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ASSESSING CO-CURRICULAR TRANSCRIPTS COMBINED WITH THE ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Rodney L. Parks, Ph. D.

Should we extend the Academic Transcript by adding a Co-curricular record? • Need Based

• Growing demand to identify student experiences on academic transcript without credit

• Transcript no longer a credential that fully describes the full set of academic experiences

• Combining the two transcripts paints a very different picture of student achievement and 4-year education

• Transcript should match the vision of the institution (Study Abroad, Service Learning, Internship, Research, and Leadership)

Value of the CCT •  “Co-curricular and competency-based transcripts innovate at the level of

content and substance, extending the academic transcript” (Pittinsky, 2014). •  “An employer needs to see the ‘experiences’ gained by a potential job

candidate and not just a random list of courses taken” (CupaHR, 2014). •  “Traditional student transcripts tell us what kind of classroom learning has

taken place, but they don’t capture all the different ways in which a student gains knowledge, skills, and abilities. In today’s work world, experiential learning is just as important as academics” (CupaHR, 2014).

•  “Traditional four-year college experience can be an exploratory time for students to discover their passions and test ideas and values with the help of teachers and peers. If a degree is really about developing a whole person, and preparing them with humanistic education that will serve them in a very dynamic career landscape, surely a ledger of courses and grades alone is a poor reflection of that experience” (DelBanco, 2013).

What is the Elon Experiences Transcript? • Created in 1994 – the transcript seeks to deepen the

documentation of the student experience by recording participation in five key program areas. •  Global Experience/Study Abroad

•  Service

•  Leadership •  Internships

•  Research

Study Demographics • Purpose of the study •  105 Employers/Universities •  142 Students • How the information was collected • Why ask students? •  Time for some results!

Employer and University Participants

Feedback on the Impact of the EET

16

45

47

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Negative Neutral Positive

Experiential transcripts paint a different picture of candidates/applicants than academic transcripts

(Employer/University)

Favorably

Somewhat Favorably

Indifferent

Somewhat Unfavorably

Unfavorably


1 4 15

69

53

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140


Experiential transcripts paint a different picture of candidates/applicants than academic transcripts (Student)

Favorably

Somewhat Favorably

Indifferent


Unfavorably


3 2

37 35

31

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70


Experiential transcript information causes me/us to view applications/candidates more favorably than applicants who

submit academic transcripts alone (Employer/University)

Favorably

Somewhat Favorably

Indifferent


Unfavorably


1 23

63

55

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140


Experiential transcript information causes me/us to view applications/candidates more favorably than applicants

who submit academic transcripts alone (Student)

Favorably

Somewhat Favorably

Indifferent


Unfavorably


1

37 39

31

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80


Including an experiential transcript along with an academic transcript improves a candidate/applicant’s chances of acceptance/employment/award (Employer/University)

Favorably

Somewhat Favorably

Indifferent


Unfavorably


3 25

64

50

0

20

40

60

80

100

120


Including an experiential transcript along with an academic transcript improves a candidate/applicant’s chances of

acceptance/employment/award (Student)

Favorably

Somewhat Favorably

Indifferent


Unfavorably


30

32

22 14

10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70


My organization/institution requires/requests portfolios from applicants/candidates (Employer/University)

Always

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Never


23

23

46

32

18

0

10

20

30

40

50

60


My organization/institution requires/requests portfolios from applicants/candidates (Student)

Always

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Never


1 6

19

45

37

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90


Experiential transcripts allow for a candidate/applicant’s experiences to be more easily verified (Employer/

University)

Always

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Never


5

35 53

49

0

20

40

60

80

100

120


Experiential transcripts allow for a candidate/applicant’s experiences to be more easily verified (Student)

Always

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Never


19

14

33 31

11

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45


Information contained within experiential transcripts is used in making hiring/admissions decisions(Employer/

University)

Always

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Never


14

49 52

27

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90


Information contained within experiential transcripts is used in making hiring/admissions decisions(Student)

Always

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Never


2 9

28

45

24

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80


Receiving experiential transcripts for more candidates/applicants would be helpful to our hiring/admissions

process (Employer/University)

Strongly Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly Disagree


3 8

33

58

40

0

20

40

60

80

100

120


Receiving experiential transcripts for more candidates/applicants would be helpful to our hiring/admissions

process (Student)

