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Transfer Student Programs see:

STOMP

Effective Practices for Transfer

Effective Practices for Transfer

Effective Practices for Students

Prospective students who physically visit a campus are much more likely to attend that university (Fishbach, R. College Student Journal, 2006, pp. 13-21).

“Many of the students who were not in touch with advisors ahead of time were very disappointed with how their courses transferred” (Flaga, 2006, p.11).

“Students…strongly suggested visiting campus and meeting with an advisor ahead of time as a means of eliminating unpleasant surprises, increasing awareness of campus services, and beginning a relationship with an academic advisor” (Flaga, 2006, p.13).

"Initiative is a key component. Students in the study were clear that transfer students must seek out and utilize resources on their own" (Flaga, 2002, p.17).

"Students who are best informed and who have actively prepared for the transfer are more likely to achieve higher grades and to be more satisfied in the university environment. It seems crucial that students should actively engage in seeking advice from faculty and staff" (Peterman, 2002, p.94).

"83% of community college transfer students who transferred to UC's used the IGETC option" (Rudmann & Morrison, 2000).

"48% of community college transfer students who transferred to CSU's used the IGETC option" (Rudmann & Morrison, 2000).

"Eighty-nine percent of the students who did use the IGETC option believed, in hindsight, that they had chosen the best available pattern" (Rudmann & Morrison, 2000).

Graduating transfer "students shared their regret over not attending summer orientation programs or not being timely in completing admission paperwork. They advised students to take advantage of available transfer assistance" (Davies, 1998, p.109).

“…Entering a university without a declared major detracts from transfer students obtaining their bachelor's degrees” (Piland, 1995, p.40).

"Enrollment persistence, even in the face of reduced goals, offers some students the opportunity to get back on track towards their original educational goals. Moreover, a smaller percentage of students who left college after their first semester eventually returned to school and managed to transfer. This pattern highlights the myriad enrollment patterns, each with different odds of success, which lead to transfer to a four-year college" (Driscoll, 2007, p.13).

"Students who start fast, that is, who take a heavy courseload of transfer-eligible courses in their first semester and do well in them, are much more likely to achieve the goal of transferring to a four-year college" (Driscoll, 2007, p.12).

"The associations between early performance and transfer are likely due to the fact that better prepared and motivated students have the confidence to take and manage heavy courseloads of transfer-eligible courses" (Driscoll, 2007, p.12).

"One in four high school graduates who entered college with the initial goal of earning enough credits to transfer to a four-year college or university did not return for their second semester" (Driscoll, 2007, p.11).

Effective Practices for Four-Year Universities

"A well-designed Web site increases the chances that they will arrive better prepared both academically and procedurally, and decreases the chances that they will become frustrated and give up their inquiries. This is not point-zero marketing: High-school students already know that a particular college exists and roughly where it is located; have an image of the institution based on accounts of other students they know who have attended; and are far more fluent in Web-based communications than we acknowledge. The designs of many community-college Web sites, I've discovered, do not reflect that common sense" (Adelman, 2006).

"Universities should promote social and academic factors in recruiting activities" (Sandiford, Lynch, and Bliss, 2003, p.17).

Articulation agreements tend to produce the best outcomes for transfer students with respect to persistence, GPA, and retaining credits earned at the community college (Van Middlesworth, Carpenter-Davis, & McCool, 2002, pp.117-124).

"University and community college partnerships have facilitated smooth transitions through research, articulation arrangements, and campus programming such as transfer fairs and four-year campus visits" (Zamani, 2001, p.22).

"Newer approaches that have developed include the consideration of redefining student success, services to assist reverse transfer student concerns, and orientation programs that convey how to make the transfer from an open to a selective system of admissions in an effort to curb transfer shock" (Zamani, 2001, p.22).

“Support programs have proven to be an essential element in the success of native students in their academic performance and baccalaureate degree attainment, and such successes are often used as a recruitment tool for various colleges and universities. Support programs tailored toward community college transfer students would have the same effect” (Eggleston & Laanan, 2001, p. 87).

“Researchers and policymakers who shape support programs must consider the characteristics of the transfer student population in order to address their needs. In particular, while developing support programs, administrators at senior institutions must take into account the demographic makeup, academic backgrounds, enrollment patterns, and academic persistence of community college transfer students” (Eggleston & Laanan, 2001, p. 89).

