prime working age with some college experience. If those dropouts can be persuaded to reenroll, they ‘promise the quickest and most effective way to increase our stock of college-educated workers.’” If they do return to school, what are the odds that they will return to the school they first attended? How many of those credits would be accepted?

It struck a personal chord and nudged loose an old memory. I am a “first generation college student,” that means when I went to college neither of my parents had a college degree, although Ma started taking community college classes when I was in high school and later finished up an Associates degree. One year for Christmas everyone in the family receive a tub of popcorn that her business sorority was selling. I'm extremely proud of Ma. I am also very aware that the magic piece of paper known as a diploma has made a dramatic difference in what my life is and what it might have been, and life is much better with. It will not buy you happiness but it certainly can increase your options, not to mention your potential earning power. Easing the path of college students, and making it easier for them to take credits from school to school, or to return to college without having to start over from scratch, could dramatically increase the productivity and wages of those students and their families, as well as increase the educational expectations for their children. One of the ways to drastically change the lifestyle and social class of an entire family for generations is to enhance the education of parents or people who are likely to become parents.

The memory the press release jogged was of an article the Inky ran years ago, “Comparing Classes at Penn and Montco”, by Larry King, published April 7, 1996, p. A14. Biology 102 at Penn had 150 students in the class; second semester anatomy and physiology at Montgomery County Community College had two 15 student sections. Students visited each other’s classes, completed questionnaires and surveys and were interviewed.

The results? “When students visited each other’s classes, none saw much difference in the material, only in the manner and the pace of the presentation. The most noticeable difference, they pointed out, was class size. Students said the classes were equally thorough.” Another article by King that ran the same day, on page 1, “Beating High College Costs: Go the Community College Route,” provides further evidence that students who take their first year or two of college at a community college are not academically disadvantaged and save a significant amount of money.

A statewide articulation agreement would be a real boon to students who intend from the start to transfer, those who decide to change schools later on, and those who return to school after a break. Should Rep. Shapiro and his co-sponsors manage to get all the state supported schools in the state to agree on this they will be accomplishing something with wide-ranging benefits to the state. I imagine it will be a long battle with some resistance from some schools, especially those that cultivate an image of selectivity and that advertise an “experience” as well as an education. The indoctrination starts from day one in these settings and introducing other students midway through who did not have the same orienting early years will bring some disruption and tarnish the mystique.

As for the rest of HB 1706, a statewide course numbering system, a common calendar and common prerequisites for all bachelor’s degree programs, well, good luck. Take the statewide course numbering system, standardizing this would require a lot of shuffling. Does everyone who went to college remember Freshman English? It is either indelibly imprinted on your memory or you have blotted it out altogether. Here is a list of a few local colleges and how they list and describe the course:

Penn State: ENGL 015 (GWS) RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION ( 3) Instruction and practice in writing expository prose that shows sensitivity to audience and purpose.

Rutgers: English Composition 101-102: Instruction and practice in writing expository prose, including a documented research report.

Drexel: ENGL 101-3 In ENGL 101, you learned how to write mainly expository essays; in ENGL 102, you learned how to develop a written argument; in this course, you will learn how to present in writing, your analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of a written text. In ENGL 103, we use works of literature—fiction, poetry, and drama—to hone our analytic and interpretive skills. We will also review—in the context of the study of literary works—the components of the process of writing an academic essay.

U Penn: 001-012,125 Critical Writing Seminars in English fulfill the writing requirement for all undergraduates. As discipline-based writing seminars, these courses introduce students to a topic within the discipline but emphasis throughout is upon the development of critical thinking, analytical, and writing skills.

CCP: ENGL 101-102 English Composition. This course requires the writing of academic essays of about 500 words which develop significant ideas in a sequence of well-organized paragraphs with a minimum of errors. Students are expected to use a variety of rhetorical patterns and respond in writing to assigned reading. Continuing study of the effective use of language and the composition of longer papers in which students respond to literature and/or nonfiction reading, incorporating information and ideas of others along with their own thinking. A substantial research paper is usually required, in which students make use of sources they have located and evaluated.

Villanova: ENG 1010 Composition In this Writing Intensive course, students concentrate on the writing process to produce expository prose that demonstrates analytical thinking skills and the ability to use direct and concise language for effective communication. (3 cr)

If the thought of trying to standardize this one class is daunting, imagine what would happen if you tried to standardize the requirements for a degree! Different schools have different specialties that do not mesh well, even if they are in the same discipline. A statewide calendar? That would be tough, given that most schools have semesters, but others have trimesters.

So, I wish Rep. Shapiro and the others the best of luck. Increased articulation agreements, even if it isn’t statewide but just increases the number of schools that accept each other’s credits, would be a monumental accomplishment. This is a bill, referred to the Education committee on June 20, that I will track with relish.