The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) launched a statewide Course Sharing pilot in fall 2023 with ten participating institutions. The pilot aimed to increase access to online courses for students enrolled in Texas institutions of higher education, as recommended in the Texas Commission on Community College Finance Report to the 88th Legislature. The passing of HB 8 House Bill 8 provides a path for programs like course sharing to:
- expand interinstitutional collaboration
- increase institutional partnerships and shared services
- reduce costs and improve operational efficiency
In spring 2023, THECB recruited ten institutional partners to provide valuable insight into developing a statewide course sharing program. Together these partners provided input into the development of course sharing processes and protocols, identified potential barriers to implementation, and outlined strategic solutions to address those barriers. In fall 2024, additional institutions were recruited to expand the program. This first expansion phase aims to onboard and mentor fifteen new institutions.
The program provides access to co-registration vendor platform, Parchment, funded by THECB. The technology facilitates the management of the technical, administrative, and financial elements required for co-registration and financial services. The course sharing platform integrates into existing enterprise systems to automate the co-registration and payment processes between institutions.
Course sharing or course exchange is a collaborative, cross-institutional model which allows students at one institution to cross-register in online courses at another institution. Institutions typically participate in a consortium model and serve as a home institution (where the student is fully enrolled) and/or a teaching institution (where the course is taught).
Course sharing benefits students by facilitating access to courses needed for degree completion, degree progression or specialized credential programs not available at the home institution. Institutions benefit from course sharing through increased enrollment, streamlined degree/certificate completion, access to supplemental and expert faculty support, and collaborative, innovative credential development opportunities.