Credit transfer rates at a regional university on the path towards dual sector status

Educational pathways within and across the Australia tertiary sector are an important issue in creating a seamless tertiary environment, encouraging Australians to obtain further education and training, and to develop skills and employment options that will contribute to Australia’s economic productivity. The current research on movement between the higher education (HE) and vocational education and training (VET) sectors points to difficulties in data collections in both sectors (Harris et al 2006, Karmel & Nguyen 2003), with the statistics being problematic and even controversial (Teese & Polesel 1999; Pitt 2001; Ramsay et al. 1997). The National Council for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) collects the Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard (AVETMISS) for the Australian VET sector, and whilst this contains statistics relating to Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Credit Transfer, very little is known about this movement into the higher education sector through the Higher Education Statistics Collection. Individual HE institutions maintain data at the organisational level, but to date there has been no systemic review of these data across institutions. As a preliminary exploration, the case study presented here provides empirical data on the rates of Credit Transfer at CQUniversity, which is a regional university approaching dual sector status. Work has already commenced on articulation and credit transfer issues within this university as it transitions to a dual sector institution scheduled for 2014. CQUniversity embarked on its transition to a dual sector university with Central Qld TAFE with the aim of providing a seamless stream of both academic and vocational learning pathways through more study options, articulation pathways and improved facilities by working together more strategically, rather than competing or working in isolation. The intent was to develop as a single institution offering a comprehensive education experience. This paper examines rates of Credit Transfer for undergraduate and postgraduate programs offered between 2011 and 2012. The paper then concludes by identifying key areas for future research with respect to dual sector pathways.