Courses intended to support student transfer should be developed with transferability and articulation in mind from the beginning. These concepts are related, but they are not the same.

A course may be transferable without having a specific articulation agreement, and being transferable does not automatically mean that a course satisfies major preparation, General Education, or C-ID requirements. LBCC describes articulation as the formal process through which courses are evaluated for how they apply at receiving institutions.

Your Articulation Officer

All articulation inquiries should begin with the Articulation Officer, Trevor Rodriguez (trodriguez@lbcc.edu), a member of the Curriculum Committee and multiple standing subcommittees.​

In their role, the Articulation Officer consults with discipline faculty to design and develop transferable courses, to identify courses needing articulation with baccalaureate level institutions, and to identify comparable courses at other colleges and universities.​ Your Articulation Officer can help faculty determine:

• Whether a proposed course is an appropriate candidate for CSU or UC transferability.
• Which universities and courses provide useful comparisons.
• Whether course-to-course or major-preparation articulation should be pursued.
• Whether an applicable C-ID descriptor exists.
• Whether the proposed COR needs adjustment to better support an articulation goal.
• How a course may support an ADT or other transfer pathway

The Articulation Officer submits courses to the C-ID system and informs discipline faculty, the Curriculum Chair, and the Dean of Academic Affairs, of C-ID approvals, or conditional approvals, which may require periodic reminders of pending deadlines for course modifications.​

Transferability: Will the Units Transfer?

Transferability means that a receiving university recognizes an LBCC course for transferable unit credit.

A course may be appropriate for CSU transfer, UC transfer, or both. Transferability establishes that the units can transfer; it does not necessarily determine how those units will apply toward a student’s major or other degree requirements. ASSIST.org similarly distinguishes transferable courses as courses for which students receive unit credit after transfer.

Could My Course Be Transferable?

• When developing a new course or reviewing an existing course, consider:
• Is the course college-level and appropriate for undergraduate study?
• Is comparable coursework offered at CSU or UC campuses?
• Does the content, rigor, scope, and expected student work resemble courses offered at four-year institutions?
• Does the course support a transfer degree, academic discipline, or pathway?
• Are there existing LBCC courses in the discipline with similar transfer status?

These questions can help identify a course as a potential candidate for transferability, but faculty should not determine transfer status solely by comparison. Consult the LBCC Articulation Officer, Trevor Rodriguez, before finalizing the proposal.

Articulation: How Will the Course Apply?

Articulation goes beyond determining whether units transfer. It establishes how an LBCC course may satisfy requirements at another institution. An articulation agreement may establish that a course satisfies:

• Course-to-Course Articulation — An LBCC course is accepted in place of a specific course at a university.
• Major Preparation — The course satisfies a lower-division requirement for a particular major.
• General Education — The course satisfies an approved transfer GE requirement.
• C-ID — The course has been evaluated against a statewide faculty-developed C-ID descriptor used to identify comparable curriculum.

California’s transfer guidance recognizes these as distinct forms of articulation and transfer agreements (CCC Transfer Recommended Guidelines, 2017).

Could My Course Be a Candidate for Articulation?

Consider articulation when the course is intended to prepare students for continued study in the discipline. Research questions might include:

• Do CSU or UC campuses offer a comparable course?
  Compare the title, description, units, prerequisites, objectives, content, assignments, and level of rigor.
• Is the course commonly required for the major?
  Look at lower-division major preparation requirements at universities where LBCC students commonly transfer.
• Does a C-ID descriptor exist?
  If so, compare the proposed COR carefully with the descriptor’s required content, objectives, units, prerequisites, and other elements.
• Is the course part of an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT)?
  Courses used in an ADT may need to satisfy specific Transfer Model Curriculum (TMC), C-ID, articulation, or transferability requirements.

Finding a comparable university course is useful evidence, but it does not itself establish articulation. Formal articulation involves review and agreement with the receiving institution.

Research Before You Write the COR

Faculty can significantly improve the likelihood of successful transfer and articulation review by conducting research before the Course Outline of Record is finalized.

Start by examining several comparable courses rather than copying a single university COR. Look for common expectations across institutions and consider how they relate to the course LBCC intends to offer. Pay particular attention to:

• Units & Hours — Are the units reasonably consistent with comparable courses?
• Prerequisites — Do receiving institutions expect students to enter with particular preparation?
• Course Content — Does the COR include the breadth and depth expected within the discipline?
• Objectives & Outcomes — Do they reflect an appropriate level of collegiate rigor?
• Assignments & Evaluation — Does the expected student work demonstrate the academic preparation necessary for subsequent coursework?

The goal is not to duplicate another institution’s course. The goal is to develop an LBCC course that serves LBCC students while being appropriately positioned for transfer and articulation.

All formal articulation agreements, associate degrees for transfer, and other articulation and transfer resources are available on the District’s articulation website, including agreements between the District and the higher education public systems (UC and CSU), which are housed on the Articulation System Stimulating Inter-Institutional Student Transfer (ASSIST). ASSIST is the official repository of articulation for California’s public colleges and universities.​

• ASSIST​
  California’s Official Articulation Repository ASSIST is a computerized student-transfer information system that can be accessed at www.assist.org.​
   
• Numbering System (C-ID)​
  C-ID (Course Identification Numbering System) is a supranumbering, faculty-driven system to assign numbers to significant transfer courses, and a response to needs of transfer partners and their transfer initiatives. Each C-ID number identifies a lower-division, transferable course commonly articulated between the California Community Colleges and universities (including Universities of California, the California State Universities, as well as with many of California’s independent colleges and universities).Finalized and draft course descriptors may be found at: https://www.c-id.net/descriptors​
   
• Additional Information about the Articulation Process​
  Please peruse the California Articulation Policies and Procedures Handbook (revised Spring 2013).​