Indicators of Persistence and Success of Community College Transfer Students Attending a Large, Urban University in Pennsylvania

Indicators of Persistence and Success of Community College Transfer Students Attending a Large, Urban University in Pennsylvania
Author: Peggi Munkittrick
Publisher:
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2009
Genre:
ISBN:
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The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which completion of Temple University's Core-to-Core articulation agreement requirements improves transfer students' likelihood to persist and to obtain a baccalaureate degree . Additionally, demographic variables (age, gender, ethnicity, financial aid eligibility), pre-enrollment variables (transfer GPA, transferable credits, Core-to-Core participation, educational intent, class standing, and community college attended), and enrollment variables (enrollment status, GPA trend, credits per semester, number of semester enrollments, and final GPA) were examined in order to determine whether they had any validity in predicting baccalaureate degree attainment. The study used an institutional case study design with historical data as the foundation for a multivariate analysis. The study population included 5419 students who transferred to Temple University between the Fall 1998 and Spring 2002 semesters. from one of eleven local community colleges that participated in Temple's Core-to-Core transfer program. A causal-comparative methodology was used to study the two groups - persisters and non-persisters. Descriptive statistics provided a picture of each group of students, while Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the demographic, pre-enrollment, and enrollment variables that had the strongest ability to predict academic persistence. The Chi-square analyses presented a very detailed picture of the persisters and non-persisters. As a group, enrollment variables were the strongest predictors of baccalaureate degree attainment. However, the independent variables that were most significant and also the most meaningful were the number of semesters for which a student registered, final GPA, enrollment status (full-time/part-time), average number of credits per semester, GPA trend, and financial aid eligibility. A logistic regression analyses was then used to examine the predictive factors for baccalaureate degree attainment after eliminating several variables due to multicollinearity concerns and due to the complexity introduced with variables containing multiple nominal responses. The results were highly significant with 22.6% of the variance accounted for, indicating that the students who have a higher probability of graduating demonstrate a pattern of increasing GPA from initial transfer to graduation, have a higher transfer GPA, attend Temple University on a full-time basis, have taken advantage of Temple's Core-to-Core transfer program are eligible for financial aid, and are female.

Transfer Velocity Project

Transfer Velocity Project
Author: Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 8
Release: 2010
Genre:
ISBN:
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Which factors promote student transfer from California Community Colleges (CCC) to baccalaureate-granting institutions? How do community college practices support this transition? Which student behaviors and characteristics particularly facilitate their movement to four-year colleges and universities? The Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group) investigated these questions through the Transfer Velocity Project (TVP)--the most comprehensive study of community college transfer implemented to date. Because CCCs serve as the primary point of access to postsecondary education understanding and improving the community college transfer function is increasingly a priority for higher education policy-makers, advocates, researchers and practitioners alike, particularly in light of and demographic forecasts of a debilitating shortage of baccalaureate-trained workers in California. This research brief (1) introduces the project's primary components, (2) highlights key findings on institutional factors and student behaviors and characteristics facilitating transfer and (3) informs possible strategies and approaches for improving this transition for California Community College students. (Contains 1 footnote.) [For related reports, see the following: (1) "Transfer Issues and Effective Practices: A Review of the Literature" (ED521887); (2) "A Qualitative Study of Two-To-Four-Year Transfer Practices in California Community Colleges: An Analysis of Seven Case Studies Featuring Colleges with Consistently Higher-than-Expected Transfer Rates, Fall 2008" (ED521877); (3) "Transfer Practices at De Anza College: Case Study #1 of 7 Featuring Colleges with Consistently Higher than Expected Transfer Rates, Fall 2008" (ED521886); (4) "Transfer Practices at Irvine Valley College: Case Study #2 of 7 Featuring Colleges with Consistently Higher than Expected Transfer Rates, Fall 2008" (ED521884); (5) "Transfer Practices at Los Angeles Southwest College: Case Study #3 of 7 Featuring Colleges with Consistently Higher than Expected Transfer Rates, Fall 2008" (ED521889); (6) "Transfer Practices at Porterville College: Case Study #4 of 7 Featuring Colleges with Consistently Higher than Expected Transfer Rates, Fall 2008" (ED521880); (7) "Transfer Practices at Reedley College: Case Study #5 of 7 Featuring Colleges with Consistently Higher than Expected Transfer Rates, Fall 2008" (ED521878); (8) "Transfer Practices at San Diego City College: Case Study #6 of 7 Featuring Colleges with Consistently Higher than Expected Transfer Rates, Fall 2008" (ED521876); and (9) "Transfer Practices at Skyline College: Case Study #7 of 7 Featuring Colleges with Consistently Higher than Expected Transfer Rates, Fall 2008" (ED521879).].