Favorably

Somewhat Favorably

Indifferent


Unfavorably


3 8

42

29

26

0

10

20

30

40

50

60


It would be helpful for experiential transcripts to be in a standardized/machine readable format for the purpose of

data extraction (Employer/University)

Favorably

Somewhat Favorably

Indifferent


Unfavorably


1 3

30

67

41

0

20

40

60

80

100

120


It would be helpful for experiential transcripts to be in a standardized/machine readable format for the purpose of

data extraction (Student)

Favorably

Somewhat Favorably

Indifferent


Unfavorably

What specific information on experiential transcripts is most useful to you in making admissions/hiring/award decisions (Employer/University)? Coded Reason N Percent Blank/NA/Unsure 19 9.4 Study Abroad 10 5 Leadership Positions 36 18 Verification of Experiences 18 8.9 Service Hours 18 8.9 Internships 27 13.4 All Around Useful 23 11.4 Research 15 7.4 Unclear 10 5 Student Organizations Student is Affiliated 13 6.4 Miscellaneous Others 13 6.4 Total 202

What additional information would be helpful to see on experiential transcripts(Employer/University)?

Coded Reason N Percent Blank/NA/Unsure 16 34.8 Campus Employment 2 4.4 More of a description/Information 16 34.8 Memberships for Clubs and Honor Societies 3 6.5 Information is Great – No Change 3 6.5 College Athletics 2 4.4 Needs Grades Added 1 2.4 Positions Held or Accomplishments 3 6.5 Total 46

What specific information on experiential transcripts is most useful to you in making admissions/hiring/award decisions (Student)? Coded Reason N Percent Blank/NA/Unsure 27 13.7 Study Abroad 17 8.6 Leadership Positions 28 14.2 Verification of Experiences 15 7.6 Service Hours 32 16.2 Internships 29 14.7 All Around Useful 16 8.1 Seeing the Hours 9 4.6 Research 15 7.6 Miscellaneous Others 11 5.6 Total 197

What additional information would be helpful to see on experiential transcripts (Student)?

Coded Reason N Percent Blank/NA/Unsure 16 34.8 Campus Employment 2 4.4 References 16 34.8 Leadership in Positions Outside of EET 3 6.5 Memberships in Clubs and Honor Societies 3 6.5 Information is Great – No Changes 2 4.4 Positions Held 1 2.4 Volunteer Service 3 6.5 Miscellaneous Others 10

Selected Employer Quotes •  “Format is very important. If I have to search for it, I may decide to

stop looking” •  “shows more of a full picture of the candidate – not just that they get

great grades, but that they were interested in various other aspects of life. “The combined information displays the versatility of a candidate and may display info not covered in an interview that might serve to give one candidate the edge they need to stand out against the other.”

•  “I liked all of the information that was included on the experiential transcript. Along with the academic transcript, it provides a total story of the student!”

•  “The experiential transcript likely won’t impact my hiring decisions as an employer, but it would likely positively impact my decision-making process for bringing someone in for the interview. Gaining an understanding of what a student took advantage of at school outside of the classroom is often hit or miss based solely off a resume or academic transcript. It also provides something most employers don’t see”

So What Does it all Mean? • Gut reactions? • Discussion •  Themes • Where do we go from here?

Future Research – Building a strong CCT • Verifiable data • Be able to demonstrate depth

•  Credit hours academically but what about experientially? We currently use semesters and frequency

• Provide enough information so the reader understands the nature of the experience •  People don’t spend a lot of time reviewing transcripts so keep that

in mind when you build them

What impact will social media have?

Contact Information Rodney Parks, Registrar

[email protected] 336-278-6670

Information Page for Other Institutions http://www.elon.edu/e-web/students/elon_experiences/

otherins.xhtml

References Cupahr. (2014, June 26). A new student transcript model

showcases experiential learning [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://blog.cupahr.org/?s=elon

Jackson, N. M. (2014, August). E-transcript acceleration. University Business, pp. 68-70.

Kuh, G. (2008). High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter.

Washington, D.C.: American Association of Colleges and Universities.

Pittinsky, M. (2014). Extending the transcript. Retrieved September 29, 2014 from

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/02/10/e ssay-calls-broader-concept-transcripts

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