What's it like for students? Enhancing the student experience from VET to University

Credit transfer and articulation arrangements present valuable opportunities for students with VET sector experience and qualifications to access higher education in Australia and overseas. However, as the MCEETYA Good Practice Principles suggest, ad hoc articulation programs are often characterised by inconsistency or lack of transparency and do not always serve students well. The Collaborative Development Program between Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) and the University of Canberra (UC) has monitored the difficulties students encounter when transitioning from CIT to UC and designed a longitudinal program to improve the student experience. The achievements of the project, acknowledged in 2006 through both a Carrick Citation and a three-year Collaborative and Structural Reform (CASR) grant, arise not only from the alignment of governance, process and infrastructure support but also from a shared focus on students. This research analyses the achievements of the UC-CIT Collaborative Development Program from the student perspective, focusing on cross-institutional programs to improve: the management and granting of credit for completed VET studies; presentation and accessibility of information to students and stakeholders; and support for articulating students during both vocational and university studies. The analysis suggests that the cross-sectoral Collaborative Development Program, which is continually reviewed and revised to address student concerns, has enhanced the overall experiences of CIT graduates who are studying at UC. Evidence of outcomes includes greater participation in campus services, improved student satisfaction ratings and high success and retention rates for target students. The extent to which the model described in this study could be extended to other institutions is considered.