Policy to Realize the Promise of Short-Cycle Programs
Skill Development Pathways One reason why students might not choose SCPs is that they might view them as an academic “dead end” given the difficulty of transferring to a bachelor’s program. For example, although most program directors interviewed for the WBSCPS report that their programs offer credits for longer degrees, administrative data show that most SCP students do not pursue or finish such degrees (chapter 1). Creating smoother, more flexible pathways between SCPs and bachelor’s degrees would mitigate the perception of SCPs as a “dead end” and lower their stigma. More importantly, flexible pathways would facilitate lifelong learning by shifting the focus away from degrees and onto skills. Under flexible pathways, a student receives a credential when she completes a skill acquisition block or module (such as the first year in college or a series of computer-related classes). She completes blocks flexibly as allowed by work or family obligations. Once she completes the required portfolio of blocks, she becomes eligible for a final degree (for example, an SCP or bachelor’s degree). In this way, the SCP itself becomes a block in the portfolio toward a bachelor’s degree. Creating flexible pathways is easier said than done. Two main obstacles emerge. The first is that, when an SCP graduate seeks admission to a bachelor’s program, the latter must trust that the student learned what she was supposed to learn in the former. The second is that the programs in question—SCPs and bachelor’s—may in and of themselves not be flexible enough. The first problem can be solved through exams in which the student demonstrates her readiness for the bachelor’s program. It can also be solved by institutional arrangements between the two programs or HEIs. A mere agreement, however, is not enough. In the United States, many states have an equivalence of credits between community colleges and four-year institutions, yet the actual student transfers only work well in some of them—namely, in the states where the faculties of the sending and receiving institutions coordinate as needed.20 Yet another solution to the first problem is the use of standardized “descriptors,” similar to those used among countries in the European Union, that establish general parameters and intended learning outcomes by program type (for instance, SCP and bachelor’s) in order to ensure the acceptance of degrees across institutions.21 Proving that the student has not only completed a block but also acquired the corresponding skills is relatively simple when the student accumulates blocks at the same or related institutions. In other cases, the reputation of the certifier (be it an HEI or a private company), along with detailed information on the skills acquired, are perhaps the best available solutions. Multiple arrangements of this kind exist in the United States (box 5.7). These include stackable credentials, which allow students to “stack” certificates or degrees toward a more advanced credential, and digital badges, which provide a
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