The Art of Transfer

Alice W. Villadsen, Ph. D.

When I was a girl. . . .

University attendance expectation from parentsChoice of university made; tuition paidChoice of major confirmedFour year expectationFulltime status; campus work part-timeOne advisorLives on campusNo high school credits applicablePlacement tests/entrance requirements

The University responsibility to Alice and her family was to. . .

Today Alicia, the student, is

Not supported by or living with parentsAttends whatever college is most convenient to her work or homeHas transcript evidence of 63 hoursHas no firm major but leaning toward teachingPart time student; no idea how long her education will take

She

May receive her advisement through accessing the college web site

Comes to North Texas with 63 credits from three area community colleges from Tarrant, Dallas, and Collin counties; 6 credit hours were dual credit from her high school which she attended four years ago;

Had developmental math for two semesters in community college

She

Needs to know which major at UNT is one that will get her finished most quickly

Works 15 hours per week in Fort Worth

May be eligible for PELL

Has a small child at home and no husband nor reliable child care

Is likely to have transportation challenges

The University responsibility to Alicia is. . .

Alice’s college experience was like a student and water color painting:

The student and the university know

What materials are required—proper paper, proper paint, adequate technique

That no mistakes are easily erased in this medium, so precision is important

That usually she is working from a still life or from a stationary view

That usually she has an end in mind

But Alicia's college experience is more like a collage

In a collage

Many, various materials are used from paper to lace to bits of feather and string

Mistakes are simply pasted over or incorporated into the art piece and often become assets

The outcome is usually a surprise

When is it finished?

What are the typical characteristics of Alicia?

Baby-boom echo childIs representative of the younger transfer student—average age of community college student coming downAttended more than one college—60% of traditional-aged undergraduates attend more than one institution

Age as a factor in community college attendance

40% of traditionally aged students attend community colleges first

60% of students over age 23 attend community colleges first

Socio-economic status and community college students

Over a 30-year period

Community college share of entering traditional age students from the lowest economic status quintile increased from 44 to 55 percent

Academic preparation as a factor in community college attendance

Community colleges report that between 70% and 90% of current entering students require at least one developmental/remedial course, usually in math

Neither gender nor race/ethnicity nor second-language background nor first-generation status plays a statistically significant role in explaining who start out in a community college; but. . .

Socioeconomic status, a composite of family income, parents’ highest level of education, and prestige rating of parents’ occupations, does play such a role: the higher the SES quintile, the less likely the student will start in a community college.

Key

Bachelor degree completers who transfer from community colleges are most likely to be successful if they

1. Entered community college directly from high school with no delay

2. Earned 20 hours of more their first year in community college

3. Completed at least one college level math course during their first year

Factors that facilitate transfer

1. Credits in college-level math in the first year

2. Earning credits during summer terms

3. Continuous enrollment

4. Avoidance of no-penalty course withdrawals and repeats

Therefore, what can we do to increase successful transfers? Are there efforts underway to improve student success?

Acceleration of completion programs—high school/college

Dual credit

International Baccalaureate*

Advanced Placement

Tech Prep

Early college high schools

Summer bridge programs

Community Colleges Count: Achieving the Dream

Bold, multi-year, national initiative designed to help more community college students succeed: completion of certificate or degree and successful transfer.

Primary funder: Lumina Foundation

Demographics of the initiative

1. In 3rd year of operation/new states enter over four rounds

2. 58 community colleges in 9 states

3. 14 national organizations, funders, and agency partners

Each college agrees to

Collect, understand, make better use of data to improve student outcomes in

1. Progress through developmental courses

2. Completion of college level gate-keeper courses

3. Retention through graduation or successful transfer

While paying special attention to

African American

Hispanic

Native American, and

Students in financial need

To ensure that no success gaps are reflected in these student cohorts

Each college receives

1. A coach during the five years of the initiative (former presidents usually)

2. A data facilitator during the five years of the initiative (expert in planning and institutional research/university)

3. Access to other partners and their expertise: communications, research

4. National gatherings of all colleges in the initiative to share findings and best practices

Building a Culture of Evidence

Collect and analyze longitudinal data on student achievement in order to identify factors that facilitate or hinder students’ academic progress

Share the data and tell the truth through disaggregating by ethnicity, gender, financial status, age, academic readiness . . . .

All colleges

1. Submit student records to a centralized database

2. Aid in establishing a baseline of records, back to 2002

3. Follow longitudinally students entering their colleges for persistence and success

4. Create a core and data team for continuing work on the initiative

5. Commit institutional dollars for implementation of strategies to improve student success

6. Engage student voices through focus groups

Early findings/early initiatives

Students are not successfully enrolling and completing the developmental math sequence. At one Texas college, only 14% of students testing into developmental math are completing that requirement and achieving success in College Algebra. Almost all Achieving the Dream colleges are implementing means to improve the developmental math curriculum

Early findings. . . gaps

Males perform less well than females when persistence and completion are the measures.

African American and Hispanic males are lagging behind other males.

Native American students perform less well than other ethnic groups.

Early successful interventions

1. Strengthening academic advising2. Creating/revamping college success

courses3. Using supplemental instruction and

tutoring, especially in math and science courses

4. Implementing learning communities5. Teaching cultural competence to

faculty

Why might Achieving the Dream actually succeed in increasing student success?

It is scheduled to persist as an initiative until the year 2014 at leastIt is based upon the premise that community colleges can actually become data informed deciders and implementers of successful interventionsThe coaching/data facilitation visits create expectation of improvement

Regardless of the initiatives. . .

Educators must take responsibility upon themselves for the improvement of graduation/completion rates and the educational continuum that results in student success.

Educators must take pride in the increasing number of our successful students, particularly those students who without our help might not have been successful.

The Art of Transfer results in a beautiful piece of work

Primary sources used

Moving Into Town—And Moving On: The Community College in the Lives of Traditional-age Students, US Department of Education, Clifford Adelman, 2005.Accelerated Learning Options: Moving the Needle on Access and Success, WICHE/Lumina Foundation, 2006.Paths to Persistence: An Analysis of Research on Program Effectiveness at Community Colleges. Thomas R. Bailey and Mariana Alfonso, Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. Vol 6, #4, January 2005.