Post-transfer Transition Experiences for Engineering Transfer Students

Abstract

Expanding and enhancing transfer pathways may help broaden participation in engineering. However, colleges of engineering have primarily focused their recruitment and retention efforts on students who matriculate directly from high school. Our research increases understanding of the transition experiences for engineering transfer students at 4-year institutions so that programs may better support their unique needs. We explore survey data of over one thousand engineering transfer students across four Texas institutions to identify problems post-transfer and students' perceptions of their receiving institutions and disaggregate findings by transfer pathway, institutional enrollment policies, Hispanic/Latino status, and first-generation college student status. Cost of attendance, credit transfer, and academic expectations surfaced as top problems for engineering transfer students. Although perceptions of their receiving institutions were generally positive, disaggregated analyses show that transfer students should not be considered as a homogeneous population-subgroups of transfer students face different problems and have different needs.

Exploring Influences of Policy Collisions on Transfer Student Access: Perspectives From Street-Level Bureaucrats

“…The interview protocol was approved through the Institutional Review Board, and all participants provided informed consent. Interview questions were adapted from a previous study on transfer students (Ogilvie & Knight, 2019, 2020) and customized by a team with relevant professional experience and research expertise with transfer students, community colleges, and transfer of coursework processes. Interviews explored five primary areas of the transfer of coursework process: (a) how students receive information on transfer of coursework prior to transfer, (b) the role of academic faculty/advisors in the course transfer process, (c) the application of transfer articulation agreements in practice, (d) perceptions of academic preparedness of incoming transfer students, and (e) how transfer of courses and variation across academic programs influence transfer student success.…”

Investigating the Viability of Transfer Pathways to STEM Degrees: Do Community Colleges Prepare Students for Success in University STEM Courses?

“…Additionally, the typical student who transferred between a community college and a 4-year institution lost approximately eight credits in the process (Simone, 2014). Consistent with these findings, in a study of engineering transfer students at four public research institutions in Texas, Ogilvie and Knight (2021) found that students perceived the credit transfer process as one of the most challenging aspects of transfer, second only to the cost of attendance. Hence, facilitating the transfer of courses and credits between community colleges and 4-year institutions is almost certain to result in better academic adjustment, increased persistence, and higher graduation rates among transfer students in STEM fields.…”

Engineering community college transfer pathways through pre‐transfer programs

“…Interview questions were adapted from previous studies on transfer students (Ogilvie & Knight, 2020, 2021) and customized by a team with relevant professional experience and research expertise related to transfer students, community colleges, and transfer of coursework processes. Interviews explored five primary areas of the transfer of coursework process: 1) how students receive information on transfer of coursework prior to transfer, 2) the role of academic faculty/advisors in the course transfer process, 3) the application of transfer articulation agreements in practice, 4) perceptions of academic preparedness of incoming transfer students, and 5) how transfer of courses and variation across academic programs influence transfer student success.…”