The document provides an update on the cooperative alliance programs, discussing accreditation criteria, contract development, and credit hour assessments, highlighting ongoing efforts to ensure consistent academic credit across institutions. It outlines current practices for cooperative alliance students, noting that while changes are anticipated for fall 2015, students beginning their programs in fall 2014 will see no immediate changes. Additionally, it addresses questions regarding enrollment, prior learning assessment (PLA) policies, and faculty oversight in technical programs.

1. Cooperative Alliance Update
Jeremy Zweiacker
Coordinator – Innovation, Research and Quality

2. Pic courtesy Susanne Nilsson via Flickr

3. Current
Cooperative Alliances Programs
CONTINUE
as in the Past!

4. Cooperative Alliance Workshop
Changes in the “Criteria for
Accreditation, Assumed
Practices, and Obligations
of Affiliation”

5. Assessments
This committee has met twice and hosted a Prior
Learning Assessment workshop in April 2014 with
a focus on the nationally recognized credentials
CareerTech includes in its programs. Work
continues to create a statewide inventory for all
institutions to use to award the same credit for
the assessments. Institutions will NOT need to
create their own, but provide faculty to assist in
the statewide project. The next meeting will be
in August or September.

6. Contracts
This committee has met three times and created a
draft of the HLC Substantive Change form that
will reflect the elements of a contract (CAP
agreement) between the college and technology
center for an Associate in Applied Science degree
program. The next step is developing the
contract template from the HLC required
information and the details included in CAP
documents in place. A draft will be distributed by
the end of July.

7. Credit Hour
This committee has met two times; a
subcommittee has met twice to develop a
rubric to present to the full committee. Once
approved by the full committee, the rubric will
be made available to each institution and
technology center to use in contract
development. It will also be foundational for
the technical crosswalk.

8. Technical Crosswalk
This committee has met once. Its work will
develop out of the work of the Contracts and
Credit Hour groups, so will resume meetings
once this work is further down the road.

9. Technical Crosswalk
Certain allied health care programs require
licensure to enter practice. To sit for these
licensure exams/registries, either college
transcripted work or a full degree is required. In
addition, the specialty accreditation bodies
require the program be offered by a degree-
granting institution. These issues and impacts to
existing programs are under review. These
subgroups (rad tech, radiology, and PT/OT) met
June 3 & 24.

10. Technical Crosswalk
The Council on Instruction (COI) committee is
tasked with review of the State Regents’ policy
for cooperative agreements. This group has
met three times since April and will meet
again in late August.

11. Current
Cooperative Alliances Programs
CONTINUE
as in the Past!

12. Although we are looking at future changes, all
things continue as they have for Cooperative
Alliance students in Fall 2014. Current CAP
students should see NO CHANGES for them as
they enter Fall 2014, other than advisement
that there will be changes for Fall 2015 in how
they earn college credit.

13. We (OSRHE/ODCTE) are proceeding at a diligent,
but thoughtful pace. HLC required that the
state, as well as each institution provide a
timeline of activities.

14. The State Regents transmitted the statewide
timeline in April. Institutions are now
submitting timelines to HLC.

15. Implementation Timeline
Spring & Summer 2014 - Reviewing all CAPs for
productivity, viability, and industry demand for a
degree in the technical area.
December 2014 - Determinations of best path forward
with remaining CAPs (PLA or contract).
Planning and policy work to achieve statewide PLA and
contracts.
Spring 2015 - Communication of Fall 2015 plans for how
student can earn college credit for CAPs sent out in for
students and parents
Fall 2015 - Implementation for ALL changes for ALL CAPs
at ALL institutions

16. Questions and Answers
Pic courtesy photosteve101 via Flickr

17. Q: We are hearing different stories all over the
state concerning cooperative alliances. Who
has the correct information?
A: Current information sources are the Regents
(Debbie Blanke or Debra Stuart) or CareerTech
(Chad Wilson). Call or email. Please ask so
that we can clarify and validate.

18. Q: How do we enroll students? What do we tell them?
A: Be very clear that there are NO CHANGES in process
for Fall 2014/Spring 2015. NEW students must be
advised that we are in transition. If a student starts a
program, and that program is later scheduled for
deletion, then the student will be included in the “teach
out” plan or advised to a different program. Advise
students that the programs may change in how credit
is awarded, and/or how much credit is granted.
Students will be given the opportunity to: 1) finish the
credit in the manner they began the program; 2) move
to the new process (whether PLA or contract); or 3)
move to a different CAP.

19. Q: In the case of PLA, the institution can’t charge a fee
based on credit hours, correct?
A: Institutions make it very clear that they do not “sell”
academic credit. In general, the institution can charge
a fee for the assessment; the assessment or its review
may vary in cost dependent on the time and expertise
required for the review process. Also note that, in the
case of a portfolio, the student may pay for a review
even if no credit is awarded based on that review. The
statewide PLA inventory under development should
minimize the review costs.

20. Q: Concerning the 15 hour residency requirement, if a
student completes 15 hours at one college, then at-
tends a technology center, and finally goes on to a
different college and only needs 6 hours to graduate
from there, do they still have to meet the 15 hour
residency requirement at the second college?
A: 15 hours of the associate’s degree must be earned at
the college that will award the degree. PLA does NOT
count as resident credit; con-tract credit does. If a
student changes colleges, the student would still have
to complete 15 hours in residence at that next college
for the degree to be awarded from that college.

21. Q: How much PLA can be applied to degree
requirements?
A: Up to 75% of the degree requirements may
come from PLA. Stu-dents must complete a
minimum of 12 hours earned at the college
be-fore the PLA is transcripted.

22. Q: PLA = Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory or Pass-No
Pass or Pass-Fail on the transcript; Contract=
grade on the transcript. How do these grading
notations impact the competitiveness of students
trying to enter, for example, OU Health Sciences
Center (OUHSC)?
A: With information gathered so far from OUHSC,
we are not aware of students being
disadvantaged by receiving “satisfactory” or
“pass” grades.

23. Q: Will there be a policy on how long students
can “bank” their PLA credit?
A: No. After the student completes 12 hours at
the college, then the PLA credit can be
transcripted. If the assessing body stipulates a
timeframe of validity for a certification, this
may impact the credit that can be awarded.

24. Q: How can the college demonstrate oversight
when all technical courses are taught at the
technology center ?
A: The college MUST feel confident in its
oversight of the program when presenting it to
HLC. We are clarifying with HLC on their
operational definition of “oversight.”

25. Q: What are HLC’s faculty requirements for
colleges or contractual arrangements with
colleges?
A: Faculty expertise is generally one degree level
higher than what the faculty member is
currently teaching, or extensive documented
experience that the institution feels it can
justify as appropriate expertise for an HLC
review.

26. Q. If a new student is admitted in Fall 2014 and
does NOT finish the degree by May 2015, what
will the college do?
A. The college may:
1) teach out the student under the requirement at
admission; AND
2) offer the student the option to transition to the
current process for that CAP (PLA or contract);
AND
3) offer the student the option to transition to a
different CAP.

27. Pic courtesy Ethan Lofton via Flickr

28. Cooperative Alliance Contacts
Dr. Debbie Blanke
dblanke@osrhe.edu
Dr. Debra Stuart
dstuart@osrhe.edu
Mr. Chad Wilson
chad.wilson@careertech.ok.gov
Presentation derived from July 31, 2014 CAP Newsletter