MapIt Learning Collaborative
The MapIt Learning Collaborative supports institutions to increase their understanding of current transfer practices within their institution and the steps transfer students take while transferring into and out of an institution. Documenting these ‘current state’ processes will help inform the development of tools, strategies, and frameworks to support process improvements and collaborative learning across the sector.
Join the MapIT Learning Collaborative
Colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes that join the MapIt Learning Collaborative will receive:
- Training on process mapping;
- An external facilitator/consultant to support the development of a transfer process map of their institution;
- Funding of $10,000 to support participation in the project and project activities;
- Institutions that have completed MapIt, become eligible for funding to support process improvement strategies that address some of the issues identified through their process map.
Eligibility
- Publicly-assisted colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes in Ontario are eligible to join.
Application
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If you would like to learn more about MapIt before applying, please reach out to Nick Hanson, Director of Research, Data and Funding, nhanson@oncat.ca and copy Inna Yeranosyan, Grants and Projects Specialist, at iyeranosyan@oncat.ca.
MapIt Background
At some point in a student’s academic career, they may decide to transfer out of their current postsecondary institution (PSI) to another. Students transfer for a variety of reasons, including geographic relocation, personal or financial challenges, change in career trajectory, and/or desired change in program or field of study. According to a study, led by eCampusOntario’s Student Mobility Design Lab (see Student Mobility Final Report) and supported by ONCAT, the student experience in transfer includes several stages categorized in three undamental areas: information seeking (realizing and researching), preparing (applying, transferring credits, accepting offer), and transferring (adapting).
The MapIt Learning Collaborative is a strategy that documents the current state of transfer processes at publicly assisted colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes in Ontario from the student perspective. Through process mapping ONCAT’s works with postsecondary institutions to define the current state of the student journey in transferring in and out of a specific institution. This includes how prior courses and/or credentials are assessed by the institution a student is transferring to (the receiving institution), whether they receive advanced standing or course exemptions, and when students find out the outcomes of their transfer request.
Key questions that process mapping may help to identify include:
- How/when does a student apply for transfer credit?
- Who/what are the student’s first point of contact and what are their roles in the process?
- How long is the process time for acceptance/non-acceptance?
- What staff/departments are involved?
- What information systems are involved?
- What are the non-value added activities in this process that could be eliminated?
- Where are the bottlenecks?
- What fees, if any, do students pay?
- What documents are students required to submit to institutions (e.g., course outline, etc.)?
- What are the baselines and metrics to measure improvement and success?
Recap of MapIt’s Cohorts to Date
By working through a consortium approach, and with Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA) as a consultant, stakeholders at each institution are engaged through interviews, focus groups and surveys to understand the transfer journey a student takes and to develop deeper understanding of the entire transfer process (including application, assessment, registration, and advisory practices). Each institution receives an individual report based on the results of their mapping activities and participates in several knowledge-sharing sessions to distribute key learnings and opportunities for improvement based on their maps. ONCAT also receives summary reports with aggregated insights on transfer processes found across institutions.
To date, ONCAT has worked with 29 postsecondary institutions. This includes:
Cohort 1 (2019-completed): Cambrian College, University of Waterloo, Conestoga College, Laurentian University, Brock University, Algonquin College, Université de Hearst, George Brown College, Queen’s University, and First Nations Technical Institute.
Cohort 2 (2020-completed): Centennial College, Collège La Cité, Lakehead University, Northern College of Applied Arts and Technology, Sault College, Sheridan College, Trent University, the University of Guelph, and the University of Windsor.
Cohort 3 (2021-completed): Lambton College, Ontario Tech University, Wilfred Laurier University, Collège Boréal, and Canadore College.
Cohort 4 (2022-in process/completed): Humber College, Algoma University, University of Ottawa, York University, and Durham College.
Institutions that have not yet participated are invited to submit their expression of interest to join.