“Transfer students commonly face issues involving both academic concerns (academic skills and performance, faculty-student interaction, advising and planning, and career focus) and social concerns (level of self-confidence, campus adjustment and involvement, personal management, and finances). To rectify this situation, admissions officers must make special efforts to assist students in understanding articulation of courses and provide them with the opportunity to have an equal change in transferring all coursework. New student orientation programs should be developed specifically to help transfer students navigate institutional structures and the campus community. There is a strong need for these programs to be exclusive to transfer students” (Eggleston & Laanan, 2001, p. 90).

Transfer students should be given priority registration. “In particular, transfer students have a hard time in course selection because many courses are closed before these students actually register, or a particular program is closed to applicants at the junior level” (Eggleston & Laanan, 2001, p. 90).

“Support programs specifically for transfer students do not formally exist at most senior institutions, although students continue to experience problems in adjusting to these campus environments. Thus most of the previous research says that senior institutions are not meeting the needs of transfer students…four-year institutions are showing minimal effort in addressing the needs of transfer students through a variety of programs. These programs include orientation programs, appointed transfer student advocates/liaisons, faculty/staff and peer advising, survival skills courses, special seminars, special housing, and summer institutes or bridge programs” (Eggleston & Laanan, 2001, p. 92).

An example of a successful transfer summer program (TSP) is that of UCLA. “The TSP had several goals. They sought to (1) facilitate student transitions, (2) increase the potential for persistence, retention, and graduation, (3) facilitate the development of critical thinking, academic skills, and personal and social responsibility, (4) introduce Academic Advancement Program retention services (counseling, tutoring, and learning skills), (5) promote appreciation for racial, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity, and (6) build and reinforce a positive self-image, inner confidence, and self-direction among program participants” (Eggleston & Laanan, 2001, p. 93).

“Another potential program model can be taken from the University of Arkansas and its Office for Non-Traditional Students (ONTS)…ONTS provides nontraditional transfer students with assistance in child care, housing, employment, adjustment to the University campus, tutoring resources, study skills, mentoring, and peer counseling” (Eggleston & Laanan, 2001, p. 94).

An example of a successful transfer program is the Multicultural Transfer Admissions Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “In order to retain newly recruited transfer students on campus and assist in their transition to the campus community, students are given a graduate student adviser, who provides direction to campus resources, conducts various workshops in such areas as study skills, internship, and resume writing, and organizes welcome receptions for transfer students” (Eggleston & Laanan, 2001, p. 95).

“Transfer students report a need for more course articulation, counseling and advising, faculty sensitivity, academic support services, transfer-student-centered orientation programs, student activities, and knowledge of campus resources” (Eggleston & Laanan, 2001, p. 95).

"Creating a transfer web site is an effective and accurate way to place all pertinent transfer information at the students' fingertips" (Davies, 1998, p.109).

An example of a successful transfer program is the Transfer Alliance Program in Southern California. This program is a collaborative effort which seeks to bridge attrition that occurs between high school and community college, and then from community college to the four-year university. Working with the University of California, Los Angeles, local high schools and community colleges have created an educational pipeline into that institution. This program includes special high school courses and summer "college experience" programs, strong articulation agreements between UCLA and the feeder community colleges, and a summer bridge program for incoming transfer students to UCLA (Banks and Byock, 1991, p. 186).

"Study findings of the Transfer Alliance Program in Los Angeles included the following: (1) TAP faculty showed more concern for the transfer process and engaged in greater experimentation with teaching methods; (2) TAP faculty developed more student-focused classrooms than non-TAP faculty; (3) TAP students demonstrated better class attendance, preparation, and understanding of ideas than non-TAP students; (4) TAP students and faculty reported greater interaction than their non-TAP counterparts; (5) statewide, TAP colleges had higher percentages of students transferring to the University of California than non-TAP colleges, and; (6) TAP transfer students had higher grade point averages and persistence rates than non-TAP transfer students at UCLA" (Banks and Byock, 1991, p. 186).

"Enrollment persistence, even in the face of reduced goals, offers some students the opportunity to get back on track towards their original educational goals. Moreover, a smaller percentage of students who left college after their first semester eventually returned to school and managed to transfer. This pattern highlights the myriad enrollment patterns, each with different odds of success, which lead to transfer to a four-year college" (Driscoll, 2007, p.13).

