Today’s students accumulate college credit and other validated learning experiences from more sources and in more forms. Adult learners may complete military or corporate training, obtain credit for prior learning through a competency-based examination, or garner credits at multiple institutions along their educational journey. Additionally, high school students routinely earn college credit through dual enrollment programs or exam scores on AP or IB exams.
As credit accumulation options proliferate, students also are becoming increasingly mobile themselves. Forty-five percent of associate degree earners and 67 percent of bachelor’s degree earners attend two or more institutions before earning their degree.
The increase of credit accumulation options, coupled with increased student mobility, presents challenges for institutions and states that seek greater levels of educational attainment. This report by Ithaka S+R examines examples of instances where students can leverage multiple types of learning across institutions on their journey to a credential.
Taken together, these examples demonstrate the key components of holistic credit mobility: a framework that centers learning first, counts validated learning regardless of the source, does not ask students to repeat learning, and includes advising on what credit is accepted as well as what learning is still required to earn a desired credential. In short, holistic credit mobility embraces students’ accumulated learning and empowers them to chart a path that counts all of their learning toward a credential, the report states.