Roles and Responsibilities

Find articulation committee roles, responsibilities and resources

ACAT’s articulation committees facilitate learner pathways and recognition of prior learning including transfer credit.

ACAT articulation committees promote relationship-building and collaboration among subject area and pathways experts at Alberta Transfer and Pathways System member institutions and other stakeholders (e.g., school authority or organization representatives) by bringing them together to discuss learner pathways and mobility. Related industry associations (such as professional or accrediting agencies) may also be invited to participate in committee meetings, so discussions include their organizations’ perspectives. Representatives from Alberta Education are also invited to participate on committees, supporting discussions that affect similar subjects in the K-12 curriculum and pathways for high school transition to post-secondary.  

ACAT Secretariat staff facilitate articulation committee governance and operations, and host an annual articulation conference (currently paused) to help build connections between committees, and discuss common learner pathways challenges and opportunities. ACAT also works with its member institutions and other stakeholders to maintain a list of articulation committee representatives/members for each committee.

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Committee Roles

Chair

Committee chairs are elected at the committee’s first meeting and sit for 3 years. Responsibilities include:

  • Serves as the contact point for the ACAT Secretariat
  • Canvasses committee members for agenda items
  • Organizes ongoing meeting(s), including arranging a venue and host
  • Selects a Recorder for committee meetings
  • Ensures appropriate guests/stakeholders attend meetings (i.e., appropriate ministry staff or professional bodies), with support from the ACAT Secretariat
  • Ensures minutes are circulated to committee members and the ACAT Secretariat, and are shared publicly on the committee's web page.
  • Ensures any issues, recommendations or questions to be addressed by the Council are shared with the ACAT Secretariat

Vice Chair

Committee vice chairs are elected at the first meeting and sit for 3 years. Responsibilities include:

  • Serves as an alternate contact point for the ACAT Secretariat
  • Assumes the chair’s duties when the chair is unavailable

Committee members

Committee members are required to send an alternate to meetings they are unable to attend. Other responsibilities include:

  • Ensure changes to representation are communicated to the chair
  • Provide potential agenda items to Chair prior to committee meeting
  • Circulate minutes amongst colleagues, including their delegate and administrators at their institution

Alternates

Alternates attend scheduled meetings on behalf of a committee member that is unable to attend.

Recorder

The recorder is assigned by the committee Chair. Responsibilities include:

  • Takes meeting minutes
  • Vet minutes through the committee chair and distribute to committee members upon their approval

ACAT Council

ACAT communicates and provides direction about specific ministry information and requests. Other responsibilities include:

  • Recruits interim Chair, when appropriate
  • Considers recommendations and addresses issues identified by an articulation committee, including bringing these issues to Council meetings or government for consideration
  • Supports the Chair regarding appropriate guest/stakeholder meeting participation (i.e., government staff or professional bodies)

ACAT Secretariat

The ACAT Secretariat facilitates articulation committee governance and operations. Responsibilities include:

  • Recruits interim Chair, when appropriate
  • Works with interim Chair and relevant institution/organizations (e.g., Provosts and Vice-President Academics, Registrars, College of Alberta School Superintendents, Alberta Education) to identify institution and stakeholder representatives for committee membership
  • Works with/advises the Chair regarding committee operations, information sharing and identified issues, and ongoing membership maintenance and recruitment as needed
  • Provides advice and support to the Chair and committee regarding their governance, meeting agendas, virtual meeting platform/teleconference line access, and other committee operations and requirements including meeting minutes 
  • Ensures recommendations and issues identified by an articulation committee are communicated to Council/government
  • Supports the Chair regarding appropriate guest/stakeholder meeting participation (i.e., government staff or professional bodies)

Terms of Reference

Every articulation committee operates under a Terms of Reference specific to their subject area, detailing:

  • Committee objectives
  • Committee membership and guidelines for alternate delegates
  • Meeting schedule and agreement that participating post-secondary institutions are responsible for associated expenses
  • Committee member roles and responsibilities
  • Accounting and reporting
  • How often the Terms of Reference will be reviewed and revised

Download the ACAT articulation committee sample terms of reference template.

Coordinating Meetings

The ACAT Secretariat works with each Articulation Committee to organize the inaugural meeting and provide the meeting venue/virtual meeting access. Subsequent committee meetings are hosted and led by member institutions with ACAT Secretariat participation and guidance regarding governance, issues, and operations.

Scheduling Meetings

Articulation committees plan their meeting schedules in different ways.

  • Committees meet between 1-4 times each year, depending on their area of focus and scope of work
  • Some committees prefer in-person meetings, while others ensure there is a virtual option available for committee members unable to travel
  • Other committees have one in-person meeting per year, and communicate online throughout the year
  • Many meetings are scheduled between semesters to ensure more committee members are able to participate

Most committees meet at institutions in the Edmonton/Calgary corridor, with locations alternating between the north and south.

Meeting Costs

Costs associated with articulation, including participation in articulation committees, are included in the budget allocations government provides to post-secondary institutions every year. Member institutions therefore pay for costs associated with articulation committees, including travel for meetings.

Meeting Participants

All committee members are expected to attend meetings, or to send an alternate in their place. The committee may also choose to invite people representing other voices in the articulation sector:

  • Secondary school teachers responsible for courses in related disciplines
  • Relevant professional associations or regulatory bodies
  • Post-secondary institutions, training organizations or agencies that are not ACAT members but offer relevant courses or programs
  • Institutional or community representatives (e.g., guest speakers)
  • Staff at government ministries
  • Retired committee members

Voting on committee action items is limited to ACAT member institutions, unless a motion allowing others to participate is passed before the vote takes place.

Agendas and Minutes

About 3-4 weeks before every committee meeting, the Chair sends out an email to members asking for possible agenda items. Their input is used to help create the meeting agenda, which we suggest be sent out at least 2 weeks before the committee meeting. This gives participants time to review suggested discussion items, and to prepare. We’ve developed a sample agenda you can use as a guide. 

The committee’s recorder is responsible for taking meeting minutes. After the meeting, they provide a summary of key discussion, action and decision items (using the meeting agenda as a guide) for the Chair’s review and approval. Minutes are circulated to the committee for approval at their next meeting. Once they’re approved, they’re shared publicly on the committee's web page, with older copies being archived on the Articulation Committee SharePoint.

Committee Outcomes

Since their inception, articulation committees have addressed several topics, including:

  • Practicum issues (Child & Youth Care)
  • Gender diversity (Computer Sciences)
  • Delivery and/or assessment of first year courses (Psychology, Computer Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics)
  • Best practices in assigning transfer credit when course to course equivalency is not applicable (Biological Sciences, Computer Sciences)
  • Changes to core courses (English, Biological Sciences)
  • Potential additional content on the Transfer Alberta website (Provincial Adult Upgrading, Engineering)
  • Challenges students face, such as funding (Provincial Adult Upgrading, Aboriginal Education)

Visit pages for each articulation committee for more information about their progress and achievements. Please contact the committee chair or acat.articulation@gov.ab.ca if you have questions you would like specific committees to address.