Transfer Center Stories PDF Download

Author: Linda Serra Hagedorn
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Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
To help students through the difficult process of transfer, many institutions nationwide have developed Transfer Centers, physical locations where students can come to learn more about the transfer process. The mission of Transfer Centers is to promote and support community college students who are seeking to transfer to four-year institutions. The present study examines the role of the Transfer Center in nine community colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) to understand the effectiveness of the centers in promoting student transfer and their role in supporting students who are on the pathway to transfer. To assess the effectiveness of the Transfer Centers within the community colleges, the present study utilized qualitative data from the center directors and the students who utilize the Transfer Center services. Two stages of examination were simultaneously employed. One level of data collection involved interviewing the Directors of each Transfer Center while the other included focus groups with students. The sample for this study is the nine Transfer Centers located on the campuses of the Los Angeles Community Colleges. A random design allowed the researchers to collect data in a focus group format on a wide range of students who were from different educational backgrounds, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses. The focus groups typically included three to five students at each campus, resulting in a sample size of 58 students. A case study methodology was used, and the main form of data collection was through interviews and focus group transcripts. Questions centered around understanding what helps and hinders the success of student transfer as well as the barriers to providing students services for transferring. Findings focused on themes delineated from interviews with community college students and supported by comments made by Transfer Center directors highlighting the complexities of student needs and services. Student interviews revealed three aspects that help or hinder the progress of student transfer: knowledge of the transfer process, academics (sufficient grades necessary to transfer), and financial limitations as a barrier to transfer. Findings among Transfer Center directors interviews supplemented the student interviews and resulted in two major themes: institutional support and external influences. Some directors reported that they felt they had sufficient institutional support while others felt that they were in conflict with the administration and faculty on their campus. Among the exterior influences that directors identified were that community college students had outside commitments, like jobs, family responsibilities, and other life stressors that interfere with their school studies. Other barriers identified by directors was student confusion regarding transfer. The ASSIST website was identified by both students and directors as a tool to facilitate the transfer function. ASSIST, or the Articulation System Stimulating Inter-institutional Student Transfer, is a computerized information system created to provide detailed and current transfer and articulation information for transfer between the California Community Colleges and the public university systems. It is concluded that barriers exist that limit the potential of transfer for community college students and the transfer function for community colleges themselves, and that Transfer Centers are in need of greater support. (Contains 5 footnotes.) [This paper is a product of the Transfer and Retention of Urban Community College Students (TRUCCS) Project.].