Published August 15, 2014
FlightPath, the University of Louisiana at Monroeβs home-built student advising and
degree tracking system, has added a new feature called the Transfer Equivalency searchβa
tool which allows transfer students considering Β黨ӰԺ to understand how courses they
have taken at other institutions could be applied to a Β黨ӰԺ degree.
Richard Peacock, the lead programmer of FlightPath, says perspective transfer students
will be able to know how much of their degree is completed by their credits, and how
many credits are needed to graduate.
He said, βThe transfer studentβor a Β黨ӰԺ advisorβmay select the studentβs completed
courses from another university, then select a Β黨ӰԺ degree the student is interested
in, and magically see those course equivalencies applied. Previously, this was a labor-intensive
process for the adviser, and could take a lengthy amount of time.β
βThere was a strong desire to create a tool which students could use to make the most
informed choices when deciding on their academic futures,β he continued.
βAround the same time, a request was presented to me by eΒ黨ӰԺ Director Paula Thornhill
for a similar solution, which needed to work with prospective online students, as
part of Β黨ӰԺβs new eΒ黨ӰԺ initiative. I met with Barbara Michaelides and Angela Robinson
in Β黨ӰԺβs Student Success Center, and all agreed that such a tool would provide enormous
benefit to all prospective Β黨ӰԺ students.β
Peacock said that although some courses may not have direct equivalencies at Β黨ӰԺ,
when the student enrolls, there is a good chance that many of their transfer credits
could be applied toward their Β黨ӰԺ degree.
FlightPath is described as a βhome-built application,β created entirely by Β黨ӰԺ programmers.
The platform was recently released as βopen-source,β meaning other universities may
download, use, and modify the code for their purposes as long as it remains free.
FlightPathβs developers work to continuously grow and adapt the program to suit the
needs of Β黨ӰԺβs students and advisors. The team is currently working on a new tool,
which will assist with graduation check-out for Β黨ӰԺ students approaching their graduation
dates.
To try the new Transfer Equivalency feature, prospective students may visit ulm.edu/flightpath
