Prototype Development of a Cross-Institutional Credit Transfer Information System for Community College Transfer Students

Yee Na Li,Kin Cheung,Wilson Yeung Yuk Kwok,Hilda Tsang,Eunice So,Peter Benz,Ka Ming Chow,Jeremy Tzi Dong Ng,Bin Li,Alice Leung,Janus Ka Yee Lui,Dicky Nok Hang Leung

doi:10.3390/su13169398

Abstract

Credit transfer information systems in higher education are not well studied. This article demonstrates the prototype development of a cross-institutional credit transfer information system (CICIS) for community college transfer (i.e., vertical transfer) students in an Asian educational context. It exhibits credit transfer guidelines and past credit transfer records to enhance the transparency and sustainability of credit transfer information and to facilitate the transfer process of prospective community college transfer students. It also ensures the sustainability of credit transfer information and its application. The four-phase life cycle of the prototyping model was adopted to guide the study. In this paper, we report the first three phases of this development: (1) Users’ needs assessment and pre-prototyping groundwork, (2) prototype development, and (3) unforeseen circumstances and expert review. Challenges and difficulties throughout the whole process are documented and discussed. Based on this prototype development experience, a solid foundation of strategies for future engineering and enhancement of credit transfer information systems can be developed.

Highlights

Education is an institutionalised way of keeping ideas, knowledge, and skills sustainable, where higher education institutions serve as one of the main gatekeepers
We focus on vertical transfer, and in particular, vertical transfer students who are the graduates of community college holding an associate degree or a higher diploma
In 2014, the policy and principles for credit accumulation and transfer (CAT) under the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (HKQF) were promulgated by the Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) to further strengthen the support for mobility in higher education [17]

Summary

Introduction

Education is an institutionalised way of keeping ideas, knowledge, and skills sustainable, where higher education institutions serve as one of the main gatekeepers. To sustain the process and provide accurate information for making decisions about course enrolment and credit transfer applications, community colleges and universities co-establish online locations as deposits of transfer-specific information [15,38,39]. These online systems can be developed domestically by institutions, vendor-supplied products, or a mixture of both, functioning as an online catalogue of credit transfer related information [24,25]. This study improves the sustainability of developing credit transfer information systems as an essential tool to facilitate higher education, and draws the attention of various stakeholders of higher education to the needs, benefits, issues, and possible solutions associated with the development process

Literature Review of Credit Transfer Information Systems

Existing Credit Transfer Information Systems

Theoretical Framework

Community College Transfer in Hong Kong

Development of a CAT System in Hong Kong

CAT Database in Hong Kong

An Ongoing Cross-Institutional Project

System Design and Prototype Development

Needs Assessment

Pre-Prototyping Groundwork

Prototype Development

Unforeseen Circumstances and Expert Review