Increasing numbers of postsecondary students pursue non-traditional paths through higher education and accumulate credit from multiple institutions and sources. Expanding access and opportunity for such learners demands rethinking common conceptions about learning structures and developing strategies for implementing reform. Holistic credit mobility is a conceptual framework that places learning at the center of such efforts in order to serve both students and institutions.

During virtual convenings in October and December, the holistic credit mobility acceleration cohort discussed and planned strategies to communicate value to students and systems and sustain these efforts over the long term. Developing holistic strategies to support students requires active communication about the importance of credit mobility to key constituencies, including current and prospective students, cross-sector partners such as K-12 or employers, and institutional or system faculty and staff.

Efforts to center learning often fall flat because of challenges communicating opportunities to learners. A 2023 study by the Center for Community College Student Engagement found that nearly two-thirds of community college students with a transfer destination and course of study in mind had not spoken to a staff member about the steps needed to actualize their plan. Students who do speak to advising or other staff, frequently face systemic barriers that make it difficult to receive the guidance they need. According to TransferBOOST by the Institute for Higher Education Policy, “Campus stakeholders often found it difficult to clearly explain the multitude of transfer pathways available, especially given frequent changes.” Credit mobility requires raising awareness and spurring action on both sides of this equation.

Communicating holistic credit mobility

Increasing the base of shared knowledge about credit mobility can be complex; communication to students should aim to be clear and precise. The following are specific steps that higher education practitioners can take to strengthen their casemaking and advocacy:

Start by focusing on the outcome. Center credit mobility conversations around degree attainment, not the mechanisms of credit articulation. Employ data to demonstrate the large swath of students impacted by credit mobility policies and practices. Focus on the opportunities afforded by credit mobility, rather than existing barriers that stand in the way. Avoid jargon emphasizing transfer mechanisms or labels that remove focus from students’ learning goals.

Tie student communications to specific tasks or actions. Focus student-facing communications on timely information about concrete actions students must or should take, such as application deadlines or advising appointments. Design communications that boost college fluency, highlight key milestones, and prepare students to navigate potential pitfalls, such as excess credit accumulation. Keep things simple: don’t overburden students with excessive information. Provide digestible resources that inform at a glance while affording space for deeper exploration when they need it.

Ensure key stakeholders are on the same page. Raising awareness and spurring action within institutions and systems similarly requires clearly enunciating why credit mobility is important. Co-develop materials and tools with partners to reinforce consistent messages to students, advisors, and staff and establish regular communication touchpoints with key stakeholders that center the student experience at every turn. Ground conversations in data and success metrics. Develop and share evidence about how generosity in recognizing prior learning has a positive return for institutional mission and finances. For example, CAEL has found that students who bring in credit for prior learning actually end up taking more traditional course credits at their destination institution than other students, due to improved persistence.

Standouts from the field and cohort

In the course of the holistic credit mobility acceleration cohort’s meetings, we heard from field-leading experts adept at centering student voices and driving adoption of credit mobility infrastructure. At the University of Central Florida (UCF), the DirectConnect to UCF® team employs a partnership model to communicate information about student pathways directly to potential transfer students enrolled at partner state colleges. They have also expanded knowledge about the program and generated buy-in through their communications to staff and faculty, collecting and disseminating robust statistics on usage and student outcomes to demonstrate value to leadership. Their shared governance model centers “major and transfer readiness” as a common goal, ensuring that entering learners are aligned to an educational pathway and prepared through a common curricula and access to advising supports embedded on partner campuses. They also maintain a credit equivalency portal, highlighting the power of transfer technology for directly informing students and keeping administrators abreast of the varied options for learners.

EDWorks of Northeast Tennessee have centered its credit mobility efforts around increasing communication and transparency across their consortium, which encompasses eight higher education institutions together with representatives from K-12 and industry. Through regional meetings, policy analysis, and in-depth listening sessions with key stakeholders, including leadership, advisors, and transfer students, the consortium has developed several shared goals: increasing educational attainment, expanding college-going rates, and promoting regional articulation. Within their student-focused framework, they have developed a series of credit mobility guiding principles to structure how they serve students, meet their goals, and enhance alignment across their member institutions.

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) also demonstrated best practices in communication when they hosted a statewide convening focused on holistic credit mobility. By bringing together representatives from different institutions and offices across their system along with those from outside their system with whom they frequently collaborate, they created a discursive space where critical conversations could occur within a student-centered frame. The organizers of this convening generated buy-in by providing positive examples to inspire institutions, created opportunities for connection and collaboration outside of established avenues, and centered thought-provoking student and practitioner perspectives to encourage reevaluation of the status quo.

What’s next for holistic credit mobility

In late January, the holistic credit mobility acceleration cohort met in person at Ithaka S+R’s New York offices to share progress, hear from experts in the field, highlight strategies for implementing change at scale, and host critical conversations regarding sustaining the cohort as an ongoing community of practice.

This spring, Ithaka S+R will release a national practitioner’s guide distilling strategies for improving credit mobility across higher education. Based on original research, hands-on technical engagement, and strategic advising with state, system, and institutional collaborators, the guide will present analysis, tools, and resources to speed the adoption of credit mobility policies and practices across higher education and serve as a reference manual for practitioners. Sustaining holistic credit mobility efforts requires honest assessment, stakeholder buy-in, strategic alignment, economic casemaking, and community, and all will feature heavily in Ithaka S+R’s forthcoming national guide.