Effective Practices for Community Colleges

Wyoming's community college system has cultivated strong partnerships with its in-state four-year institutions and has seen an increase in successful transfer. Methods included: common course numbering, articulation agreements, university regional centers, remedial education referrals, active transfer student recruitment, cooperative agency agreements, and 'birth to five' early childhood endorsement program (Ash, 2007).

"A key finding - that critical relationships between transfer counselors and students at community colleges have a haphazard, 'accidental' quality - suggests the need for greater institutionalization of the perspectives and experiences of transfer students in recruitment, admissions, and financial aid offices. Without structured interventions and active faculty involvement, students must rely on being in the right place at the right time to connect with trusted advisors who can help them" (Dowd, A. & Cheslock, J., 2006, p.5).

"Improved student awareness and more 'human contact' (faculty-to-faculty communication and more counseling for students) increase student transfer. However, a recent survey indicated that 47.5% of community colleges have an articulation officer less than half-time, and many have transfer center directors less than full-time" (Community College League of California, Sacramento, 2000).

“These structural reformers insist that, unless there is a reshaping of the community college and its relationship with the rest of higher education (such as converting community college into branches of state universities), higher persistence and transfer rates will not be attained” (Nora, 2000, p. 6).

"In 1995-96, almost 40% of Diablo Valley College's 436 transfers to the University of California system were minority students, and 31% of transfers to the California State University system were minorities. Reasons for Diablo Valley College's success include: (1) the quality of the college's faculty; (2) strong articulation agreements with universities; (3) research on the effectiveness of the transfer programs, in which barriers to student transfer are identified and alleviated; and (4) the college's reputation, which draws serious students and encourages the partnership of four-year institutions" (Edelstein, 1999).

After the establishment of Transfer Centers on California college campuses in 1985, the state has seen a 32% increase in the number of fall-term transfers to UC campuses, and an 8% increase in transfers to CSU campuses involved in the project (Farland and Anderson, 1989, p.38).

"This study suggests that focusing a significant portion of efforts on first semester students in the form of guidance and support as well as access to remedial education in the form of classes, tutoring or resource centers will pay dividends in the form of increasing the proportion of students who persist" (Driscoll, 2007, p.13).

"Policies and interventions that increase the chances of success for young high school graduates with high aspirations, particularly for African Americans and Latinos, are necessary if California is to develop the diverse, educated workforce it needs to maintain the prosperity of its citizens and to compete in the global economy" (Driscoll, 2007, p.13).

"Persistence in community colleges, the higher education system in which the vast majority of college students in California are enrolled, is relatively rare" (Driscoll, 2007, p.13).

Policy

"Low rates of completion in the community colleges present a serious problem for California’s future. Studies project a shortage of college-educated workers to meet the demands of the state’s growing knowledge-based economy" (Shulock and Moore, 2007, p.2).

"About 40 percent of first-time students in the California community colleges are not seeking a degree or certificate, but are pursuing basic skills, job skills, or personal enrichment" (Shulock and Moore, 2007, p.2).

"Of the 60 percent who are seeking a degree or certificate, only about one-fourth succeed in transfering to a university and/or earning an associate’s degree or a certificate within six years" (Shulock and Moore, 2007, p.2).

"Without big gains in educational attainment, especially among the growing Latino population, the state’s per capita income will soon fall below the national average and the average education level of the California workforce will decline" (Shulock and Moore, 2007, p.2).

"Historically, public policy has been focused on removing barriers to access. These policies succeeded, as California enjoys high rates of college enrollment. But these access-oriented policies have had the unintended consequence of inhibiting completion" (Shulock and Moore, 2007, p.3).

"Barriers to completion result from state public policies in several areas that create the "rules of the game” by which colleges and students make choices that serve to impede student success" (Shulock and Moore, 2007, p.3).

"We must give equal attention to removing barriers to completion in view of the urgent increase education levels of the state’s workforce. It is not enough simply to open the door to students. Success must be redefined as ensuring that students reach their goals" (Shulock and Moore, 2007, p.3).

