State-related universities and independent, regionally-accredited higher education institutions in Pennsylvania are permitted – and encouraged – to join the state’s transfer and articulation system. By “Opting In”, your institution will become a participating member of the Transfer and Articulation Oversight Committee, have a voice in shaping future transfer policies and procedures, and be able to use PA TRAC to reach out and provide information to transfer students in Pennsylvania.

For more information, read below or contact the Office of Access Initiatives at PDE at re-patrac@state.pa.us or 717-772-3643.

Responsibilities & Obligations
Rights and Privileges
Costs
Timeline
Process for “Opting In”
Interagency Agreement(PDF)
Contact Information

1. Institutions must agree to accept the course equivalency standards developed by the Transfer and Articulation Oversight Committee (TAOC);
2. Institutions must agree to submit foundation courses to be reviewed by the Subcommittees of TAOC;
3. Institutions must appoint representatives to serve on the TAOC Subcommittees;
4. Institutions must agree to accept the courses approved by the TAOC review process;
5. Institutions must agree to identify specific course equivalencies for TAOC approved courses; and,
6. Institutions must report annual transfer data.

1. Institutions will become part of the statewide transfer and articulation system;
2. Institutions will have access to all services provided by AcademyOne and contracted by the State;
3. Institutions will be listed on statewide transfer ePortal that gives students, parents, and advisors direct access to transfer information, including articulation agreements, for all participating institutions as well link them directly to AcademyOne;
4. Institutions will receive a discounted subscription rate from AcademyOne; and,
5. Institutions will benefit from the State’s marketing and promotion of the one-stop ePortal.

The only costs associated with the opt-in of state-related or independents are those that directly relate to the annual subscriptions and maintenance agreements required by the selected software vendor.

The TAOC process is facilitated by AcademyOne, located in West Chester, PA.  AcademyOne provides subscriptions to their Course Equivalency Management Center, as well as set-up, implementation and training for participating independent and state-related institutions.

Vendor contracts are negotiated directly between the institution and AcademyOne. PDE does not negotiate the contracts on the institution’s behalf or have control over the cost of the agreement. Opt-in institutions will receive a discounted subscription rate from AcademyOne after they officially join TAOC.

If you have questions about the costs associated with the electronic database and ePortal, please contact Karen Todd at AcademyOne via email at ktodd@academyone.com.


For the first two years of TAOC, state-related and private institutions were invited to "opt-in" by Feb. 28 of that calendar year. From March 2008 and beyond, the following timeline will be followed and provided to interested institutions:

• November 15
  - Deadline for Opt-Ins to sign and return Interagency Agreements to PDE; Deadline for deciding to remain a member of TAOC for the following academic year
• January 15
  - Deadline for institutions to submit new courses and updated catalog information for review
• January 1 - May 1
  - Time frame for reviewing new courses in CEMC

For more information about the opt-in process or Pennsylvania’s statewide transfer initiative, contact the Office of Access Initiatives at PDE at re-patrac@state.pa.us or call 717-772-3643.


Institutions interested in becoming a participating member of TAOC should follow the steps below:

1. Institution expresses verbal or written interest in joining TAOC by contacting the PDE:
   
   Transfer and Articulation Programs
   Office of Access Initiatives
   Pennsylvania Department of Education
   333 Market Street, 12th Floor
   Harrisburg, PA 17126
   Phone: 717-772-3643
   Fax: 717-772-3622
   
   
   PDE then provides additional information including a template of the data collection report, an outline of the Transfer Credit Framework, and a sample Interagency Agreement.


2. Institution reviews information provided and contacts AcademyOne concerning a contract to participate in the ePortal and associated databases. AcademyOne explains financial obligations and requirements of the contract. AcademyOne may be reached by calling Karen Todd at 610-436-5680 or emailing her at ktodd@academyone.com.


3. Institution agrees to the required responsibilities and obligations. The institution’s Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs, or an equivalent institutional administrator, signs 2 copies of the Interagency Agreement and returns both copies to PDE. See Appendix K.


4. Upon receipt of the Interagency Agreement, the Deputy Secretary of Post-Secondary Education signs the agreements. PDE mails one copy of the agreement to the institution along with an acknowledgement letter and an outline of the implementation process. PDE files the other copy of the agreement with the Office of Access Initiatives.


5. AcademyOne continues to work with the Institution to finalize contract and access to the ePortal and related databases. Institution signs vendor agreement; AcademyOne notifies PDE that agreement is final.


6. Institution appoints representatives to serve TAOC and to complete various tasks associated with membership. Institution completes TAOC Representation Form and returns to PDE:
   1. Representative, Transfer Articulation and Oversight Committee - This person is responsible for representing the institution at TAOC meetings and serves as the primary point of contact for the institution.
   2. Representative, Course Equivalency Management Center (CEMC) - This person is responsible for submitting an institution’s courses for review by the TAOC standards subcommittees. Courses are submitted once a year via a web-based system. As institutions change course descriptions and new courses receive TAOC approval, the CEMC contact will asked to establish equivalencies for his/her institution.
   3. Representative, Transfer Profile on ePortal - This person is responsible for creating and maintaining an institution’s transfer college profile on the ePortal. The college transfer profile is a marketing tool as well as an information site. Students are directed to profiles when searching for basic information about your college, admissions and transfer policies and contact information. This position requires some technical knowledge as information is submitted online through AcademyOne and must be updated regularly.
   4. Representative, Transfer Agreement Management Center - This person is responsible for uploading an institution’s transfer agreements in a database that is part of the ePortal. AcademyOne’s Transfer Agreement Management Center allows institutions to load program-to-program guides/advising check sheets into a searchable database, allowing prospective students and academic advisors to easily find and use them for academic planning. The database can also store copies of an institution’s articulation agreements
   
   
7. Institution schedules and attends training on the ePortal and CEMC with AcademyOne.


8. Institution submits foundation courses for review by the TAOC standards subcommittees. Once equivalencies are established, courses are immediately included in the CEMC database and available for viewing by the ePortal user. Deadline for submitting courses and establishing equivalencies for academic year Fall 2008-Spring 2009 is August 31, 2008.


9. Institution electronically submits copies of all of the institution’s articulation agreements to PDE. Institution posts transfer agreements (also referred to as "Academic check sheets", "program-to-program guide", or "Academic Planning Guide" to AcademyOne’s Transfer Agreement Management Center (TAMC).


10. Institution establishes course equivalencies for TAOC approved courses. As a participating member of TAOC, an institution may not reject an approved TAOC course for transfer. When transferring a TAOC approved course, an institution must take one of three actions:
    • Enter the current equivalency that the institution has for a given course into the system;
    • Create a new equivalency for the course and enter that course into the system; or
    • If there is no comparable course, use a "ghost" course to indicate that the course is accepted even though there is no matching course taught at the institution.


11. Institution provides a written copy of the institution’s student transfer appeal process to PDE. If no such policy exists, the institution must develop one, provide it to PDE, and publish it for transfer students to access.


12. Submit the Interim Report of Credit Transfers annual transfer data to the PDE no later than Jan. 15 of each year. Please be advised that this deadline is subject to change.


13. Institution has until November 15 of each year to notify PDE as to whether the Institution intends to participate in TAOC during the following academic year. An "Academic Year" is defined as the fall, spring and summer semesters of the academic year.