Transfer Students: Trends and Issues

Transfer Students: Trends and Issues
Author: Frankie Santos Laanan
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Total Pages: 110
Release: 2001-08-20
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780787957797
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The summer 2001 issue of New Directions for Community Colleges evaluates recent research and policy discussions about transfer students and addresses the critical issues facing students moving through the educational pipeline. Chapters include: (1) "Transfer Student Adjustment" (Frankie Santos Laanan); (2) "Institutional Responses to Barriers to the Transfer Process" (Eboni M. Zamani); (3) "Honors Programs: A Case Study of Transfer Preparation" (Herald R. Kane); (4) "Toward a More Perfect Union: Reflecting on Trends and Issues for Enhancing the Academic Performance of Minority Transfer Students" (Wynetta Y. Lee); (5) "Student Transfer Between Oregon Community Colleges and Oregon University System Institutions" (James C. Arnold); (6) "Studying Transfer Students: Designs and Methodological Challenges" (Carol A. Kozeracki); (7) "Transfer Readiness: A Case Study of Former Santa Monica College Students" (Brenda Johnson-Benson, Peter B. Geltner, and Steven K. Steinberg); (8) "Making the Transition to the Senior Institution" (Latrice E. Eggleston and Frankie Santos Laanan); and (9) "Leadership Perspectives on Preparing Transfer Students" (Phoebe K. Helm and Arthur M. Cohen). (EMH)

After Admission

After Admission
Author: James E. Rosenbaum
Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2007-01-04
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1610444787
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Enrollment at America's community colleges has exploded in recent years, with five times as many entering students today as in 1965. However, most community college students do not graduate; many earn no credits and may leave school with no more advantages in the labor market than if they had never attended. Experts disagree over the reason for community colleges' mixed record. Is it that the students in these schools are under-prepared and ill-equipped for the academic rigors of college? Are the colleges themselves not adapting to keep up with the needs of the new kinds of students they are enrolling? In After Admission, James Rosenbaum, Regina Deil-Amen, and Ann Person weigh in on this debate with a close look at this important trend in American higher education. After Admission compares community colleges with private occupational colleges that offer accredited associates degrees. The authors examine how these different types of institutions reach out to students, teach them social and cultural skills valued in the labor market, and encourage them to complete a degree. Rosenbaum, Deil-Amen, and Person find that community colleges are suffering from a kind of identity crisis as they face the inherent complexities of guiding their students towards four-year colleges or to providing them with vocational skills to support a move directly into the labor market. This confusion creates administrative difficulties and problems allocating resources. However, these contradictions do not have to pose problems for students. After Admission shows that when colleges present students with clear pathways, students can effectively navigate the system in a way that fits their needs. The occupational colleges the authors studied employed close monitoring of student progress, regular meetings with advisors and peer cohorts, and structured plans for helping students meet career goals in a timely fashion. These procedures helped keep students on track and, the authors suggest, could have the same effect if implemented at community colleges. As college access grows in America, institutions must adapt to meet the needs of a new generation of students. After Admission highlights organizational innovations that can help guide students more effectively through higher education.