Appendix A: Glossary

Accreditation – certification by an external agency or professional regulatory body that an educational program meets its standards. (ONTransfer, 2012) Partner institutions may ask about program accreditation status when developing articulation agreements.

Advanced Credit Agreement Form – an agreement that documents which courses are waived if the student is approved for Advanced Standing. (Policy A124, Guideline A)

Advanced Standing – a process qualifying the applicant for direct entry to the second or higher level of the program on the basis of academic achievement at another program or institution and/or of the PLAR process. (Policy A124, Guideline A)

Articulation Agreement – an official agreement between two or more institutions delivering post-secondary-level learning that defines the terms and conditions enabling students to transfer between specific programs to attain recognition for their prior learning. (Policy A124)

Bridging – a course or set of courses that students take to fill gaps in their learning from one program in order to enter another program, for example, from a diploma to a degree program in the same area of study. (ONTransfer, 2012)

Comparable content – a measure of similarity between separate programs or courses for the purpose of granting credit transfer. In addition to comparing program vocational learning outcomes and course learning outcomes, this measure typically covers the field of knowledge and its scope (i.e., broad versus narrow) and the level of instruction and/or prerequisites required. These measures look at the subject matter covered within courses, evaluation methods, and the credit weight/duration of those courses. The minimum comparable content for internal and external credit transfer is 80%. (Policy A124)

Credit recognition – an umbrella term for the recognition of course credit for learning acquired at the post-secondary level. Credit recognition includes waived credits, internal credit, external credit, and advanced standing.

Credit transfer – recognition of course credit for learning acquired at the post-secondary level. Credit transfer includes internal credit, external credit, and advanced standing. (Policy A124)

Curriculum Mapping – within the pathway context, the process of assessing program alignment between two programs to assign transfer credit.

External Credit – Credit granted by the College for one Fanshawe College course on the basis of previous postsecondary academic achievement at another recognized institution or as defined in an approved articulation agreement. (Policy A124, Guideline A)

Fast-track – a program providing students with previous post-secondary education and/or PLAR admission to an advanced level of a program enabling them to complete the credential in less time.

Internal Credit – credit granted by the College for one Fanshawe College course on the basis of previous credit achieved in different Fanshawe College course(s). (Policy A124, Guideline A)

Laddering – a clear, structured route that enables a student to progress from one program to the next without interruption.

MCU (Ministry of Colleges and Universities) – Ontario government body responsible for post-secondary education.

MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) – document describing a mutual understanding between the parties. In some instances, the MoU precedes the articulation agreement.

OCQAS (Ontario College Quality Assurance Service) – post-secondary education quality assurance agency owned, operated and funded by the 24 public colleges in Ontario.

ONCAT (Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer) – a provincial organization funded by the government of Ontario to support learner mobility and reduce barriers for students seeking to transfer among Ontario’s public colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes. ONCAT partners with Ontario’s postsecondary institutions to help establish academic pathways, facilitate recognition of prior learning, support learners’ transition into the labour market, and support research and projects.

ONTransfer – website that gives students information on how programs and course credits may transfer among postsecondary programs in publicly funded colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes in Ontario.

PEQAB (Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board) – an Ontario agency that makes recommendations to the Minister of Colleges and Universities of Ontario on degree applications for ministerial consent under the terms of the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000.

Program pathway – a defined transfer route from one postsecondary program to another program at the same or another institution

Program transfer – transfer occurring on an internal basis from one Fanshawe College post-secondary program to another beyond level one. (Policy A124, Guideline A)

Reach-back course – a lower-level course that is part of a degree program’s curriculum. This course must be completed by transfer students in order to move to an upper-level of a degree program.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) – umbrella term referring to the processes that allow individuals to identify, document, have assessed, and gain recognition for prior formal, informal, and/or non-formal learning at the postsecondary level. (Policy A124)

Residency Requirement – requirement that a learner must complete a specific amount of the program at the institution awarding the credential. At Fanshawe, to be eligible for any College Credential a student must be enrolled and complete at least 25% of that program’s credit units at Fanshawe College, unless stipulated differently by other approving bodies such as the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB). (Policy A122)

Student Exchange – study abroad at one of the College’s partner institutions while remaining registered as full-time students at Fanshawe. The exchange program is reciprocal, with Fanshawe accepting students from partner institutions into the College for a semester of study. Student exchange is not addressed in this handbook.