Plenary AddressTrudy Bers

Executive Director, Research, Curriculum & PlanningOakton Community College

Des Plaines, Illinois

Setting the Context of Transfer

• 63% 1992 12th graders who subsequently earned > 10 postsecondary credits attended more than one school

• Multiple transfer patterns – swirling2-year to 4-year4-year to 2-year (reverse transfer)2-year to 2-year4-year to 4-yearConcurrent enrollments of all sorts

• Multiple measures of transfer; no clear answer

Creating a Transfer Going CultureStephen Handel – The College Board

• CC Role: Prepare students academically• University Role: Work with cc to align courses and

curricula, give students accurate info, welcome transfers

• In addition, for CC: Help students understand transfer options and processes

• In addition, for both: Work together and with state re: statewide policies and practices to facilitate transfer

IPKITImproving Practitioner Knowledge

to Increase Transfer

• Barbara Townsend, U of MO (PI) + advisory group• Lumina-funded• Purposes– Provide practitioners with knowledge & skills

to gather & analyze institution-specific data re: transfer

– Improve policies & support programs for transfer students

• http://education.missouri.edu/orgs/index

IPKIT Modules

• Institutional audits of policies, practices and attitudes affecting transfer students;

• Guide to conducting focus groups about transfer;

• Guide to constructing surveys about transfer;• Information on coding open-ended responses

to survey questions;• Annotated list of data sources for information

about transfer and degree attainment.

IPKIT Audits: Focus on theInstitution & State Context

• Two-year and four-year versions• Three components– Inventory of state’s & college’s policies

affecting transfer students–Ascertain college’s practices & attitudes

affecting transfer students–Ascertain availability & use of data about

student transfer & performance after transfer

‘Doing’ IPKIT Audits

• IPKIT leader• IPKIT team• Multiple sessions – won’t have answers right

away

IPKIT Data

• Existing policies State-level Institution-level

• Institutional attitudes & practices• Collection & use of data

Reality Check: Reasonable ExpectationsThink Short-term and Long-term

• Data & Information– Collected or need to be collected– Operational definitions– Centralized or decentralized – Ownership & access– Data entry–Quantitative or qualitative

The Leader and the Team

• Leader– Champion or task-manager– Level–Role

• Team–Representation– Level

Data Gathering Approaches

• Institutional data (student information systems)

• Home-grown surveys• National surveys – NSSE, CCSSE, SENSE• State & Nat’l data sources – National

Student Clearinghouse, IPEDS, state student unit record systems

More Data Gathering Approaches

• Focus groups (students & staff)• Individual interviews (students & staff)• Document reviews (brochures, agreements)• Web sites• Observations

What Potential Students Want to Learn from Web SiteSurvey of 500 students with intent to transfer

Web site contentProgram I want 82%Can I afford to attend 64%Will enough credits transfer 54%Do I like the location 35%How successful are graduates 24%Faculty 18%Extra-curricular activities 12%Will I fit in 9%

www.noellivitz.com/expectations

Beyond IPKIT: Testing Yourselves

Moving Forward to Improve Transfer:The Six Whos

• Who recommends• Who champions• Who approves• Who manages• Who implements• Who funds

Action Planning

• Think of two concrete projects to improve transfer at your institution:– Project #1: Doable in one year– Project #2: Two-three year timetable