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In STEM education, many 4-year colleges and universities now get most of their students from community colleges. Students who transfer from community colleges, especially those who are underrepresented, often face problems, such as deciding whether or not to transfer, getting academic and non-academic support during the transfer, and finding a job. Also, program advisors at both 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities face problems because they need to know how their students make transfer decisions and how to help them be successful post-transfer. A data-driven and survey-based study will help establish a solid understanding of the underlying elements contributing to these challenges. In this paper, the researchers first conduct a literature review to identify the critical personal and academic factors that influence the transfer decision, particularly for students from traditionally disadvantaged groups. Secondly, an exploratory analysis of these factors was performed by inviting a small group of computing major students from both community colleges and universities to participate in a survey that includes a wide range of questions, from demographics and pre-transfer decisions to post-transfer performance. The preliminary findings indicated that financial challenges, university reputation, university location, job prospects, and family expectations are the primary factors influencing student transfer decisions. The findings of the study can be beneficial to underrepresented transfer students, their advisors, and other stakeholders in higher education.
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Advising from Community College to University: What It Takes for Underrepresented Transfer Students in STEM to Succeed
Community colleges are increasingly recognized as providing an accessible and affordable pathway to STEM occupations, particularly for underrepresented racial and ethnic, first-generation, and low-income students. There are several institutional and academic factors that influence transfer outcomes. But one of the most central factors that can either help students successfully navigate the two-to-four-year pathway or cause significant roadblocks and cost students considerable delays – is advising. In this study, we investigate how advising practices at three institutions – two community colleges and one university – contribute to the success of underrepresented students on the transfer pathway in STEM disciplines. We conducted interviews with 39 near-transfer or recently transferred students in STEM. Most students experienced at least some good advising (n = 28); however, 21 students reported poor advising experiences, which in some cases created undue challenges and barriers. Positive advising experiences contributed to students’ sense of trust with their advisors, departments, and the institution. Early positive relationships with advisors also contributed to students being more likely to seek future help from advisors (including at other institutions); conversely negative advising relationships contributed to students being more likely to seek help elsewhere, like from friends or family, and sometimes giving up and not receiving any help at al
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- Award ID(s):
- 1761185
- PAR ID:
- 10327132
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Community college journal of research and practice
- ISSN:
- 1066-8926
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Introduction:While a considerable amount of extant scholarship describes the importance of and strategies for improving the postsecondary pathways of Black engineering students, most literature is contextualized within 4-year institutions. Objectives:The purpose of this article is to illuminate Black engineering students’ experiences at community colleges in order to understand ways in which they engage different types of 2-year institutional support. Methods:We draw from data obtained through a series of focus groups and interviews facilitated between fall 2018 and fall 2019 with 13 engineering undergraduates. Results:Findings include evidence of important connections with faculty at 2-year colleges, such as positive engagement with them inside the classroom, as well as during office hours and general advising. In addition, we describe support from academic advisors regarding transfer pathways, as well as from campus staff who helped identify scholarships or other valuable resources on campus. Conclusion:We offer implications and conclusions that highlight the tremendous capacity of community colleges to support and educate future Black engineers. We also discuss the significance of underrepresented students of color working closely with faculty, adding that research to date notes that these interactions often tenuous for underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities. Finally, we discuss ways in which our results can inform the broader landscape of undergraduate engineering education, which—like other STEM fields—has often created unwelcoming and competitive environments that lead to student attrition for students from all demographic backgrounds.more » « less
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This study examines the experiences of STEM aspiring community college transfer students engaged in a STEM Bridge program, designed to address critical barriers in transfer pathways, including financial challenges, poor communication of transfer policies, and institutional challenges that result from ineffective partnerships between community colleges and four year institutions. Aimed at creating a transfer-receptive culture, the STEM Bridge program also provides pre- and post-transfer support to participants in order to mitigate transfer shock and promote success in STEM degrees. We use focus groups conducted with STEM Bridge participants on a longitudinal basis from pre-transfer through to graduation to investigate (1) how STEM transfer students narrate their transition into and experience in a four-year institution and (2) how their experiences conform to or resist perceived institutional messaging students report about what is required to succeed in STEM. This study employs an adapted ethnographic approach to analyze narratives. Notable findings include the impact of perceived instructional quality and care by professors, navigational support by advisors and mentors, and emotional support by social networks. We conclude by recommending that four-year institutions recognize the critical role socio-academic integration has in cultivating transfer receptivity and supporting academic success for community college transfer students.more » « less
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Currently, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs in community colleges and 4-year institutions are predominantly white spaces that can marginalize underrepresented, racial/ethnic minority students (Kanno & Cromley, 2015; Martin, et al., 2018; Samuelson & Litzler, 2016; Valadez, 2008; Wang, Lee, & Prevost, 2017). Latinx students make up the largest racial/ethnic minority group of college students (Martinez & Deil-Amen, 2015), and they are more likely to begin their postsecondary education paths in community colleges (Arbona & Nora, 2007; Starobin & Bivens, 2014). Many will start at community college in programs that lead to vertical transfer (Martin, et al., 2018). Transferring from a community college to a four-year institution is a difficult process to navigate, especially for racial/ethnic minority students who are likely to have experienced inequitable educational experiences. Institutions seeking to assist them in obtaining baccalaureate degrees must increase these students’ Transfer Student Capital (TSC) (Laanan, Starobin, & Eggleston, 2010). The purpose of this presentation is to show how high schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions can partner together to assist Latinx students in acquiring baccalaureate degrees in STEM fields by increasing their TSC.more » « less
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Vemu, Sheela (Ed.)Community colleges expand access to higher education and play a key role in efforts to increase and diversify the future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. While community colleges increase access to higher education and millions of students attend them for some portion of their education, the experiences of transfer students remain relatively understudied. Transferring during an academic journey can compound the barriers that students already face when pursuing a STEM degree. This study uses Schlossberg’s model for analyzing human adaptation to transition to understand how STEM community college transfer students navigate and adapt to the 4-year university. Five semistructured focus groups were conducted with STEM community college transfer students attending an urban university. Analysis of the focus groups resulted in a new model: the amended model of adaptation to transfer transition, or AMATT, which illustrates various factors that played a role in STEM community college transfer students’ adaptation a university. Analyses illumined two broad pathways that students tend to diverge into during their transitions—thriving or simply surviving. This work provides a framework for understanding factors influencing the transfer process and ideally will inform institutions and students as they consider maximal transfer student success.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1080/10668926.2022.2050842