"Changes to state policy in the following five areas can reduce barriers to completion:
- Reform finance policy by incorporating incentives for completion instead of solely rewarding access.
- Grant colleges more flexibility to use their funds to enhance student completion.
- Grant colleges more flexibility to hire the faculty and staff they judge will best help students meet their academic goals so they can succeed in today’s workforce.
- Modify student fee and financial aid policies to help students meet the high costs of college attendance beyond fees, to encourage more students to attend full-time, and to give colleges more access to fee revenues.
- Revise college policies so there are clearer standards and assessments for college readiness, matched with better counseling and support to help students plan and navigate their college careers to maximize their chances of success" (Shulock and Moore, 2007, p.3).

"Nearly three-fourths of California’s public college undergraduates enroll in our community colleges, making the colleges the most important link in the chain of upward mobility and economic health in California. This brief shows that with the right policy reforms, we can solve many of the problems that contribute to the low rates of completion that are impeding the success of students and the state" (Shulock and Moore, 2007, p.3).

"Fewer students are enrolling part-time at UC and CSU campuses" (CPEC, March 2007, p.1).

"The decline affects both gender and racial groups, but students with employment and family obligations might face greater barriers to college" (CPEC, March 2007, p.1).

"Part-time students and their families suffer the greatest adverse impacts in the form of increased college costs over time, delayed wage increases or earnings, or no degree attainment" (CPEC, March 2007, p.1).

"The State’s subsidy for educating a part-time student compared to a full-time student does not greatly differ as long as both students graduate. However, part-time students are less likely to persist to graduation" (CPEC, March 2007, p.1).

"Improving support for students that encourages full-time attendance will benefit the State and, more significantly, benefit the students" (CPEC, March 2007, p.1).

"Some public colleges are combining “carrots and sticks” to improve degree attainment. For example, the University of Texas implemented tuition hikes last fall in order to create incentives for students to complete their education in a timely manner, but also took monumental steps to lower barrier-to-degree success by waiving tuition and fees for low-income students. Among the elements of the Texas program:
- A 25% tuition hike for part-time students, intended to encourage students to progress expeditiously through the system.
- Students with a family income of less than $40,000 are not subject to the increase in part-time fees.
- Students from families earning between $40,000 and $80,000 pay fee increases according to a scaled percentage.
- Students from families earning over $80,000 pay the full 25% increase.
- University of Texas campuses are also encouraged to waive tuition and fees altogether for students with a family income of less than $25,000" (CPEC, March 2007, p.7).

"On the national front, a U.S. Senate panel recently discussed the issue of providing tax incentives for lower- and middle-income families, including the feasibility of combining tuition tax credits and Pell Grant awards into one seamless pay-out. Currently students who pay less than $10,000 annually in tuition

and fees are not eligible for a full tax credit. Further, the majority of the claimants of the largest tax deductions are families earning over $100,000" (CPEC, March 2007, pp.7-8).

"Part-time students are at greater risk of delayed or non-completion of their education and, if and when they do obtain a degree, are often more financially burdened by accumulated debt. The key to helping part-time students to succeed is in acknowledging them as a unique student population with varying needs from full-time, 'traditional' college students, and offering them specific programmatic, scheduling, and counseling options. The Commission encourages institutions to explore the feasibility of establishing specific colleges on university campuses which enroll exclusively part-time students. Such colleges could provide students with the following benefits:
- The expansion of PACE (Program for Adult and Continuing Education) programs to offer a greater variety of degree options.
- Administrative and counseling offices that are open during weekend and evening hours so working adults are able to utilize services according to their schedules.
- Customized counseling that helps students understand the timeline and costs of their education based on the number of units they are able to complete each term.
- Being in a cohort of students progressing through the same degree program provides a peer support system, similar to the experience of students enrolled in small graduate programs" (CPEC, March 2007, p.8).

"The Commission recommends that policymakers explore equity issues associated with part-time enrollment; specifically, why students, who may have limited resources to pay for school and do not have the luxury of attending full-time, end up paying more for their education? Although some may argue that higher relative costs for part-time students should be an incentive for them to progress more quickly, many part-time students do not have the option to attend full-time and should not be penalized. It is important that university systems and policymakers view the goal of part-time enrollment as one that expands the opportunities of students and ensures that it is not a hindrance or an obstacle to degree completion" (CPEC, March 2007, p.8).