New Industry Recognized Credential Transfer Assurance Guide (ITAG) for Introduction to Networking
New Industry Recognized Credential Transfer Assurance Guide (ITAG) for Introduction to Networking
ITAGs are a statewide transfer initiative that guarantees the award of college-level credit to students earning agreed-upon industry-recognized credentials. The ITAG policy was approved by the Chancellor in February 2021. Students meeting credentialing requirements, regardless of where the learning was achieved, will be eligible to earn credit for specified courses deemed equivalent by faculty and endorsed by Ohio’s public institutions of higher education. To reduce variability in the transfer credit evaluation and application process, a set of college-level learning outcomes will be established for each ITAG. The learning outcomes, which will be aligned with applicable third-party program accreditation, credentialing, and/or other industry standards, will be vetted by faculty and industry as needed.
This memo provides an overview of the Introduction to Networking (CompTIA Network+) ITAG, outlines the endorsement process, and addresses expected compliance of postsecondary institutions.
Introduction to Networking (CompTIA Network+) ITAG Endorsement
All ITAG panels comprise postsecondary faculty, industry representatives as needed, and educators from Ohio Technical Centers (OTCs) and/or Secondary Career-Technical Centers. All panel members are listed on the last page of the linked ITAG document. The Introduction to Networking Transfer Assurance Guide (TAG) course (OIT002) and Career-Technical Assurance Guide (CTAG) course (CTIT002) share a set of learning outcomes that were endorsed by the state through a panel collaboration and statewide survey. For both initiatives, institutions have submitted documentation to a faculty review panel demonstrating how their courses meet the OIT002 and CTIT002 learning outcomes.
The TAG guarantees statewide transfer of credit for introductory Networking courses between Ohio’s public colleges and universities, while the CTAG awards college credit to students who complete aligned secondary courses at an approved institution and receive qualifying scores on the end-of-course exams.
The same learning outcomes for the TAG and CTAG were used in the development of the ITAG. An endorsement survey for the ITAG was sent to the Chief Academic Officers and Provosts of all 36 Ohio institutions of higher learning in May 2023, inviting faculty experts to review and comment on the statewide learning outcomes and the alignment of the CompTIA Network+ certification. Based on the results of the survey, the ITAG panel recommended to ODHE that the Introduction to Networking ITAG be approved.
Introduction to Networking (CompTIA Network+) ITAG
The Introduction to Networking (CompTIA Network+) ITAG allows individuals who pass the current version of the CompTIA Network+ exam (N10-008) to transfer 3 semester hours of equivalent coursework to an Ohio public institution of higher education, regardless of where the student received the education to prepare for the credentialing exam. To be eligible for credit, students must show proof of earning the certification and can create a transcript on the CompTIA website.
Secondary students can continue to access credit via the CTAG by completing the approved secondary courses and earning the required scores on the end-of-course exams. More information on requirements for credit can be found on the linked ITAG document.
Compliance Expectations
The Introduction to Networking ITAG shares a common set of learning outcomes with the CTAG and TAG, and institutions should continue to submit courses in the Course Equivalency Management System (CEMS) through the TAG approval process. Expected compliance for the Introduction to Networking ITAG can be viewed using the following link:
All courses that are approved for the Introduction to Networking TAG course (OIT002) will continue to be automatically approved for the Introduction to Networking CTAG (CTIT002) and now also for the Introduction to Networking ITAG (ITITN002). ITITN002 approval for institutions that already have TAG approval for OIT002 and CTAG approval for CTIT002 have already been processed in CEMS, with an effective date of Fall 2023.