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Every interaction a learner has with a postsecondary institution matters. And yet, insufficient or outdated information on institutional websites can create barriers for prospective students. When potential applicants can quickly access accurate, up-to-date information, institutions are better positioned to turn interest into enrolment. 

To improve the transparency and timing of transfer credit processes, ONCAT awarded $75,000 to the University of Ottawa via an ONCAT Capacity Grant — a funding program that supports the development and implementation of learner-centric policies, practices and pathways at publicly assisted postsecondary institutions in Ontario. ONCAT is funded by the Government of Ontario.  

Improving transfer information and workflows 
The project team included Geneviève Gauthier, Manager of Undergraduate Admissions, Danielle Rutty, Senior Specialist, Business Operations, and Jess Lumbers, Lead Data Administrator. To improve communications and information for prospective transfer students, they completed a substantial revision of the university’s transfer credit communication strategies. This included updates to internal messaging, external communications and the transfer credit website. The revisions now provide clear explanations of transfer credits, information about credit types, required documentation, approximate credit ranges students can expect and guidance that is more accessible and transparent for applicants. The team also added publicly available transfer credit information on their website for students from key transfer partners, including Algonquin College and Collège La Cité.

The project team also successfully improved the efficiency of transfer credit assessment workflows. They re-evaluated and refreshed transfer credit rules, collected data to identify transfer credits needing reassessment, created training procedures for transfer credit evaluators and established performance measures to evaluate success. These revisions allowed the team to better assess, track and communicate with subject matter experts about applicants’ files. Following implementation of the workflow improvements, the team reduced student wait times by a third. 

“ONCAT provided the funding to focus efforts on overhauling the University of Ottawa’s transfer credit evaluation process and our communications with students. This constituted increased transparency on our websites, adding transfer credits to our websites, renewing old transfer credit rules and setting up a process to perpetuate this review,” says Jess Lumbers. “These were incredibly valuable tools that allowed us to adapt to the dramatic increase in transfer in the last several years,” she continues.

Students see improvements in transfer credit processes
As a result of these efforts, staff reported that students were more likely to submit the correct documents (including course syllabi) and asked fewer questions about transfer credit eligibility. Over the course of the grant, the team started or completed approximately 2,275 transfer credit evaluations, and they provided 1,350 students with direct communications related to their transfer credit assessments. These collective efforts enhanced the clarity, efficiency and accessibility of transfer-credit information for learners.

The project team is already working on adding a timeline section to their website to help students understand the process. They will continue to make improvements since every enhancement could be the difference between a lost applicant and a successful one. If other institutions are interested in improving their transfer students’ experiences, the team recommends starting by gathering feedback from colleagues who are in contact with students. This feedback should inform the content and format of information on the website and in email communications with students. Taking the time to understand the student perspective is a worthwhile investment that can result in improved communications and information for students. To learn more about the project, contact Geneviève Gauthier. 

This project impact was created by Meryl Borato, Knowledge Mobilization Manager.
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