In this study, cybersecurity faculty and academic advisors from community colleges and 4-year universities in the southeast region of the United States completed a survey assessing attitudes about and support for articulation agreements and related transfer policies. Hypothesizing that professional structures shape attitudes and experiences, the researchers conducted an exploratory quantitative study with primarily descriptive analyses. The results reveal differences in attitudes between community college and 4-year stakeholders and between faculty and academic advisors. The results of this study are discussed in relation to faculty and advisor training and communication.
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A Dual Perspective on Academic Advising: Challenges Faced by Community College Transfers and Faculty Advisors in Engineering
This study provides a deeper understanding of the challenges facing community college transfer students in engineering and their faculty advisors at a 4-year research university. Using a phenomenological approach, data was analyzed from interviews with nine engineering transfers and seven faculty advisors. The findings unveiled nuanced barriers faced by engineering transfers and their faculty advisors, including transfers’ academic unpreparedness and struggles with nonacademic responsibilities; advisors’ heavy workload, disconnection with other student services, and lack of communication with community college advisors; and restrictions on course selection and program requirements in 4-year engineering programs. The findings provide meaningful insights into developing new policies and practices to improve the academic advising experience for engineering transfers.
more » « less- Award ID(s):
- 1652622
- PAR ID:
- 10557154
- Publisher / Repository:
- NACADA
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- NACADA journal
- Volume:
- 43
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0271-9517
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 72 to 84
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Community College Transfer, Engineering, Advising
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Background The potential for broadening participation in engineering among Black undergraduates via transfer pathways is considerable, given their large share of the community college population. By understanding the opportunities and challenges presented within the context of transfer, this potential can be realized.
Purpose/hypothesis The goal of this study is to explore ways in which Black students who transitioned from a community college to a 4‐year engineering program describe the institutional factors affecting their transfer processes.
Design/method Drawing from a 3‐year qualitative research study involving approximately 27 Black engineering transfer students at a large, predominantly White, institution, we present data derived through interviews and focus groups with these undergraduates.
Results Participants expressed that they benefited from supportive institutional agents who offered engineering transfer‐related resources. These included both faculty and advisors in their mostly Minority Serving Community Colleges (MSCCs) as well as advisors from the engineering college at the 4‐year institution. In addition, respondents described being part of a number of community college programs, including some for Black collegians, that offered resources for transfer. Nonetheless, some participants shared problems that emerged during the transfer process, including having to self‐navigate confusing transfer websites or self‐advocate to resolve erroneous admissions decisions.
Conclusions We suggest a need to elevate MSCCs as learning environments that can produce future Black engineers. We also recommend a systems‐level approach that brings together community colleges and 4‐year institutions while also accounting for issues related to resources as well as power dynamics that students may encounter.
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The LINK scholarship program at the University of South Alabama is funded by an NSF S-STEM grant, awarding scholarships to low-income students transferring from community colleges in the Gulf Coast region to complete degrees in chemical, civil, computer, electrical, or mechanical engineering. The program provides financial support and academic mentoring to foster student success and optimize time to degree completion after transfer. Part of that effort includes providing pre-transfer advice through interactions with faculty and advisors at the regional community colleges. A further objective is to promote transfer student integration into the college, as this is expected to enhance academic achievement and professional development. This engagement is encouraged through faculty mentorship with frequent meetings, a cohort-building academic success seminar, and expected participation in engineering-focused student organizations. Our project includes a mixed-methods study to improve our understanding of what support mechanisms effectively integrate transfer students in our college, and how students perceive that integration to enhance their academic and professional development. Early data analysis is presented here. Student surveys indicate that they believe that peers in their classes and their assigned faculty advisors have the greatest impact on their integration and academic success. For professional development, the transfer students find that internships the most importance, followed by participation in student organizations.more » « less
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The Student Pathways in Engineering and Computing for Transfers (SPECTRA) program is anticipated to provide a streamlined academic pathway for transfer students from 2-year programs within South Carolina into Clemson University, and deliver programming to aid their academic success and social integration. To achieve this, the faculty intended to solidify cohorts of students at two community/technical colleges (Spartanburg Community College and Trident Technical College) and then support that cohort as they transitioned together into Clemson University. This paper provides an overview of the larger SPECTRA program and a deeper dive into the role of the graduate teaching assistants (‘fellows’). Specifically, we will provide an overview of: (1) changes between initial program vision and adjustments from this vision during initial implementation, (2) recruitment processes and application requirements for the graduate teaching fellowship, (3) the framework for development of undergraduate research courses taught by fellows, (4) mentorship web for fellows on the research university campus and technical/community college locations, (5) the lessons learned from semi structured programmatic exit interviews of matriculated fellows, and (6) design for additional professional programming for scholars at the community/technical college locations by the fellows.more » « less
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A missing component in the current transfer literature is how community college students’ exposure to faculty and/or advisors at baccalaureate institutions early in their educational journey, such as meeting with transfer advisors or faculty members from a baccalaureate college or university, may shape their longer-term transfer outcomes. Our research addresses this gap, drawing upon longitudinal survey data and propensity score matching. The findings reveal a positive relationship between early exposure and transfer, suggesting that when students gain exposure to and potentially receive support from faculty and advisors at baccalaureate institutions, they may be better prepared for the upward transfer process. Our study highlights the role played by the transfer-receiving end in assisting community college students to fulfill their transfer aspirations. The larger transfer research agenda must continue to delve into the specific ways in which baccalaureate institutions can play a substantive role in preparing and supporting students both prior to and after transfer.
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.12930/NACADA-22-26
